To Know & Follow Jesus
by David Wright
On Sunday, June 1, my wife Stephanie, my sister Marcia, and I, attended the funeral for our cousin’s husband John. We have known Johnny (family and friends knew him as Johnny) for more than 50 years. He was an accomplished missionary, educator, a dedicated and loving husband and father, a friend to all that knew him, and a lifelong learner. Seemingly, he was also in exceptional physical condition as he biked daily and hiked frequently. The sudden news of his death came as a shock to all.
As with all funerals, those gathered mourned the earthly loss of a dear loved one. We also celebrated a well-lived life. As I listened to all the good spoken of him, there was a clear thought in my mind. The heartfelt and sometimes tearful tributes that were shared by two of Johnny’s sons, his oldest grandson, brother and sisters, and one of his closest friends (who at one time was his pastor), created a deep reflection of Johnny within me. I jotted down a quick note in the memorial bulletin provided by the mortuary. It simply reads “I wish I had known Johnny better!”
Each tribute made it clear that Johnny was a disciple maker and each one that spoke recognized this of him and provided evidence of the difference he made in the lives of his students, fellow teachers, friends, and family. Though a quiet man, he shared Jesus with others through his service, his actions, his example, and his quiet, loving, joyful words of wisdom, devotion, and encouragement. Though I still wish that I had known him better, I know that those who gave testimony to who he was were each better for having known Johnny.
Johnny made disciples in a way that seems similar to the way Jesus did. Jesus prayed for his disciples. He lived with and among them. He taught them through parables, actions, interactions with people he encountered as he went throughout Galilee, Judea as well as in Perea and Samaria. For a little more than three years Jesus taught his disciples much about prayer, faith, grace, and love.
He invited those with whom he engaged to enter into personal relationships. His most crucial relationship was with his Father. He wanted his followers to see and know the love he had for his Father. For example, he replied to his closest disciples after he had washed their feet the evening of the Last Supper, “I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going. “(John 14:31).
Jesus taught and provided practical instruction. Jesus’ prayer life was integral as he deepened relationships with others. Many times, we see in Scripture how he would quietly slip away and spend time in prayer. His disciples observed this and asked him to teach them how to pray. He responded “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt 6:9-14).
Jesus demonstrated a lifestyle for his disciples to follow. His lifestyle was simple. He cared for the poor, he healed the sick, and he emphatically wanted the little children to safely be brought to him (Matt 19:13-14)! His love was endless and available to all. He also taught that, like him, his disciples must be forgiving.
He empowered his disciples. As with his disciples, our faith is to put into action those things he taught. We do this through our testimony, teaching, and the examples we display and share with others.
Jesus was intentional, relational, and transformative. One of his commands we are instructed to follow is known as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus begins with a command to “GO” with instructions to follow so that we can succeed. He follows those instructions with an assuring promise: Jesus is with his us, his disciples, to the very end of time as we know it!
As stated above, having been made aware of the many facets of my friend Johnny’s life of which I was unaware, I wish I had known him better. Likewise, with our Lord Jesus, we have much to know about him, his mission, his life, and who he was and who he is through the Holy Bible. Amazingly, we are told in John 21:25 that there is much more that could be told of Jesus. I am prayerful that during our eternity with him we will be filled with even more awareness of why we follow him and share him with others as we GO.
Let us go, engage, love, and teach family, friends, strangers, and all with whom we meet that Jesus is indeed the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him!
