Why Do You Follow Jesus?

Today’s passage is John 6:60-71.  I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

John 6:60-71 (NIV)
⁶⁰  On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
⁶¹  Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?
⁶²  What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!
⁶³  The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
⁶⁴  Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
⁶⁵  He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”
⁶⁶  From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
⁶⁷  “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
⁶⁸  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
⁶⁹  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
⁷⁰  Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”
⁷¹  (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

On verses 60-71:  Upon hearing Jesus talk about the importance of eating his flesh and drinking his blood (symbolic for believing in Jesus) (v51-58), many no longer followed Jesus (v66), leaving only a remnant such as Jesus’ 12 disciples (v67-69), although Judas would also later leave Jesus (v70-71).
What can we learn from this?  When you read the whole chapter of John 6, you will notice that people followed Jesus for different reasons. A great crowd followed Jesus at first because they saw him do miraculous signs for the sick (v2). People from that same crowd continued to follow Jesus because they had their fill of food that Jesus miraculously provided and were hoping to get more (v24-26). But then on hearing more of what Jesus had to say, many would desert Jesus (v66) leaving only a remnant who would continue to follow him.  That remnant who stayed didn’t just follow Jesus because they saw Jesus as a fascinating miracle worker or a free meal ticket.  They followed Jesus because they believed Jesus to be the Son of God whose words brought eternal life (v67-69).

How about you?  Why do you follow Jesus?  Do you follow Jesus only for superficial reasons, like to have your immediate needs and temporary concerns taken care of?  If so, there is a strong chance that one day you will likely become enamoured with something or someone else, because you are following Jesus for superficial reasons.  But if you follow Jesus for reasons that go above and beyond the superficial, if you follow because you believe that Jesus alone possesses the words that will give you life, then your heart is more likely to stay with Jesus till the end. It goes to show that the condition of a person’s heart and how open they are to the deepest parts of God’s grace will largely determine how far and how long they follow Jesus.

Don’t just follow Jesus so that you can be blessed on earth.  Don’t just follow Jesus in the hope that doing so will bring blessing to your career, your future, your marriage and your kids.  Follow Jesus because only in Him is there true life both now and for eternity.  Follow Him not just because of what He could do for you but because of who He is, the One who holds the words that bring eternal life.

Finally, I find it incredible that Jesus already knew who was going to betray him (v64, 71), and yet rather than cutting that person off and canceling him, Jesus allowed that person to stay close.  Would you do that?  If you knew someone was going to betray you, would you still spend time with them?  Would you still keep them on your team?  Jesus did it because He was submissive to the will of the Father and what the Scriptures said would happen (see John 17:12).  The lesson I learn from this is: submit to God’s will, even when it hurts.  It will of course be painful at first, but in the end God won’t shortchange you and you will be eternally blessed if you do.

Lord Jesus, more people follow You than anyone else in the world, and yet people follow You for different reasons.  May I not be so caught up in trying to get miracles from You or treat You like a free meal ticket for my temporary felt needs, that I miss You in the process.  May I follow You for who You are, not just for what You can do for me.  You are the One who holds the words of eternal life.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!