Is there ever a reason you should not follow Jesus?
Imagine that you lived in Galilee about 2,000 years ago. Some of your neighbors started telling you amazing some things an itinerant preacher was doing. Some of these stories were just too incredible to believe. But you kept hearing more and more about this man they called Jesus. Some people say they want to follow Jesus wherever he goes.
One morning, it seemed like everyone in town was leaving to go hear this Jesus fellow. So, you followed the crowd without giving it too much thought and pretty soon, you saw where they were all going. There was a mountain up ahead and a little ways up the mountain sat a man sat with a dozen or so guys next to him.
There was a definite sense of tension in the air, well, it was really more of expectation and hope. But you also felt an urgency you had never felt before. You had to get as close as possible to this man on the hillside.
As the crowd assembled, the oddest thing happened. Whenever you’d been a crowd before, everyone was talking at once. But today, there was an amazing sense of peace in that place and everyone was completely silent waiting for the preacher to talk.
Feeling God’s love
And when he opened his mouth to speak, you felt a sense of love you had never felt before. Something stirred deep inside you and you hung on every word he said.
He talked about God with such common sense but also with authority. You were so absorbed in what he was saying that you lost all track of time, but suddenly you realized you’d left in such a hurry that you’d forgotten to bring anything to eat. And now you realized how hungry you were.
But then the most remarkable thing happened. You were close enough to see what was going on. A little boy handed the preacher five loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Jesus was so grateful for this act of generosity. He thanked God and then started breaking the bread in pieces.
You couldn’t believe your eyes, the more pieces he broke off from those small loaves of bread, the more there was. The twelve men with him started passing it out to the crowd. He did the same thing with the fish. There must have been several thousand people there. Everyone got something to eat.
Everyone wants to follow Jesus
Then you heard someone shout,
Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world. John 6:14 NIV
You could hear others talking about making Jesus a king. But in all the excitement, he just disappeared and everyone started to go home.
The next morning you and others went back to where Jesus had preached and fed so many people. It was on the shore of the Galilean Sea. Some folks came in little boats from the other side of the lake and said that Jesus was there. So you got in one of their boats and went looking for Jesus.
And when you got to the other side of the lake, there he was, almost as if he was waiting for you.
Think about how you would have felt at that moment.
How should we follow Jesus today?
Now let’s come back into the 21st century.
There’s a lot more to this story and we’re going to do a deep dive into what happens next. You can read the entire scenario in John, Chapter 6.
And we’re going to focus on why people were following Jesus. Why did they come to hear him preach in the first place? Why did they go looking for him on the other side of the Sea of Galilee that next morning? What can we learn from them about how and why we follow Jesus?
The answer to this first question, “Why did they come to hear Jesus preach?” is pretty straightforward.
a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. John 6:2 NIV
That makes sense. If someone was healing people of so many incurable diseases, I would want to go check things out and probably get involved. Wouldn’t you?
Lots of reasons to follow Jesus
Now, there could have been all sorts of reasons people went to hear him preach that morning. Maybe they had heard him preach before and wanted to hear more of his teachings. Maybe they had heard that he had healed people and wanted to see him heal someone. Maybe they had a health problem and hoped he would heal them. Maybe they’d heard all these stories but just couldn’t believe it and just wanted to go see for themselves. Maybe they were full of doubts and went to scoff at this healing nonsense.
I can imagine there were lots of different reasons or motives that impelled people to go hear Jesus preach that day, or any day.
And now let’s look at the second question: Why did the people cross the Sea of Galilee the next morning to find Jesus?
As soon as they find him, Jesus gives us a hint. Jesus quickly chastises because they’ve come for the wrong reason. And then he explains why they should be searching for and following him.
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” John 6:26, 27 NIV
The real reason to follow Jesus
Jesus is trying to make it clear they should follow him, not because of what they’ll get to eat, but because they will be close to him and experience eternal life.
When you read the dialogue between Jesus and these people, it’s pretty clear they really don’t understand what Jesus is saying or asking of them.
When he explains they should focus on and work for the food that doesn’t spoil, but “endures to eternal life,” they really don’t get it.
They want to know what they’re supposed to do. They just want some rules to obey, some commandments to follow, some boxes to check. But Jesus’s answer points them to something spiritual instead of a bunch of human activities or actions.
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:28, 29 NIV
The work of God
Jesus wants them to accept the fact that God has sent him, as the Messiah. He’s calling that the work of God. I’ve always thought that was an interesting definition of work.
But when you have to wrestle with you human will, your opinions and preconceptions about who the Messiah is or how he appears, and then surrender your own will to follow Christ, you will know that this is work, deep spiritual work in your heart and mind.
Looking for a sign when they already had one
Their next question shows they still don’t get it. They haven’t gone much deeper than seeing the sick healed and the crowds fed. They ask Jesus for a sign so they can believe him.
So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” John 6:30 NIV
Just the day before they had seen an incredible sign when he fed the 5,000 people. And some of them had probably seen him heal people before that.
What more of a sign did they need?
Someone mentions that Moses had given their ancestors bread in the wilderness as a sign from God.
God’s bread
Jesus seized on this opportunity to teach a profound truth.
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:32, 33 NIV
They still think he’s talking about literal bread, like they got the day before. And that if they ate it they would have eternal life.
Then Jesus gets right to the heart of the matter.
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 NIV
Who do they think Jesus is?
But Jesus could tell, however, that they still didn’t really understand or believe. In fact, they started grumbling because Jesus referred to himself as the bread of life that came down from heaven. This made absolutely no sense to them because they took it literally and couldn’t see the metaphor Jesus had used to explain his purpose.
And instead of trying to understand, they started looking for ways to discredit Jesus. The day before they had talked about Jesus as the Prophet prophesied in Deuteronomy. God tells Moses,
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. Deuteronomy 18:18 NIV
Jesus literally fulfilled that prophecy. And the day before these people had even thought about trying to make him a king.
But now all they could say about Jesus was
They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” John 6:42 NIV
What it really means to follow Jesus
The more spiritual Jesus’s answers were, the more the people’s materially minded limitations came to the surface. They couldn’t understand his spiritual meaning and metaphors.
So Jesus reaffirmed,
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:51 NIV
Well, that did it.
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” John 6:52 NIV
They were looking at things so literally. And Jesus doesn’t stop there. He keeps declaring powerful truths, taking things a step further.
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. John 6:53 NIV
He goes into more detail on this point, which you can read for yourself in Chapter 6 of John, but that’s the gist of it.
They only followed Jesus so far
Now keep in mind, at this point he’s talking to people who have been following him, people who are considered to by his disciples, or students. But they are just not following what he’s saying.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” John 6:60 NIV
But Jesus presses on.
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” John 6:61-63 NIV
This powerful declaration of truth was more than they could take in. For those who were looking for material signs, material blessings, healing, and plenty of food to eat, Jesus was trying to refocus their priorities to following after things of the Spirit.
To say that the “flesh counts for nothing” was indeed a hard saying and not what they wanted to hear, and they couldn’t understand it.
Many no longer follow Jesus
And so, many of them just quit following Jesus. They left.
After they were gone, Jesus turned to his twelve closest disciples.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:67-69 NIV
Those who left weren’t following Jesus for the right reason. For them, it was all about what they could get when they showed up: a healing, a free lunch, seeing a miracle, a blessing. There may have been some genuine interest in the spiritual things Jesus was talking about, but when he said they needed to eat his flesh and drink his blood, they weren’t ready for that level of commitment of eating, or partaking of who Jesus was and being like him.
Jesus rebuked this motive. He tried to get his listeners to go deeper and follow him for who he was as the Son of God, sharing the message of salvation from God his Father.
A line in the sand
Jesus knew some of those who had followed him would be offended when he referred to himself as the bread of life and that they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. And he was not surprised when they did get offended and left.
It’s almost as if Jesus is drawing a line in the sand on purpose. He only wants those to follow him who are doing so with the right motive and for the right reason.
And Peter put his finger on it when he said there was no one else to go to because Jesus had the words of eternal life.
Just imagine the joy that must have brought to Jesus when Peter said this. Peter goes on to say that they believe he is the Holy One of God. Some translations say, “Christ, the Son of the living God.” (KJV)
The reason to follow Jesus
This is the reason to follow Jesus. It’s because he is the Messiah, the Son of God, sent by God to reveal God’s love for all His children, and teach and preach the gospel of eternal life.
I encourage you to read John, Chapter 6, the whole chapter. Take an honest look at your reasons for following Jesus. Is it to get something? Is it because you need a healing? Is it because you have a problem you need solved?
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to find solutions to your problems or desiring to be healed and seeking Christ’s healing presence. But that’s actually not the most important reason to seek and follow Christ.
Finding God
Jesus asked people to follow him, but in doing so, he was always point people back to God. He knew he was the Way for people to actually find the Father. He makes this clear
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV
And Jesus gave us very clear priorities for seeking and finding God, as well as for life itself, in the Sermon on the Mount.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 NKJV
And earlier in that sermon Jesus said it isn’t just enough to want God. We need to be hungry and thirsty for God and His righteousness.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 NIV
Jesus is really saying the ultimate goal is to know God and the only way to find God, the Father is to follow the Son of God, Jesus.
Why do you follow Jesus?
So let’s come back to the question, Why are you following Jesus? Do you follow him to a certain point, but when he demands too much of you or says things that are too hard to understand, you stop or go a different way?
I’ve heard some people, who consider themselves earnest, sincere Christians, publicly assert that they will never forgive certain people for what they have done. Somehow, they have decided that Jesus’s instructions to forgive were too hard or don’t apply in all situations, or that Jesus is being unreasonable.
What if those people who came to find Jesus on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, instead of grumbling “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”, what if they had asked some follow-up questions about what he meant.
How hard would it have been to say, “Hey Jesus, what do you mean, you came down from heaven? What do you mean to eat your flesh and drink your blood? You don’t mean literally do you? How do we do that? And what are you really trying to say that the flesh counts for nothing? Help us understand what you mean so we can follow you more closely.”
If they were truly following him for the right reasons and knew he had been sent by God, they would have accepted what he said and wanted to know how to be obedient.
Two powerful tools
Two of the most powerful tools you have in your possession to help you follow Christ are humility and spiritual curiosity. When you have a humble and honest heart, and a willingness to face whatever you don’t understand, or have trouble doing, what Jesus demands of you, it’s a time to ask with all sincerity, “How do I do this? God, help me understand.”
When you are spiritually curious, you look at what Jesus has to say with fresh eyes and dig for deeper meaning.
When you read something Jesus said that seems hard to understand or put into practice, don’t just decide you’ll figure it out later or think somehow it doesn’t apply to you or a particular situation you’re in.
Do you ever catch yourself saying, I cannot forgive such and such a person, or I cannot love my enemy. That person is so mean to me, I could never love them or forgive them?
Then you’re kind of like those folks on the other side of the Sea of Galilee who balked at what Jesus was asking of them and justified their unwillingness to follow Jesus all the way.
Asking God for help to follow Jesus all the way
What if instead you said to yourself and prayed, “God, I know Jesus said I should love my enemies and forgive those who have wronged me. I have tried and haven’t been able to. I know and trust You can show me how, and help me do it.” What a difference that attitude can make.
You can take this approach with anything Jesus has said that seems to hard or that you don’t think applies to you.
Are you a follower of Jesus? If so, that’ s beautiful. If not, I invite you to take the first step. Take an honest look at the reason you follow or want to follow Jesus? Is it just to get outward blessings, or is it to find God and His kingdom and experience your relationship with the Father through His Son, Jesus?
Jesus does expect a lot of us when we are his followers. But he never asks or expects anything of us that we’re not already capable of doing.
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
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Bible References
John 6:14 NIV
14 Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.
John 6:2 NIV
2 a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.
John 6:26-30, 32, 33, 35, NIV
26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?”
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Deuteronomy 18:18 NIV
18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. Jesus literally fulfilled that prophecy.
John 6:42, 51-53, 60-63, 67-69, NIV
42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
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 Then 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—they are full of the Spirit and life.
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 have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
John 14:6 NIV
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Matthew 6:33 NKJV
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 5:6 NIV
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
