Why Would Someone Follow Jesus?

This question is one I've often heard since I started following Jesus. You may have heard some version of this or even wondered it yourself.

Why follow Jesus? He was a great person, but what about Him is worth following?

Honestly, this question is valid. There have definitely been times in my life when I've thought about appreciating Jesus as a historical figure without needing to have Him as my savior.

I think the mark of a good leader is not simply the things that someone says or even what they know that makes them worth following, but it's their willingness to be in the trenches with those they lead. You may have heard it said: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." To a degree this is true but I think this statement deserves an amendment. A better way to say this might be: "People will care what you say when they see you do what you say". Simply put, are you willing to put your money where your mouth is when it comes to others? Not just the people in your circle but any and all people?

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People will care what

You say when they

See you do what

You say.

Did Jesus do this?

There's a story in Luke 14:7-24 when Jesus is attending a dinner party with some well off men and He makes it a point to tell those who are in attendance who are hosting the party that the best practice is to not try to take a position of honor at the dinner table. This would have been a big deal, in an honor/shame culture you would have wanted others to see you as someone of honor by sitting near or at the head of the table. Jesus is flipping this on it's head by encouraging people to take a seat at the table of lowest honor. He doesn't just stop with arranging social structures of the upper class in His society. He continues by telling those who have the means to host a dinner party shouldn't invite others who have the means to afford a banquet. Rather they should invite the poor, those who are less able, people who have physical or mental ailment, widows, etc.

Jesus time and again demonstrates that as His followers we are to be the kind of people who stand in the gap for others. It's not enough to say the right words, or to suggest that we care about God's Kingdom. If we are able then we should be meeting the needs of those on the fringe of our community. Think about this: would it make more sense to give $10 to someone who isn't worried about their next meal or should you donate it to an organization or buy a meal for someone experiencing houseless-ness? We can complain about problems in our community or we can make the situation better by addressing it head on.

What Should We Do?

It's not enough to say all the right words or to post all the right things on social media. As followers of Jesus we are called to not simply notice things that are wrong in our culture but to help solve problems through love that leads to human flourishing. Jesus said: "Blessed are the peacemakers."

So why should we follow Jesus? Following Jesus means following His example of how to live. His example of love and compassion, justice for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner. He shows us that it is more of a blessing to lift up others than it is to lift up ourselves.

Jesus is not merely a historical figure with admirable teachings, He's a leader who lead not from a far off throne in the heavens, but he lived in the trenches amongst us. He lived like us. He died like us. He built relationships with others and had family like us. He faced hardship and suffering so that you and I can live closer to heaven here on earth and so that we might be able to do the same for someone else.