Follow Me

 Two simple words. A very simple concept. So simple in fact, children play a game called follow the leader. So simple and yet so profound. Follow Me.

Let's imagine the scene in Matthew 9:9. Jesus saw Matthew while He was traveling through the area where Matthew worked. Matthew was a tax collector. The Jews hated tax collectors. They not only were responsible for collecting taxes for Rome, but also added extra fees so they could pad their own pockets. Tax collectors were despised. The excessive taxes of the Roman Empire were crippling economically. The fact that tax collectors swindled people out of more money made them despised even more as traitors. Traitors because Matthew was a Jew. It felt like he betrayed his own people for financial profit. 

We learn that Jesus saw Matthew sitting in the tax collector's booth. When everyone else saw a ruthless government agent profiting off other people's pain, Jesus saw something different. He saw a disciple. He saw an author of one of the gospels. He saw a man of influence. 

It makes me wonder what we see in other people. Do we see what God sees in them? Do we notice the unique ways God gifts people to carry out His divinely designed plans? 

Jesus' approach was direct. There were no formal introductions. No interview. Just two simple words. Follow Me. If we had been Matthew, how would we have responded. Matthew had a pretty good gig going. This itinerant preacher does not even ask Matthew to follow. He tells him to, "Follow Me." To forsake his livelihood, career, home, and his whole way of life. 

The most amazing part of this story for me is found in the phrase, "And he got up and followed Him." He resigned his job on the spot. No two weeks notice. He forsook his vocation to follow a complete stranger. We have no indication that Jesus and Matthew had ever met before. 

It makes me wonder. What did Matthew see in Jesus eyes? What did he hear in the Messiah's voice? What authority did Jesus speak with in those two words follow me? Follow Me was more than a command. It was an invitation to a grand adventure. Matthew saw and experienced things we can only dream about. He had a front row seat to witness miracles, life transformations, healings, demonic deliverance, the crucifixion, the resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. All of that came at the invitation to follow Jesus. 

Jesus still shows up in people's lives. He still calls people to follow Him. Following Jesus still leads to some to grand adventures. The question is will we follow His lead?

The End

 Just like there are beginnings, there are also endings. Books have an introduction and a conclusion. A meal may start with an appetizer and end with desert. Movies start and follow a plot line to a climatic conclusion. Racers line up at the starting line and dash toward the finish line. The universe and planet earth had a beginning point at creation and is moving toward the end. 

Life has a beginning and an ending. People rejoice at the birth of a child. Families gather to celebrate the miracle of birth. Those little bundle of joys are passed around the room. We celebrate milestones along the way. First words. First steps. Potty trained. First day of schools. First ball games. Driver's license. Graduation. Marriage. Grandchildren. 

We love all those things. What we do not talk about nearly as much is the ending of a person's life. Funerals. Caskets. Cemeteries. Sometimes death is expected through long life or terminal disease. There are other times when it comes unexpectedly through a tragic accident or murder. Death is a reality many people avoid talking about. It is part of the process of living. Just like there is birth, there is also death. 

People approach the end of their life journey in different ways. Some fight death with all their might. They go into eternity kicking and screaming clutching to life with all their might to the very last breath. Others pass into eternity peacefully and joyfully. 

In ministry, I have been around death of infants, young adults, and the aged. I have ministered at funerals of complete strangers as well as my own mother. I have offered words of truth, comfort and hope where I could. I preached gospel messages at all of them. I am convinced many of those funerals were for people who did not know Jesus and will spend eternity in damnation. 

How will we approach the end of our journey? I know how I want to approach it. With faith. With courage. With joy. With victory. That is not a question I can answer resolutely at this time. How will I face death? I do not know the process of death for me. It could involve excruciating suffering. In that case, I hope I will still cling to faith in the pain and persevere trusting God in my heart until the last breath. I certainly do not want to get incoherent in the end and say things I do not believe about God. Death is a door. An entrance to everlasting life for those who trusted Jesus for salvation. 

Death is not the end for the child of God and the unbeliever alike. There is more after this life. Death is just the beginning. For the child of God, death is the beginning of everlasting life with a resurrection body. The unbeliever will also face the beginning, only that beginning will be everlasting torment, suffering, and relentless pain. Everybody will face one end or the other. Either way death is not the end. It is only the beginning of eternal realities.