As I was driving north to church after being downtown, I thought of the invitation given by Jesus to his first disciples in our Gospel lesson from this past Sunday: Follow me. For most of my short drive, I was behind the same car. I wasn’t intentionally following this car, but it happened to be going in the same direction I was. Every time it would make a turn, I would make a turn. Every time it would change lanes, I would change lanes.
Getting to church and hopping out of my car, it made me think about what it means to “follow.” Had I been intentionally following this car – perhaps to a new location I’d never been to before – I would’ve been much more attuned to the changes the car in front of me was making. And, from what I was seeing, I would’ve made changes in what I was doing to match the other car.
I wonder if that is a bit what it’s like to follow Jesus. As we move through the rest of the season of Epiphany, we have the opportunity to watch Jesus – intentionally – and see what direction he’s going. Starting this coming Sunday, we’ll be hearing from Jesus’ long teaching narrative in the Gospel of Matthew: the Sermon on the Mount. Spanning three chapters, this teaching gives instruction of what it means to live in God’s Kingdom. But even more so, it gives us something to follow: taking note of the “direction” Jesus is encouraging us, as his disciples, to go.
So as you continue into your week, consider what it means for you to “follow” Jesus. If Jesus were in front of you, what would Jesus be doing? And how would you reflect the things Jesus does? And the direction Jesus is going?