Following Jesus

“A great number of the people followed him.”

The climax of Luke’s Passion narrative is full of people. Jesus is, of course, the main character—the absolute focus of the story. The only begotten, innocent Son of God is willingly submitting to humiliation, torture, and death for the sake of a sinful world.

Jesus is the focus of the gospel story, but Jesus himself is focused on the people: those weeping for him, those killing him, and those dying with him. It would have been so easy for Jesus to turn inward and direct all of his attention to the effort necessary for each agonizing step toward The Place of the Skull, to the human feelings of fear and suffering he was experiencing, or to the comfort of his own prayerful dialogue with the Father. Instead, Jesus turned outward—to the people around him. He had compassion for his female disciples who mourned him, he forgave the leaders and soldiers who denigrated him, and he extended grace to the criminal who recognized the justice of his own condemnation.

Jesus’s death on that cross—along with his resurrection and exaltation as Lord and God—accomplished something that we could never accomplish for ourselves. Jesus loves us, and that is what saves us.

At the same time, Jesus’s Passion sets us an example to follow. Like Simon of Cyrene, we are called to take up our crosses and follow behind Jesus. It would be easy for us to focus on the challenges of our lives with Christ—on our suffering, our losses, our own spiritual health. Following Jesus, however, means focusing on the people around us. How can we love them—the ones who love us and the ones who harm us—the way that Jesus loves us?

Jesus’s death on that cross should inspire in us tremendous gratitude, but it should also prompt us to respond. As Jesus has loved us, let us love one another.

Holy God, may we remember your love for us and may we, through the power of your Holy Spirit, follow you as we seek to love others in the same way. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

REBECCA POE HAYS, PHD
Associate Professor of Christian Scriptures
Truett Seminary