The concept of “follow me” comes from passages in the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). They tell the story of Jesus’ life, teachings, death, and resurrection. In these passages, Jesus encountered individuals whom he invited to become his disciples.

In Jewish tradition during the time of Jesus, rabbis were respected religious teachers who devoted their lives to studying and teaching the Scriptures. They typically did not seek out disciples. Rather, it was the disciples who sought out a teacher to follow. A student would approach a rabbi, and if accepted, would follow closely, literally following them and learning through firsthand observation. To be chosen by one was a great honor. Generally, these students were well respected and highly educated, while those not selected would return to their original trade.

Jesus did not find his followers in the way of tradition. Instead, he personally called his disciples with the command “follow me.” Unlike the rabbis of the day, he sought out his followers, and unlike traditional rabbis, he did not choose people based on merit. He chose common people, and in many instances, common people with questionable backgrounds. He called his followers to radical commitment to himself and his message.

Luke 9:23–24 (NIV)

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

When Jesus said, “follow me,” he was asking them to abandon their current way of life. This meant being willing to leave behind their possessions, jobs, and families. It could even mean sacrificing their very lives in order to follow him and share his good news with the world.

The Follow Me Life isn’t something to fear or consider a burden. If Jesus truly is who he says he is, the God of the universe, what better way to live your life than following him!

We need to ask ourselves, what does The Follow Me Life look like for us? It comes down to making Jesus the priority in our life above everything else and doing His will.

What is His will? His will is to reach others with His message and to make disciples.

Matthew 28:18–20 (NLT)

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus is asking you to become a fisher of men. “From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” (Luke 5:10, NLT)

What is His message? God wants everyone to be saved through Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 (NLT)

3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For,There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.