My kids love to do everything Brian and I do. Our gifts for Elam this Christmas: a play trumpet and tool set reflect this. They love to use those mini grocery carts at our neighborhood store. But we all know what happens when little kids try to act like adults. Here is Calista about to pummel her third display… all smiles:)
As I reflect about what it means to follow Jesus during a new reading of Luke, I’ve noticed that even the Pharisees are following Jesus. Does it mean just doing what Jesus did? Going where He went?
In the first 7 chapters the Pharisees are right in the midst of everything — In the roofless home where the paralytic was healed and forgiven, at Levi’s banquet, in the grain fields during their Sabbath way and in the synagogues. One of them even held a dinner with Jesus as the Special guest.
Did they too “follow “Jesus”?
They accuse Jesus of blasphemy. They critique His evangelistic strategy of hanging out with sinners. They question, perhaps, how spiritual these men really are without fasting and prayer as they are used to. They try to accuse Him and by chapter 6 are ready to plan the execution.
We don’t want following Jesus to be that. Perhaps “following” means more than, or less than, we think it is.
Thanks to Mike at Biblica for “The Books of the Bible – NT” – a new way to read just the text without numbers or headings!