Following Jesus in the Gospel of John

It is an unfortunate reality of Christendom that identifying oneself as a “follower of Jesus” has become a feel-good cliché. This, and similar phrases, have been used thoughtlessly by “Christians” of all stripes to identify themselves as members of the club they commonly refer to as “church.” This language is generally understood as “Christian” and seldom questioned. As such, what it meant “to follow Jesus” in the first century church is lost on us. Rather than abandon the phrase, it would serve us well to regain an understanding of the power and implications of this idea, and to embrace and embody it in our daily lives. A good place to start is with the Gospel of John.

In the fourth gospel we are confronted with the paradoxical reality that “to follow Jesus” can be simple in concept, but complex in application. It is at the same time mysterious and painfully obvious; easy but costly. The ambiguity created but such contrasting realities stems from the very way John portrays following Jesus. For John, following Jesus can’t be reduced to a list of “dos” and “don’ts” or instructions of cause and effect. Following Jesus does not consist of a flow chart of “if-then” statements to guide our way. For John, the essence of what it means to follow Jesus is simply to continuously abide in his presence; to “be with” and immerse oneself in all that Jesus says and does. By submitting ourselves to this ongoing relationship we learn to be disciples, that is, we learn to be like him, and imitate his character by immersing ourselves in his presence. This is what it means to follow Jesus. It is simple but complex; mysterious, yet obvious; easy and costly. What was true for the disciples of Jesus at the time of John’s writing, is still true for us today.

Although Jesus only uses the phrase “follow me” six times in the gospel of John, those instances are skillfully interwoven throughout the narrative from the first chapter to the last, reminding the reader that the entire gospel is implicitly about this topic. As Leslie Newbiggin points out, “One could, in fact describe the whole book as an exposition of what it will mean to ‘follow Jesus.’”[1] We also see, from the first “follow me” to the last, an increasing intensity for what it means to be a follower of the Christ, but it is always in the context of abiding with Jesus and sharing in his life (and death).

The tone is set in the first chapter of John with the very first disciples, Andrew and another, who is probably John. After the John the Baptist’s proclamation, “Look, the Lamb of God”[2] the two leave John the Baptist and begin to follow Jesus, literally. This is our introduction to the idea of following Jesus, and it seems innocuous, but in reality, it underscores from the beginning that following Jesus is not figurative or symbolic, it is literal and physical. Likewise, when the two new disciples ask where Jesus is staying, his response reinforces this - “Come and you will see.”[3] And they do. Rather than tell the two where he is staying, Jesus offers an invitation for them to come and see for themselves. Not only do they take Jesus up on his offer to go and see, but they stay. Obviously, there is more to all of this than checking out where Jesus is staying, they want to stay and experience it. John has purpose in this sequence. “The language is consciously designed to describe discipleship: to ‘follow’ (Gk. akoulotheo), to ‘come and see’ and to ‘stay and remain (Gk. meno) each describe aspects of discipleship.”[4] This is, in fact, what it means to follow Jesus. It is a literal following, seeing for ourselves, and abiding where he abides. Perhaps Phillip understood this from the beginning and shows himself already to be a true disciple of Jesus when he uses the same language to answer Nathanael. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asks. “Come and see,” Phillip replies,[5] clearly inviting Nathanael to something more than a quick peak at who he claims is the Messiah.

It is certain, however, that at this early point in the story, these first disciples do not understand the scope of what they have just committed to. While physical presence with Jesus is the starting point to following him, it is nowhere near the ending point (in reality, there is no ending point). In fact, we see early in the gospel that many people followed (virtually stalked) Jesus. Many people wanted to be in his presence, and they followed almost to the point of being annoying. But they did not want to abide with him, they just wanted a quick taste of what he had to offer and then have the freedom to move on.

In chapter 6 we see these followers miraculously fed and they follow him across the lake the next day wanting even more. Jesus takes the opportunity to do what no modern-day pastor would dare to do – he drives people away. Jesus doesn’t do this by explicitly telling the people to leave, instead he intensifies the expectation of what it means to be his follower. In his discourse on being the bread of life, Jesus uses some graphic imagery to increase the stakes for following him. “The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes me will live because of me.” Regardless of the theological interpretation of the specifics of this discourse (sacramental, metaphorical, or both[6]), what should not be lost on us is that this graphic language is used to increase the stakes in following Jesus. Clearly what it means “to follow Jesus” is much more dramatic than simply chasing him around Judea and listening to some feel-good teaching. This is long-term, sacrificial language. This is language that identifies a high cost of discipleship – a cost that will include Jesus’s life and possibly the lives of those who choose to stay and follow him. As J. Ramsey Michaels points out, “…in the case of these would be ‘disciples’ the difficulty may not have been that his words were obscure or difficult to understand, but that they were all too clear. If, as we have seen, he has been saying that life for the world comes about only through violent death, his own and by extension theirs, it is not surprising that they would find such a prospect ‘hard’ to listen to, much less accept and embrace.”[7] For these followers this is not a theological issue of the sacrament, it is a harsh statement, a bold and blatant declaration that there will be a high cost if they wish to continue identifying with Jesus. That is why, “After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer.”[8]

But Simon Peter remains. Even though the text at this point does not indicate that Peter understands what he is in for, in time he will. But that is part of the point of John’s gospel – following Jesus takes time. Abiding does not happen in a moment; it requires a commitment of presence over a period of time and thus, to follow Jesus and to become his disciple, is also a function of time.

It is interesting to note that at the first meeting of Simon, Jesus proclaims, “You are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Cephas (which is translated Peter).”[9] In the synoptic gospels we easily understand the use of the future tense to mean, “form this point forward,” but in the gospel of John, this is not the case. The future tense of the statement seems to mean a point in the future beyond today. Rodney Reeves argues that Simon does not become Peter, “The Rock” immediately upon Jesus’ pronouncement. Becoming Peter requires time; time following Jesus,[10] and Reeves points to the fact that in John’s gospel, Jesus always uses the former name of Simon when addressing Peter. Even in their final meeting after the resurrection, Jesus uses “Simon” rather than “Peter”.

This demonstrates two things that should teach us and encourage us. First, following Jesus does not consist of a one-time prayer, a raised hand, or a dunking in the baptismal waters. It might include each of those things, but each is only a starting point; a marker in a longer journey of learning to abide daily in Jesus. Likewise, our second takeaway that should be encouraging is that “conversion” or “transformation” is a process. While many evangelicals place a great deal of importance on the moment in time when a conversion takes place, they should, instead embrace the spiritual journey of following Jesus and take comfort that time was required even for Simon to become Peter. This should come as no surprise to us. Good relationships take time to develop and to learn from another in that relationship, takes even longer. This is what we see in the life of Peter through John’s gospel. Peter continues to immerse his own life in the life of Jesus who has the words of eternal life – who is eternal life. Through all his faults and failures, Peter knows that despite the cost, it would be far more foolish to walk away. So, he stays in the presence of Jesus, learning, growing, and gaining spiritual strength, not by abiding by prescribed rules but by abiding in the very presence of Jesus.

Reducing the gospel, and what it means to follow Jesus, is an all-too-common tendency in the church. Perhaps it was this tendency, at least in part, that prompted John to write the gospel in the way that he did. Accepting the most common opinions that John’s was the last of the gospels to be written, perhaps it was for this reason that he left out large chunks of teaching that the synoptics included. We often think that we need more specifics when it comes to following Jesus, but all it takes is a discussion about the Sermon on the Mount to discover that is not true. Despite all the specifics outlined in the famous sermon, Christians argue constantly about what each command “really” means, and we constantly rationalize our disobedience.

Being explicit about what we must do “to follow Jesus” can be just as confounding as generalities. So, John streamlines everything, making the idea of following Jesus painfully easy and beautifully costly. Like he does in the synoptic gospels, Jesus, in the gospel of John, makes clear that he expects obedience to his commands. But here is the catch in the gospel of John – Jesus only gives one command. “What makes Jesus’ approach to discipleship in John’s gospel even more peculiar” Rodney Reeves explains, “is that several times during the Farewell Discourse he encourages his followers to ‘keep my commandments’ (Jn14:15, 21; 15:10-14, 17). Yet, Jesus gave them only one commandment – what he called a ‘new commandment’ – to love one another as he loved them.”[11] Here our pleas for more specifics about how to love like Jesus are pointless. The gospel of John has shown us as much. If you want to learn to love like Jesus, you need to hang out with Jesus. Follow Jesus by living in the presence of Jesus. Abide in him and he will abide in you. As much as we may want specifics, John only gives us one: “No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life for his friends.”[12] Dorothy A. Lee describes it like this: “The spirituality of the Fourth Gospel is concerned centrally with the reader’s experience of the presence of God in daily life. John’s spirituality is not just of the soul but also the body; not just of activity but also rest; not just of the future but also the present. This kind of spirituality is deeply personal, encouraging practices of meditation, contemplation and reflection on Scripture within the wider context of the community of faith.”[13] It is with such practice that we who are two thousand years removed from Jesus’ time on earth in human form, can abide in his presence today.

The gospel of John invites the reader to follow Jesus by moving toward him; to put ourselves in the places where he is and abide with him there. John shows us that there is not an instruction manual for following Jesus and no set of rules could possibly do justice to what this means. Following Jesus is not a matter of rules, it is a matter of presence. To follow Jesus is less about activity and more about proximity. “Come and see” Jesus says to us, and daily we follow him by being where he is.

Bibliography

Beasley-Murray, George R. John: Word Biblical Commentary. Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1987.

Burge, Gary M. John: The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michagan: Zondervan, 2000.

Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John: The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991.

Lee, Dorothy A. "Spirituality and the Gospel of John." Spring 2014. Bible Society.

Michaels, J. Ramsey. The Gospel of John: The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.

Newbigin, Leslie. The Light Has Come. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.

Reeves, Rodney. Spirituality According to John. Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 2021.

All Bible references are from the New English Translation of the Bible.

[1] Leslie Newbigin. The Light Has Come (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1982), 19 [2] John 1:36 [3] John 1:39 [4] Gary M. Burge. John: The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000), 75 [5] John 1:46 [6] D. A. Carson. The Gospel According to John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), 275-277 [7]J. Ramsey Michaels. The Gospel of John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 406 [8] John 6:66 [9] John 1:42 [10] Rodney Reeves. Spirituality According to John (Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 2021), 13-25 [11] Rodney Reeves. Spirituality According to John (Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 2021), 81 [12] John 15:13 [13] Dorothy A. Lee, “Spirituality and the Gospel of John,” Bible Society Spring, (2014): 3, Retrieved from https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/uploads/content/bible_in_transmission/files/2014_spring/BiT_Spring_2014_Lee.pdf