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Deutsche Version | Wiki Start | Topics Collection vi

Following Jesus ...

Tuesday, April 15, 2014. Today, we are offered a possibility to “follow” some people. Social networks have a button: “follow”. You find it on Twitter, on Facebook, on ResearchGate or LinkedIn etc. etc. …

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Curiosity and Knowledge …

Why are you following some people? Is it curiosity? Perhaps you know some of them personally, and you are just interested in news about them. Or some work in your research area, and you want to get information about the latest papers and results. Or you are just attracted by someone, by a song writer or singer, by some musician, by an artist?

When we “follow” someone in a social network, that is just a very limited way of “following”. Receive some emails occasionally. But of course we can follow modern trends. We can try to catch up with some ideas of how to live and what to do - to go skiing, to have the latest play station for TV or computer, to buy the latest smart phone etc etc. There are many trends in a social environment, for for each of it you make a decision whether you want to follow or to resist.

In the Gospel of John it is recorded that after his baptism Jesu started to collect disciples. He started to live and work together with people who wanted to follow. Why this happens and what it is good for … let us have a look:

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Collecting Disciples …

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter10). (John 1, 29-34)

Following Jesus during his lifetime was a very significant step. Though it was usual that teachers had their disciples and lived with them, it was still a big step to leave what you had before and move into this special life style.

But what does it mean today, to follow Jesus? After his death and resurrection (we will be celebrating Easter very soon!), the explicit style of how we follow him may be different. But what does it mean for our heart, for our mind, for our decisions and behaviour? Let us talk about this over the next couple of days …! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts

jn_en_2014_04_15.txt · Last modified: 2017/06/18 16:48 by 127.0.0.1