What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus?

Recall that there are 45,000 Christian denominations, who almost never agree. Imagine that all 2.4 billion Christians agree that we should follow Jesus. What does it mean to follow Jesus? Many of my Catholic friends aspire to be good people and to attend Mass regularly. Many of my Protestant friends claim to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

For 2,000 years, Catholics have believed (like James) that we are justified by faith and works. For 500 years, Protestants have believed (like Paul) that we are justified by faith. So, did Jesus ever explain how to attain salvation? Actually, he did. In the story of the rich young man ( Mark 10:19-21) Jesus discussed how we can inherit eternal life:

19 “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’”

This sounds like “the law,” which seems very Jewish, or like “works,” which seems very Catholic. This does not sound anything like “faith,” which would have seemed very Protestant.

20 “He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’”

So, why do so many Christians listen to James or to Paul, rather than to Jesus?

“Sell What You Own” is a Big Ask

In a world where the average person makes $2.00 per day, I was haunted by this challenge. It is more difficult than simply “accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior” or “being a good person.”  Eventually, we quit our big jobs, sold our big house, and resolved to spend the rest of our lives in service. Of course, not everyone can take Jesus so seriously, but we were glad that we could.

To me, Jesus’ significance has more to do with his life than with his death. Although I do NOT believe that Jesus was God or that there is any heaven or hell or reincarnation after we die, Jesus’ example inspired me to follow him. For me, my decision to follow Jesus was less selfish and less transactional than it was when I followed him because I wanted to go to heaven.

Some of my Christian friends suggest that this story in Mark was meant as a specific instruction to a particular individual, rather than a general instruction to all of us everywhere.  Interesting. So, what else in the Bible is a specific instruction to a particular individual? Love your neighbor as yourself? Turn the other cheek? This seems unlikely to me.

Some of my Christian friends (who otherwise insist that the Bible is the inerrant word of God) suggest that this story is a late addition or a mistranslation. Interesting. So, what else is the Bible is a late addition or a mistranslation? The virgin birth? The miracles? The physical resurrection? This seems unlikely to me, too.

The Legacy of Evangelism

I wrote about evangelizing here. Most religions do NOT insist that their way is the only way, and most are NOT arrogant and judgmental enough about their beliefs to impose them on others. In fact, in some traditions, if you help someone who does not want to be helped, you commit an act of violence (regardless of your intention.)

A few years ago, I attended a retreat with the spiritual leaders of the Teyuna, an indigenous tribe in Colombia. Teyuna means “thinker of clear thoughts.” Thus, the Teyuna consider themselves to be elder brothers to the rest of the world, and they feel responsible to alert their younger brothers (us) to the perils of deforestation and other environmental degradation.

After the retreat, someone asked the elders to name the biggest challenge to their way of life. “Evangelization” was the response, not climate change or deforestation or global pandemics, which are more immediate threats. But, if you consider how indigenous people lost their cultures, their languages, and their livelihoods to Christian colonizers, then their response makes sense.

The Continuing Challenge of Evangelism

Recently, I was evangelized in the worst way. I was at an author event, where I explained that my book looked at the perennial philosophy that underlies Christianity and other traditions. Without knowing anything about me or my book, some conservative Christians approached me and my wife. Three said that we were going to hell. Three prayed over us. One gave us a Bible.

Obviously, we were not following Jesus as they thought that we should be following Jesus. It is pretty presumptuous to so harshly judge someone based on a five-minute conversation. Unfortunately, this has happened to me before, and it has happened to many others. And it is ALWAYS a Christian thing, not a Buddhist thing or a Hindu thing or a Jewish thing.

We thanked them for their Bible and prayers, but their actions did NOT seem loving or well-intentioned. The threats of hell were certainly not loving or well-intentioned. And, if someone does not believe in the God of the Bible, it is NOT compelling to threaten them with hell. Likewise, if someone does not believe in Zeus, it is NOT compelling to threaten them with lightning bolts.

Also, Jesus discussed what we should do if someone rejects our message. He said, “Shake the dust off your feet.” He did not say, “Belittle them. Intimidate them. Threaten them.”

Some people say, “I’m not THAT kind of Christian.” Perhaps, this arrogant, judgmental, and unloving evangelizing has a lot to do with their reluctance to identify with Christianity. Why would anyone think that such behavior would attract, rather than repel, followers? And, could anyone think that there is only one way to follow Jesus?

Could anyone think that there is only one way to interpret the Bible? And, why would anyone think that it is their job to judge anyone else or to press their beliefs on others?

Imagine that all 2.4 billion Christians agree that we should follow Jesus. What does it mean to follow Jesus?

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The Way is a Silver winner in the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards in the Religion/Spirituality of Other Traditions category.