Followers of Jesus

When we talk about followers of Jesus, we’re not talking about any particular denomination that might use that name. Instead, we’re talking about any believers who do their best to follow the teachings of the man called Jesus, or Jesus Christ. There are so many churches who fall under the broad category of “Christian,” and their teachings cover a broad scope of beliefs that may differ from one another, or even be in conflict with other groups who also call themselves Christians. It’s confusing.

Today we’ll set aside all of the multitude of Christian churches and beliefs and just focus on what Jesus taught his followers, recorded in the Gospel, the first four books of the New Testament: Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Jesus often spoke in parables, which are stories with an important message. There are far too many parables to share here and now, but you’ll find them throughout the Gospel.

In one of his parables, Jesus tells a story about the king of heaven on his throne, dividing those that come to him into two groups, the sheep and the goats. (Of course, he wasn’t talking about literal farm animals.)  The sheep were seated at his right, and the goats were on his left. Here’s the story from Matthew 25:34-45, The Message Bible, translated from the original Greek by Eugene Peterson:

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

 Then the King will say to those on his right,

          “Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me, 

I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, 

I was homeless and you gave me a room, 

I was shivering and you gave me clothes, 

I was sick and you stopped to visit, 

I was in prison and you came to me.”

          Then those sheep are going to say, “Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?”

Then the King will say, “I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.”

          Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, “Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,

I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 

I was homeless and you gave me no bed, 

I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, 

Sick and in prison, and you never visited.”

          Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, “Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?”

          He will answer them, “I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.”

This is What Jesus Told his Followers

It seems pretty clear from the story that Jesus is calling his followers to do these things:

• Give food and water to the hungry and thirsty,
• Give clothing and shelter to the shivering and homeless, and
• Visit those who are sick and in prison.

Followers of Jesus know that when we take care of people who are overlooked and ignored, it is as if we are doing these things for Jesus, God, Spirit, for all of us.

If you are a follower of Jesus or not, if you follow another prophet or teacher, or your own inner voice and best self, you are loved and cared for just as you are. You’re always welcome at The SWAN Church, no mask required.