Sheep That Follow

          Our oboe instructor, an older master sergeant, was advised to take the advance course in order to become a warrant officer in the army. One of his new responsibilities would be leading a band and so was practicing in front of his advisors on the parade field with a band. He held the large baton in his hand, looked at the band, turned around and shouted, “You all follow me.” The band proceeded forward but not in the way they should have. The advisors dropped their clip boards in unbelief at the nonmilitary command. It seems as if we are all following someone at some time or another. John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”

         The word, “follow”, being used over 80 times in the Bible, has many different shades of meanings. Webster pointed out some 22 different examples of what it means to follow. It can mean everything from proceeding after a person, behind them, or even to worship something or someone, such as the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. You can find daily examples of following someone even when you go into a grocery store and ask a clerk, “Where is the seasoned flour located?” They may say, “Right this way” and off you go following the clerk through several aisles until you come to the product that you are seeking. Jerry Bridges wrote a book titled, “The Pursuit of Holiness” in which He advocates “following after” holiness and the Lord Jesus Christ. You can follow a story in the news as you listen to several news casts about the same event. In our verse for today, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks about “following” Him and this time He is the Great Shepherd and His flock are sheep and the sheep is “us.” Following the Lord Jesus Christ demands more than retracing His footsteps in the Holy Land. We could retrace all of His movement in Israel during His ministry to the best of our ability and still come up short in the end. It is not the following of His footsteps as it is His life especially His character. We can listen to the sermon on the mount and follow His direction in dealing with friends, foes, good situations, times of distress and lacking, disease, short supplies of food and clothing and concern for the future. We can see Him dealing with the Pharisees, the Teacher In Israel and a Samaritan woman at the well. We can see Him multiplying food for a large group and walking on water. His credentials are impeccable. Then, when we seem Him coming out of the tomb, we bow down in worship as we realize that He is God and certainly we should follow Him above all else. I often hear people say, “Walk this way.” I think to myself, “Does that refer to the direction or does it refer to the way in which they walk?” I know what it means, but I am just trying to be smart. In the case of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to walk in the way in which He walked. It involves “turning the other cheek,” or loving your enemies and praying for them, of trusting the Lord Jesus Christ in times of want or in times of grief and despair. So, whom are you following today. Is it just the clerk in the grocery store or are you following Christ in all that you do? Praise God today for His leadership.