I’ve been thinking lately about what it means to be a Christian. The traditional answer is that a Christian is one that follows Jesus. It may be because I have been reading Bonnhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship, but the word “follow” jumps out at me.

Two thousand years ago it was clear what being a follower meant. Peter left everything to follow Jesus. The rich young ruler wanted to know how to inherent the Kingdom, but refused to follow Jesus. Following Jesus meant actually going the places that Jesus was going.

But what about today?

Jesus isn’t physically walking dusty roads anymore. But the language persists. Christians are today still called followers of Christ.

At the same time that I’ve been wrestling again with Bonhoeffer’s difficult text, we have been in a time of Lent. The theme of many Lenten homilies has been repentance and turning away from sin. Part of those messages have been a reminder to look to Jesus. This can be a powerful point in the context of repentance. Turn from sin and face Jesus. I have seen seen this on a variety of Christian social media sites , heard it on Christian radio, heard it in church and so on.

What I have also seen and heard is a message about looking at Jesus outside the context of repentance. And while the distinction isn’t that noticeable and the message sounds inspiring, I began wondering about what it means to look at Jesus. In the context of repentance looking at Jesus helps the believer past a lingering guilt and pain of sin that has been forgiven. It’s part of the process of sanctification in which we are being turned from that sinful nature to a nature that is like Christ’s. But I’ve heard and seen several messages simply imploring people to look to Jesus. And for various reasons.

As I was watching a TV show that depicted Jesus’ triumphal entry on Psalm Sunday set against the political and religious tensions between the Romans and the Jewish leaders, I realized that there were a great number of people and groups watching Jesus, but merely watching Jesus wasn’t the same as following him.

First, there were the crowds that gathered and greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. They were excited for their Messiah to have arrived and couldn’t wait to see what this anointed one was going to do. How was the savior going to save them? There was a great deal at stake for them. They watched and waited for Jesus to act.

Then there were the religious leaders who without a doubt had heard about this Rabbi or prophet that was coming to Jerusalem. And after he cleanses the temple, the leaders were definitely watching him. Jesus was not kind with the words he spoke about the Pharisees. He showed up in the religious Capitol and goes on the offensive immediately. The Pharisees were definitely focused on Jesus. They watched intensely as Jesus was about to impact their world by challenging the accepted practices the motives of the religious leaders.

Another group watching Jesus was the Romans. Jesus had the potential to upset the relationship between Jews and Romans. They were only a few decades removed from a Jewish revolt that ended with Romans executing a great number of Jews. The Roman presence was a burden to the Jews and every so often a leader would rise up and rebel. These rebellions reflected poorly on the Roman leaders and therefore the leaders did their best to appease the people. And so the Romans kept careful eye on Jesus as the potential for great conflict grew as the crowds grew.

All three of these groups observed Jesus and his actions. The crowds expected Him to do something for them. The religious and political leaders feared the impact of Jesus on their control of others. I wouldn’t call any of these people Christians, despite their focus on Jesus.

But what if observation turns into belief?

There was a roman soldier who concluded that Jesus was the son of God because of the manner in which Jesus died. The soldier observed Jesus and because of Jesus’ nature, came to a certain level of belief. So observing Jesus can lead to belief.

But does believing who Jesus is make one a Christian? Does believing who Jesus is make one a follower of Christ? Is there a difference between being a Christian and being a follower of Christ? In the time of Jesus? In the Church today?

There is yet another group in the Triumphal Entry narrative. They are the Christians. They are the ones following Jesus. They are more than curious observers. They are doing something other than hoping that Jesus’ mission will affect them. They have made Jesus’ mission their own mission. They chose to do more than look to Jesus. They chose to obey Jesus. Obedience to the call of Jesus is the defining mark of a Christian. They are followers of Christ. It is not a casual relationship. It is deliberate choices made to live a life in obedience to Jesus.

My fear is that we as the church have been afraid to call for obedience for too long. Instead, replacing that call to sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow Jesus (literally or metaphorically) with a call to simply focus on Jesus.

“He is amazing. Watch what he can do.”

“He is powerful. Observe his might.”

“He is loving. Look at how dealightful he is.”

I fear we are creating and attending Christian services that invite us to be watchers, observers, and admirers of Jesus.

What does it mean to follow Jesus today?

It will take another post to answer that question. However, I will say that Jesus is still calling and his call is no easier for us than it was for Peter or the rich young ruler because our options are no different: Follow in obedience or walk away from Jesus in order to continue following the way of the world – Embrace Jesus’ mission or continue with your own mission.

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

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