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In the Gospels following Jesus begins with his call, not with our decision to improve. It means going where he goes, learning from him, remaining in his word, loving as he loved, and denying yourself daily rather than adding him to the life you already had. He states the cost openly, including family, possessions and your own life, and in the same Gospels he offers rest, a light burden and his own presence. Following is not a mood; it is a direction, and it is walked one day at a time.
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God's answer first
Three passages: the terms he sets, a call he actually issued, and how he describes those who follow him. Read them before any application.
The passage that answers this
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He said to all, not to the twelve only. Three verbs are given in order: deny, take up, follow. Luke adds the word daily in this account, which makes it ordinary rather than heroic.
Read these with it
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The initiative is his. He sees, he calls, he promises to make them something. Their part is to leave the nets, and the text records it as immediate.
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Following is described as the mark of belonging rather than as the price of it. Hearing, being known, and following are held in one sentence, in that order.
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Why we ask this
Follow Jesus is a phrase everyone in church has heard and few have had explained from the passages where he says it.
Some have been told it means trying hard to be good, which is a heavier and lonelier thing than what Jesus actually describes.
Others have heard only the cost, Luke 14:26-33, and have never been shown the rest offered in Matthew 11:28-30. Both are his words and both belong in the answer.
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Historical context
- Written by
- Luke, and the Gospel writers generally
- Written to
- readers in a world where rabbis had disciples who literally walked with them
- Written because
- Jesus calling followers on the road, at work and in crowds, throughout his ministry
A disciple in that world did not enrol in a course. He attached himself to a teacher, walked where the teacher walked and imitated his life. That is the picture behind the word, and it explains why Jesus calls people to himself rather than to a set of ideas.
Usually a student chose his rabbi. In the Gospels the pattern is reversed: Jesus says you didn’t choose me, but I chose you, John 15:16, and the calls in Mark 1:16-20 and Luke 5:27 are all his initiative.
Take up his cross was not a figure of speech to people under Roman rule. They had seen condemned men carry the crossbeam to their own execution. The phrase named a public, shameful death, which is why Luke 14:27 uses it as a test of seriousness.
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Verse by verse
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Deny himself is not self-hatred; it is the refusal to be your own final authority. Verse 24 gives the logic: the life clutched is lost, the life released is . Nothing here is presented as loss for its own sake.
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I will make you into is a promise about who they will become. Following in the Gospels is a process of being formed, not a status achieved at the moment of agreement.
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Spoken to people who had , which is the point. Remain is the test he gives, and remaining is located in his word. Knowing the truth follows staying rather than preceding it.
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The language is deliberately shocking and it is comparative, as Matthew 10:37 states it: whoever loves father or mother more than me. The same Jesus commands honouring parents, Mark 7:10, and provides for his mother from , John 19:26-27.
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This follows two parables about counting the cost, Luke 14:28-32. He is not recruiting by minimising. Renounce is a word of release of ownership, and the disciples in Acts 4:32 are described as holding possessions loosely rather than as destitute.
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A yoke is what a learner wore under a teacher, so this is a description of discipleship, not of retirement. The reason given for coming is his own character: gentle and humble in heart.
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The visible mark he names is not knowledge or intensity but love among his followers. Just as I have loved you sets the standard, and John 13:1-15 has just shown what that looked like with a towel and a basin.
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What Scripture says
He calls; the follower answers
Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men. John 15:16 says you didn’t choose me, but I chose you. Every call in the Gospels begins with him, which is why following is never presented as self-improvement.
It is daily and specific, not once and abstract
Take up his cross daily. Romans 12:1-2 speaks of a living and a renewed mind, and Galatians 5:16 of walking by the Spirit. Scripture pictures a walk, which means steps.
It costs, and he says so before you begin
Count the cost, like a man building a tower. John 15:18-20 warns of hatred, and 2 Timothy 3:12 says all who to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. He never hid the bill.
It is not lonely and not unaided
I am with you always, even to the end of the age. John 14:16-17 promises the Spirit, and Hebrews 13:5 quotes I will in no way leave you. The yoke is shared, Matthew 11:29-30.
It shows in obedience and in love
If you love me, keep my commandments. John 13:35 makes love among his followers the public mark, and 1 John 2:6 says whoever says he remains in him ought to walk as he walked.
It is sustained by remaining, not by intensity
Remain in me, and I in you. Apart from me you can do nothing. John 8:31 locates remaining in his word. Fruit in this chapter comes from connection, not from effort applied harder.
Failure does not end it
Peter is restored and recommissioned after denying him. 1 John 1:9 promises cleansing on confession, and Proverbs 24:16 says a man falls seven times and rises again.
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The words behind the question
akoloutheō
It is a word of physical company before it is a word of allegiance. In the Gospels it describes people literally walking behind him, which is why the New Testament's language for Christian life is walking, Galatians 5:16 and 1 John 2:6.
mathētēs
Not a convert or a member, but a learner attached to a teacher. It explains Matthew 11:29, learn from me, and Matthew 28:19, make disciples, which is followed immediately by teaching them to observe all things.
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Cross references
The call itself
Fishermen called at work, and the nets left.
Levi called at the tax booth, and everything left.
Jesus finds Philip and says, Follow me.
The terms he sets
Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, follow.
Count the cost, twice illustrated.
Loving him more than family, and finding life by losing it.
What he gives the follower
Rest for the soul, a yoke that is easy.
Known by name, and no one snatches them out of his hand.
Another Helper, who remains.
How it shows
Love for one another as the public mark.
Remaining, and fruit that follows.
Keeping his word, and walking as he walked.
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Common misunderstandings
Following Jesus means trying hard to be a good person.
Effort is not the engine in the Gospels. John 15:5 says apart from me you can do nothing, and Ephesians 2:8-10 puts good works after rather than before it. Following is attachment to a person that produces obedience, not obedience hoping to earn attachment.
It is a private matter between me and God.
The mark he names is love for one another, John 13:35, which requires others. Hebrews 10:24-25 warns against forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, and every letter in the New Testament is written to a community.
It only means believing the right things about him.
James 2:19 says even the demons and shudder. Jesus asks why do you call me Lord, Lord, and don’t do the things which I say, Luke 6:46. Belief is essential and is never described as sufficient by itself.
Real followers must sell everything and leave their families.
Some were called to leave homes, and others were not. Jesus told the healed man in Mark 5:19 to go home to his friends, Zacchaeus gave away half rather than all, Luke 19:8, and 1 Timothy 5:8 requires providing for your own household. Luke 14:33 requires releasing ownership, and Scripture applies it differently to different people.
If it is hard, you are doing it wrong.
He said take up your cross, Luke 9:23, and in the world you have oppression, John 16:33. He also said the yoke is easy, Matthew 11:30. Both are his words: the burden is light because he carries it with you, not because nothing is asked.
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Things most readers miss
Luke adds the word daily.
Luke 9:23. Mark and Matthew record the same saying without it. Daily turns from a single dramatic decision into a repeated ordinary one.
He promises to make them, not only to use them.
Mark 1:17, I will make you into fishers for men. The formation is his work, which is why Philippians 1:6 can speak of him completing what he began.
The hardest terms are followed by two parables about planning.
Luke 14:28-32, a tower and a war. He wants people to reckon the cost before they start, which is the opposite of pressured recruitment.
Follow me is the last thing he says to Peter.
John 21:19 and 21:22. After the denial, after the restoration, after being told how he would die, the instruction is the same as it was by the lake.
The yoke language means learning.
Matthew 11:29, take my yoke upon you, and learn from me. Rest and instruction are offered in the same sentence, which is not how most people hear that verse.
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Someone in Scripture faced this too
The Gospels record people who followed, people who hesitated, and one man who walked away. All three are instructive.
Levi at the tax booth
What he or she went through
He was working as a tax collector, in a job that made him money and made him hated.
How God responded
Jesus said to him, Follow me. He left everything, and rose up and followed him.
What we learn
The call came to a man nobody would have chosen, and it came at work. The next thing Levi does is throw a party for his old colleagues, Luke 5:29, so following did not mean abandoning the people he came from.
The rich young ruler
What he or she went through
He asked what he must do to inherit and could point to a life of kept commandments.
How God responded
Jesus looked at him and loved him, then named the one thing he was holding: his possessions. He went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
What we learn
The text says Jesus loved him and still did not lower the terms. It also names a specific obstacle rather than a general one, which is how the call usually comes.
Peter after his denial
What he or she went through
He had followed for years, promised he would die rather than deny him, and denied him three times.
How God responded
Jesus asked him three times whether he loved him, gave him work to do, told him plainly how he would die, and said, Follow me.
What we learn
Following is not cancelled by failure. It is restored by the one who called, and the restoration comes with a task rather than only with comfort.
How it points to Christ
The one who says follow me is the one who has already gone to ahead of him. He asks nothing he has not walked.
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Christ and this question
He walked the road before he called anyone onto it
Every term he sets he has met. Take up your cross is said by the one who carried his own, John 19:17. Lose your life for my sake is said by the one who laid his down, John 10:17-18.
Hebrews 12:2 calls him the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured . Following is not walking a path he watched from a distance.
1 Peter 2:21 puts both halves together: Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps. He is the ground of it and the pattern of it, in that order.
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What to do with this
Read one Gospel watching only for the word follow
Mark is short enough. Note who is called, where, and what they left. You will learn more about following from the calls themselves than from advice about them.
Name the one thing he is asking of you
Mark 10:21. The call to the rich young ruler was specific. Ask honestly what your equivalent is, and write it down rather than keeping it vague.
Put the daily back into daily
Luke 9:23. Choose one concrete, repeatable thing for tomorrow: time in Scripture, a debt paid, a conversation you have been avoiding, an obedience you already know about.
Remain, rather than resolve harder
John 15:4-5 and John 8:31. Fix a place and time in his word and keep going back. Following is sustained by connection, which is why remaining is his own word for it.
Do it with others
John 13:35 and Hebrews 10:24-25. Find at least one person who will read Scripture with you and ask you honest questions. The mark he named cannot be practised alone.
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Study the question further
How do I start following Jesus?
Scripture puts it simply: turn from sin, trust Christ as the Lord, and begin obeying him openly among his people. It is a response to him rather than a programme you complete.
Mark 1:15
Repent, and believe in the good news.
Romans 10:9
Confess Jesus as Lord and believe God raised him from the dead.
Acts 2:41-42
Baptised, and continuing in teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers.
Do I have to give up everything to follow Jesus?
You have to hand everything over. Whether he then asks you to part with a particular thing varies, and Scripture shows both patterns without treating one as the higher class of Christian.
Ownership released
Whoever doesn’t renounce all that he has can’t be my disciple, Luke 14:33.
Sometimes literally
The rich young ruler was told to sell what he had, Mark 10:21.
Sometimes not
The healed man was sent home, Mark 5:19, and Zacchaeus gave half, Luke 19:8.
What if I keep failing?
Failure is assumed in the New Testament and answered by confession and restoration, not by starting again from nothing. The one who calls you knows exactly what you are.
John 21:15-19
Peter restored after denial, and recommissioned.
1 John 1:8-9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive.
Philippians 1:6
He who began a good work in you will complete it.
Is following Jesus the same as being religious or going to church?
No. Jesus rebuked religious activity without love and obedience, and he also placed his followers in a community. Gathering matters because following is shared, not because attendance is the substance.
Matthew 23:23-28
Careful religion with justice, mercy and faith left out.
Luke 6:46
Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say.
Hebrews 10:24-25
Not forsaking our own assembling together.
What is the difference between believing in Jesus and following him?
Scripture does not separate them into two levels, but it does describe belief that keeps going. Remaining in his word is the test he gives to people who had already .
John 8:31
If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples.
James 2:17
Faith apart from works is dead.
1 John 2:3-6
We know that we know him if we keep his commandments.
How to apply this today
- What is the one thing I am currently keeping back from him?
- What would taking up the cross daily look like tomorrow, concretely?
Lord Jesus, you called ordinary people and made them yours. Call me again today, and give me the will to leave what needs leaving.
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Reflection
- Read Luke 9:23-24. What does deny himself mean in the light of verse 24, and what does daily add?
- Read Luke 14:25-33. Why does Jesus tell two stories about counting cost immediately after naming the hardest terms?
- Read Matthew 11:28-30 beside Luke 9:23. How do rest and a cross belong to the same call?
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Prayer
Lord Jesus, you called fishermen from their nets and a tax collector from his table, and they went.
I want to follow you, and I know myself well enough to say that I will need you to make me into someone who can.
Show me the one thing I am holding, and give me to let it go today. I take up what you have given me to carry, and I come after you. Amen.
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Further reading
Luke 9:18-27
The call in its own context, right after Peter's confession.
Luke 14:25-35
The cost stated, and two parables about counting it.
John 15:1-17
Remaining, fruit, love and being chosen.
John 21:15-22
Restoration, commission, and follow me said again.
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Explore the passage
These are questions the text can actually answer. Take one, go back to the passage with it, and read until Scripture answers rather than until you have an explanation you like. Each question names where this study, or another passage, does the answering.
What this reveals about God
Start here, because every passage of Scripture is first about God before it is about us. Read for what He does, what He says, and what He is called.
What does these passages teach about God?
Underline every verb God is the subject of. What He does tells you who He is.
What does these passages reveal about God's character?
Look for the words the text itself uses of Him: holy, merciful, faithful, jealous, patient. Take the text's own vocabulary rather than your own.
What this reveals about us
Scripture is honest about people. Read for what it says of human need, human failure, and the kind of response it calls for.
What does these passages teach about humanity?
Watch what the people in the text want, fear, and trust. Scripture rarely flatters them.
What does these passages reveal about faith?
Faith in Scripture is always faith in someone, about something specific. Ask what exactly is being believed here, and on what word.
Where this arrives in Christ
Jesus said the Scriptures testify of Him. Follow the line the Bible itself draws rather than inventing one.
What does these passages reveal about Jesus Christ?
Look for what the New Testament does with this text. A connection Scripture makes is a connection you can stand on.
What does these passages reveal about salvation?
Ask who does the saving, who is saved, from what, and by what means. Let the text answer each part.
The world behind the words
The first readers knew things we have to learn. Recovering what they knew is study, not speculation.
How would the original audience have understood these passages?
Ask what they had already been told, what they were living through, and what this would have cost them to believe.
What historical or cultural background helps explain these passages?
Look at the work, the worship, the law and the customs the text assumes you already understand.
What do these words carry in the original: akoloutheō, mathētēs?
Take the word to its root, its first appearance, and its range of use. Then let the context choose the meaning.
How this connects to the rest of Scripture
Scripture is its own best commentary. The clearest answers usually come from another passage rather than from a scholar.
Which Old and New Testament passages help explain these passages?
Prefer passages that quote or clearly echo this text. Those links are the Bible's own, not ours.
What biblical themes are developed in these passages, and where do they begin?
Trace one theme backwards to where Scripture first raises it, then forwards to where it lands.
What this asks of you
Application is the last step, never the first, and it must come out of the passage rather than out of general advice.
What does these passages teach believers to do today?
Say it as one sentence you could obey this week, and be able to point at the verse it came from.
Where faithful readers differ
Some questions here are genuinely open. Where Bible believing Christians read this differently, the readings are set out with the passages behind each one, and what Scripture states plainly is kept separate from what is interpretation.
Which parts of these passages does Scripture state plainly, and which parts are interpretation?
Write two lists. Anything you cannot put in the first list, hold loosely and say so when you teach it.
Questions Audela will not answer
Where Scripture does not answer a question, Audela says so plainly rather than filling the silence. An honest “the Bible does not tell us” is more faithful than a confident guess, and it keeps the reader’s trust in God’s Word rather than in our reasoning.
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever.
- Ask instead: What does the passage say God did, and what does that reveal about His character?
- Ask instead: What has God told us about His purpose here, in this text or elsewhere in Scripture?
- Ask instead: What does Scripture say about how God acts, and where does it say it?
- Ask instead: What happened, and what does the rest of Scripture make of it?
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Study tools
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Where this leads
A question is a doorway, not a destination. Here is where this one leads if you want to keep reading rather than stop at an answer.
Topic hub
Primary study
Romans 8: No Condemnation, No Separation
Romans 8 describes the life a follower actually lives: led by the Spirit, adopted, groaning, praying, and held by a love nothing can break.
Supporting studies
Luke 9:18-27
Read the terms in their own setting.
Luke 14:25-35
Read the cost and the counting of it.
John 15:1-17
Read how following is sustained.
Deep chapter studies
John 15: The Vine, the Branches, and the Friends of God
Remaining in Christ, worked line by line.
Romans 8: No Condemnation, No Defeat, No Separation
Life in the Spirit, from adoption to security.