Follow Me!

A Reflection on the Gospel of John 1:43-51, 5 January 2024

Look up to Christ, and deny yourselves every thing, whatever its character, which you think He would have you relinquish. You need not calculate and measure, if you love much: You need not perplex yourselves with points of curiosity, if you have a heart to venture after Him.
(Newman The Duty of Self-Denial)

     Today, we celebrate the Memorial of St John Henry Newman. Born in London in 1801, St John Henry’s parents raised him as an Anglican with very distinct Calvinist leanings on his mother’s side. In a sense, in his entire life, St John Henry never wavered in Christ’s call to, “follow me.” He did not calculate and measure, St John Henry simply loved. While studying law at Oxford, he resolved to serve the Lord in the Church and was ordained in 1834 as an Anglican priest. Following an effort to restore the Anglican Church to its more Catholic roots through the Oxford Movement, St John Henry met significant internal resistance. It is then that he sought Holy Orders as a Catholic and was ordained a Priest in 1846. Throughout his life, St John Henry never faltered in his devotion to being a faithful disciple of his Lord. He always had the heart to follow Christ, “to venture after Him.”

     The authors of the Gospels repeat the Lord’s command to, “follow me,” at least seventeen times. As they were for St John Henry Newman, these two words are a powerful invitation made in trust and imply risk. To “follow” someone implies a certain abandonment of self, such that the other, the master, in their mission and manner, becomes the central organizing principle of he or she who follows. There is nothing of the self that the disciple will deny the one who calls. Again, “you need not calculate and measure, if you love much.”

    What is amazing in the call of the disciples, like that of Philip and Nathanael in today’s Gospel, is their immediate response. Nathanael is skeptical when he first hears about Jesus from Philip. He asks, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" However, when Nathanael hears the Lord call, he does not hesitate to give the entirety of himself over to Jesus. He epitomizes St John Henry Newman’s principle, “You need not perplex yourselves with points of curiosity, if you have a heart to venture after Him.” We hear Nathanael’s amazing faith as he exclaims, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." His is not a heart that measures and calculates.

     The words, "follow me," highlight Jesus’ courageous leadership. He leads by example. He asks no one to do anything less than what He has already done or is doing. The disciples know that Jesus has given up all to preach the Good News. Eventually, they know that He will hold nothing back, even His life, for the salvation of the entire world.

     The words, “follow me,” also imply an incredible trust, one for the other. The disciples who respond never stop to “calculate and measure.” They trust because the Lord trusts them. In Scripture, we hear that at the call Peter and Andrew, “at once they left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:20 NABRE), James and John “immediately … left their boat and their father and followed Him.” (Matthew 4:22 NABRE), and Matthew at the command, “got up and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9 NABRE). There was never any hesitation. As our Lord will teach us,

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. (John 10:27–28 NABRE)

     Though there is a bond of trust between disciple and master, to accept the call to “follow” is not without risk. The words, "follow me," speak to the need for an unwavering commitment and determination to overcome any adversity and accomplish the mission. Jesus tells us that, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 NABRE) 

     To follow, demands firmness of faith even when we do not fully understand. This faith calls for both courage and commitment. To follow, commands a moment-by-moment conversion of the heart away from what “I want,” to what “He commands.” As St John Henry Newman writes,

To change our hearts is to learn to love things which we do not naturally love—to unlearn the love of this world. (Newman The Duty of Self-Denial)

     We know that many do not have the faith or courage to answer the call. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus in his encounter with the rich young man who so earnestly sought heaven, told him that,

“There is still one thing left for you: sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when he heard this he became quite sad, for he was very rich. (Luke 18:22–23 NABRE)

     The rich man’s response saddened the Lord. There was no trust, faith, courage, and no love.

     In the command to “follow me,” Christ invites us to join Him in spreading his Kingdom. Abandon all that holds you back from your “yes.” The Lord trusts in your ability, faith, and courage. Trust Him, love Him. He waits daily for your and my, “yes.” Do not hesitate. “You need not calculate and measure, if you love much: You need not perplex yourselves with points of curiosity, if you have a heart to venture after Him.”

Endnotes

Kim, Yongsung. (2019, October 22). “Come follow me” - yongsung kim: Pintura de Jesús, Temas Cristianos, imágenes religiosas. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com.mx/pin/658932989213969509/

New American Bible. Revised Edition. Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011. Print.

Newman, St John Henry. “The Duty of Self-Denial.” John Henry Newman: Selected Sermons. Ed. Ian Ker and Bernard McGinn. New York; Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1994. 343. Print. The Classics of Western Spirituality.