As Jesus traveled throughout Palestine sharing His message of God’s forgiveness and love, “Follow me” was an invitation He often extended. For example, this passage in Matthew’s Gospel:
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.
A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.1
He continued to call men and women to His side throughout His ministry, and even after His resurrection, “Jesus said to Peter, ‘Follow me.’”2
What does it mean to follow Jesus? It starts with our relationship with Jesus and His words. If we abide in His words3 and let them influence our thought patterns, we will be transformed by the renewing of our minds.4
While Christians today can’t follow Jesus physically like the disciples did, the Bible makes it clear that following Him includes applying His teaching to our lives. As Jesus put it: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”5