Why Follow Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide
If you have ever wondered why so many people around the world follow Jesus Christ, you are not alone. Jesus has had an unparalleled influence throughout history, with over 2 billion followers today. But who exactly was Jesus, and why has his life and teachings resonated with so many over the past 2,000 years?
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: Followers of Jesus believe he was the Son of God who lived a sinless life, died for the sins of humanity, and rose again – thus making relationship with God possible.
His teachings to love God and neighbor, serve the poor, practice humility and grace also compel many to follow him.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the key reasons people through the ages have chosen to follow the way of Christ:
Jesus’s Claims to be God
Jesus made several startling statements and took actions that demonstrated He believed He was divine and equal with God the Father (John 5:18; 10:30-33). This section explores three key ways Jesus showed His claims to deity: He claimed equality with God, accepted worship, and forgave sins.
He Claimed Equality with God
Throughout the New Testament gospels, Jesus claimed attributes or rights solely reserved for God, indicating He believed He was equal with God. For example, Jesus stated, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), directly claiming unity and equality with God.
In another instance, Jesus declared to His disciples, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), suggesting He perfectly represented God and possessed the same divine essence. Additionally, Jesus applied the divine holy name “I am” (YHWH in Hebrew) to Himself multiple times (Mark 14:62; John 8:58), associating Himself directly with the self-existent God.
Why would Jesus make such dramatic claims if He were merely a prophet or rabbi? Based on His words, Jesus clearly believed He shared full identity with God. His earliest followers certainly agreed, as disciple Thomas called Jesus “my Lord and my God” (John 20:28) after encountering the resurrected Christ.
He Accepted Worship
In several episodes during His ministry, Jesus accepted and even commended worship offered to Him. For instance, when a leprous man bowed down before Jesus in a request for healing, Jesus not only healed him but accepted the act of worship (Matthew 8:2).
Moreover, after Jesus stilled the storm and the disciples saw His power, “those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God'” (Matthew 14:33). If Jesus were merely a human prophet and not divine, His acceptance of such worship would have been blasphemous idolatry.
But Jesus freely embraced worship of Himself, confirming His claims to share full deity with God.
He Forgave Sins
The religious leaders of Jesus’s day understood that only God had the authority to forgive sins (Isaiah 43:25). Thus, they accused Jesus of blasphemy when He told a paralyzed man brought before Him, “Your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5).
By forgiving sins directly like this throughout His ministry, Jesus essentially presented Himself as God in human flesh, with full power to absolve people from sin and guilt. His repeated, unquestioned forgiveness of sins reinforced His claim to possess complete divine authority.
Jesus’s Miraculous Signs
Turning Water into Wine
One of Jesus’s first public miracles was turning water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana (John 2:1-11). When the hosts ran out of wine, Jesus instructed the servants to fill six stone water jars with water.
After tasting it, the master of the banquet was amazed that the best wine had been saved for last. This miraculous sign displayed Jesus’s power over nature and His blessing on the institution of marriage.
Healing the Sick
Throughout His ministry, Jesus healed all kinds of sickness and disease. He restored sight to the blind (Mark 8:22-25), healed leprosy (Luke 17:11-19), enabled the lame to walk (Mark 2:1-12), and brought healing to the demon-possessed (Mark 1:23-26).
In healing people’s physical ailments, Jesus demonstrated that He came to meet both physical and spiritual needs. His miracles of healing displayed His divine power and compassion for suffering people.
Feeding the Multitudes
On two occasions, Jesus miraculously fed thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and fish. In one instance, He fed over 5,000 men plus women and children with only five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:13-21).
After everyone had eaten their fill, there were still 12 baskets of food left over! This amazing miracle demonstrated Jesus’s divine ability to multiply food and meet people’s basic needs. It points forward to Him being the Bread of Life who satisfies our spiritual hunger (John 6:35).
Walking on Water
Jesus defied the laws of nature by walking on the surface of the Sea of Galilee, and He enabled Peter to walk on the water too (Matthew 14:22-33). When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought He was a ghost.
But He calmed their fears, enabling Peter to walk towards Him on the water. This miracle displayed Jesus’s authority over physical elements like water, gravity, and wind. It revealed His divine identity as the Son of God.
Raising the Dead
One of Jesus’s greatest miracles was raising people from the dead. He raised Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:21-43), a widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17), and Lazarus (John 11:1-44) back to life. In all three instances, crowds of people witnessed these resurrections from death, leaving no doubt about the reality of these miracles.
Raising the dead demonstrated Jesus’s authority over life and death itself. It provided a foretaste of His future resurrection from the dead.
Jesus’s miraculous signs all point to Him being the divine Son of God, the Messiah and Savior of the world (John 20:30-31). His miracles display His power over nature, sickness, death, and the physical universe. They demonstrate His divine compassion for people in their suffering and need.
Ultimately, Jesus’s miracles confirm that He is exactly who He claimed to be – the incarnate Son of God and Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Jesus’s Sinless and Virtuous Life
He Lived Without Sin
Jesus lived a sinless life, meaning he never committed any sins during his time on earth (Hebrews 4:15). He is the only person to have ever lived a completely virtuous life. His sinless nature made him the perfect sacrifice to atone for the sins of humanity.
According to the gospels, Jesus endured tremendous temptation yet did not give in (Matthew 4:1-11). He boldly claimed that no one could convict him of sin (John 8:46). Even Pontius Pilate, who sentenced Jesus to death, declared he found no fault in him (John 18:38).
He Demonstrated Great Compassion
The gospels portray Jesus as incredibly compassionate, especially towards society’s outcasts and marginalized. He healed the sick (Luke 7:22), restored sight to the blind (Mark 10:46-52), and fed the hungry (Mark 6:30-44).
He kept company with social pariahs like tax collectors and prostitutes, offering them grace and forgiveness instead of condemnation (Luke 15:1-2).
One of the most striking examples is Jesus’s mercy towards the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11). While religious leaders sought to stone her, Jesus protected her and sent her on her way with no condemnation. His compassion knew no bounds.
He Valued Women and Children
In a time when women and children held little status in society, Jesus broke cultural norms by treating them with dignity and compassion. He engaged in theological discussions with women like Photine (John 4) and Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:38-42).
He healed chronically ill women (Luke 8:43-48) and took time to bless children brought to him (Matthew 19:13-15).
Jesus’s concern for women and children revealed his heart for the marginalized. It also demonstrated that he cared just as much for those considered low in status as he did for respected male religious leaders like Nicodemus (John 3). He treated all people as precious in God’s sight.
Jesus’s Death and Resurrection
He Willingly Died by Crucifixion
Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion around 30 A.D. Even though he was innocent of any crime and did not deserve this punishment, he willingly accepted it because of his immense love for humanity.
On the day of his crucifixion, Jesus carried his own cross to the place of execution, was nailed to the cross and hung there for hours until he took his final breath. His sacrificial death fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah’s suffering and demonstrated his obedience to God the Father’s will (Isaiah 53:5, Philippians 2:8).
His Tomb Was Found Empty
After Jesus died on the cross, his lifeless body was taken down and placed in a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea. A large stone was rolled in front of the tomb entrance and Roman guards were posted there.
However, when some of Jesus’ female followers went to properly prepare his body for burial on the Sunday after his crucifixion, they were shocked to find the tomb empty! The huge stone had been rolled away and the guards were gone.
Only the burial linens Jesus had been wrapped in were left behind, neatly folded (John 20:1-8). The empty tomb was the first evidence that Jesus had supernaturally risen from the dead.
Many Saw Him Alive After His Death
Jesus did not just spiritually rise from the dead, leaving his physical body behind – he bodily rose from the grave! Over a period of 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus physically appeared to more than 500 people, including his disciples, followers and even skeptics like James and Paul (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
His followers spoke with him, ate with him, touched him and witnessed his glorified resurrection body. Every one of his amazed disciples went on to boldly proclaim that Jesus is alive, convincingly transforming Christianity from a small Jewish sect into the world’s largest religion.
The fact that they were willing to die gruesome deaths rather than deny seeing the risen Christ is powerful evidence these encounters truly happened.
The Wisdom and Impact of Jesus’s Teachings
Love God and Neighbor
One of the most well-known teachings of Jesus is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). This profound commandment emphasizes loving both God and other people wholeheartedly.
It calls us to have an intimate relationship with God as well as show compassion, kindness and generosity towards others. Jesus demonstrated what this sacrificial love looks like through his interactions with outcasts, healings of the sick, and ultimate willing sacrifice on the cross.
When believers live out Christ-like love, it can bring incredible hope, joy and restoration to individuals and communities.
The Golden Rule
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Luke 6:31). This timeless maxim, known as the Golden Rule, teaches us to live with empathy and treat others the way we hope to be treated. Though stated in the positive, it implies refraining from hurtful actions.
Jesus challenges his followers to look beyond self-interest and consider how their conduct affects those around them. This countercultural mindset leads to forgiveness, generosity and compassion. It has profoundly shaped ethics and morals throughout history and across cultures and faiths.
Applying the Golden Rule can foster human dignity, understanding and social harmony.
Servant Leadership
Jesus exemplified servant leadership, teaching that “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). This inverse leadership style centers on humbly meeting the needs of others before one’s own.
Jesus demonstrated this by washing his disciples’ feet, an act traditionally performed by servants. He instructs his followers to lead through selfless service, empathy and empowerment. This approach allows leaders to understand others’ perspectives and build trust.
While counterintuitive, servant leadership creates loyalty and goodwill. It realizes that true greatness comes through lifting others up, not climbing over them. Organizations embracing this model have seen increased productivity by over 30% (Hunter et al, 2013).
Jesus’s model has inspired leading companies like Starbucks, ServiceMaster and Southwest Airlines.
Conclusion
In examining the person of Jesus Christ – through his divine claims, miraculous acts, virtuous life, atoning death and bodily resurrection – we find compelling reasons millions through history have chosen to follow him.
His teachings on loving others, valuing the marginalized and leading through humility also continue to draw many to live by his life-giving words.
If you are still unsure about following Jesus, we encourage you to earnestly seek him – to read one of the four gospels detailing his life and ministry with an open mind and heart. Many who set out to disprove Jesus’s claims ended up concluding he is indeed the Son of God and Savior of the world – and choosing to follow him themselves.
