My plane had just landed on the runway at the Miami airport (Florida) and I was curiously looking outside the window. There I saw one of those black and yellow cars with a checkerboard pattern, with flashing roof lights and a display saying in capital letters: FOLLOW ME. From my seat I could see how this car guided the aircraft safely through the airport jungle to the parking stand. The marshaller (the driver of the car), is constantly in contact with the ATC (air traffic control) and needs to make sure not to lose track of the situation in the hustle and bustle of the airport. This person is also the one who signals the pilot to keep turning, slow down, stop and shut down the engines.
These two words reminded me of a marshaller that lived 2000 years ago—Jesus. Back then He asked people many times to: “Follow Me”. The theme of following Jesus appears throughout the New Testament. This theme certainly suggests more than physical proximity; it signifies a relationship between Jesus and others. In Mark 3:14 we read that Jesus appointed the twelve disciples to be “with Him,” that is, to engage in daily interaction and to follow Him wherever He led. Simon, Andrew, Levi, a Galilean multitude, large crowds, some disciples, blind Bartimaeus, and certain women all followed Jesus in Mark’s Gospel.
For three years Peter had followed Jesus. However, in Mark 14:54, shortly after Jesus’ arrest, we read: “And Peter followed Him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest.” Just like following Jesus involves more than physical proximity, following Jesus “at a distance” involves more than physical detachment. In an effort to seek safety, Peter had done the most dangerous thing imaginable. He permitted distance in his relationship with Jesus. That distance left him vulnerable—like losing sight of the marshaller at the airport who knows the way—and Peter quickly drifted off course. The very next time he appears in the text he denies Jesus three times (Mark 14:66–72). Jesus requests your fellowship and you may agree to follow where He leads. Like Peter, however, you may be following the right Person but at the wrong distance. Distance makes you vulnerable. Therefore, when you become aware of any distance between you and Jesus, make haste to join Him and eliminate the distance. Following closely after Him will enable you to navigate through this difficult world and prevent you from drifting off course. He is, after all, the One who knows the way.
There is an impressive example of a man who did not permit distance in his relationship with Jesus. About 150 years ago, there was a great revival in Wales, England. As a result of this, many missionaries came from England to northeast India to spread the Gospel. The region was known as Assam and comprised hundreds of tribes. The tribal communities were quite primitive and aggressive. The tribesmen were also called head-hunters because of a social custom which required the male members of the community to collect as many heads as possible. Into this hostile and aggressive community came a group of Welsh missionaries spreading the message of love, peace, and hope in Jesus Christ. Naturally, they were not welcomed. One Welsh missionary finally succeeded in converting a man, his wife, and two children. This man’s faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christianity. Angrily, the village chief summoned all the villagers. He then called the family who had first converted to renounce their faith in public or face execution. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the man sung his reply, “I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.” Enraged at the refusal of the man, the chief ordered his archers to shoot arrows at the two children. As both boys lay dying on the floor, the chief asked, “Will you deny your faith? You have lost both your children. You will lose your wife too.” But the man replied, again singing, “Though none go with me, still I will follow. No turning back.” The chief was beside himself with fury and ordered his wife to be shot also. In a moment she joined her two children in death. Now he asked for the last time, “I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live.” In the face of death the man sang, “The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back. No turning back.” He was shot dead like the rest of his family, but with their deaths, a miracle took place. The chief who had ordered the killings was moved by the faith of the man. He wondered, “Why should this man, his wife and two children die for a Man who lived in a far-away land on another continent some 2,000 years ago? There must be some supernatural power behind the family, and I too want that supernatural power.” In a spontaneous confession of faith, he declared, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!” When the crowd heard this from the mouth of their chief, the whole village accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
This is the story the popular hymn “I have decided to follow Jesus” is based on. I hope that you can also say and sing these words wholeheartedly: “I have decided to follow Jesus. . . no turning back!”
Manuela Di Franca