What Does The New Testament Tell Us About Jesus’ invitation to Follow Him?
Introduction
Over the course of this series we shall aim to build what we will refer to as the ‘One Page New Testament’ - #onepagenewtestament. This will be a pictorial summary of the main messages for disciples of Jesus in a systematically derived, structured form. We will try to keep the descriptive text to a minimum and share with you the different ‘Themes’ that are being created. We will consider the scriptures on their own merit, Theme by Theme, without introducing much in the way of theology. Within each Theme, we will let the scriptures speak for themselves - hopefully in a way that demonstrates the validity of the analysis.
This article is the third in a series that is unpacking some of the analysis work currently being undertaken to draw out the main teachings from the New Testament from a personal discipleship perspective. The previous two articles can be found at Note [1] and focused upon the New Testament’s teaching that corresponds to the challenge of what we have called ‘Kingdom Fundamental 1 [KF1]’ to ‘Love God’, and more specifically the scriptures that encourage Jesus’ followers to ‘Listen to (Obey) God’ and ‘Talk (Pray) to God’ (which we called ‘Kingdom Practices 1 and 2 [KP1] & [KP2]’).
In this article we introduce work that looks at the invitation (command) from Jesus to ‘Follow me’ (i.e., Follow Jesus) which we have termed - Kingdom Fundamental 2 [KF2]. The focus of this teaching is about our internal (spiritual) condition, thoughts, actions, and behaviours, and how these can be / should be / are changed through a relationship with God, in Jesus. The other Kingdom Fundamentals ‘Love God [KF1]’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself [KF3]' are both outward focused, whereas the Themes connected to following Jesus are very much to do with sorting out our own internal and external life through the ongoing work of Salvation in Him through the Holy Spirit’s work.
The Themes that we will introduce, and describe briefly here, are all shown in light blue in Figure 1. The vertical lines below each Kingdom Action element indicate that there are lower-level Kingdom Actions that we will explore in subsequent articles.
If readers take away nothing else from these articles than the sense, logic, and directives in the Figures - for disciples to put in to practice in the strength God gives - we will hopefully have achieved our initial objective.
Figure 1 - Introduction to New Testament Themes under the encouragement to ‘Follow Jesus’
Kingdom Fundamental 2 [KF2] - ‘Follow Jesus’
Time and again throughout the Gospel accounts we see Jesus inviting individuals and groups to ‘Follow Me’. Some dropped everything and immediately followed, some made excuses to delay, and others chose not to. Here we will look at Greek words and associated scriptures that illustrate this call to them and to you!
There are three elements (or sub-Themes) that we can draw out which we can put under Jesus’ teaching about following Him.
Know that the apostles / disciples / inner circle followed Jesus [KF2.1]
Understand that crowds / people followed Jesus [KF2.2]
Accept Jesus call to you to ‘Follow Me’ [KF2.3].
Know that the apostles / disciples / inner circle followed Jesus [KF2.1]
There are five Greek words that we can use to illustrate this Theme. They can all be derived from verses that contain Greek words associated with ‘to follow’, ‘come!’, and ‘call’ [2], [3]:
Akoloutheó (Strong’s reference 190), defined as ‘to follow’ and used commonly to translate ‘I accompany, attend, follow’ [4]. It occurs 90 times in the New Testament [5].
Klétos (2822) meaning ‘called’ and rendered in Bible texts as ‘called, invited, summoned by God to an office or to salvation’. It is seen 11 times.
Kaleó (2564) which is ‘to call’ and can be used as ‘I call, summon, name’. It is found 148 times in the scriptures.
Opisó (3964) meaning ‘back, behind, after' and used in the sense of ‘behind, after; back, backwards’. It appears 35 times
Deute (1205) used in the context of ‘come!’ And meaning ‘come hither, come, hither, an exclamatory word’. There are a dozen instances.
Aperchomai (565) which is understood to mean ‘to go away, go after’ and used in translations in terms of ‘I come or go away from, depart, return, arrive, go after, follow’. There are 118 appearances in the New Testament.
Verses [6] that illustrate these sub-themes include:
Matthew 4:20 and Mark 1:18 - At once they left their nets and followed (190) him.
Matthew 12:15 - Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed (190) him, and he healed all who were ill.
Mark 1:17 - And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after (1205) me, and I will make you to become fishers of men (King James Version).
Mark 1:20 - Without delay he called (2564) them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed (565) him.
Mark 15:41 - In Galilee these women had followed (190) him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
Luke 5:28 - and Levi got up, left everything and followed (190) him.
Luke 9:11 - but the crowds learned about it and followed (190) him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
John 10:27 - My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow (190) me.
Romans 1:1 - Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called (2822) to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God
1 Thessalonians 4:7 - For God did not call (2564) us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
Other example scriptures we could highlight include: Matthew 19:28, Luke 5:11, Luke 5:27-28, Romans 1:1, and 1 Corinthians 1:1. There are something in the region of 38 verses that we can identify that cover the sense of the disciples being called and / or following Jesus.
Understand that crowds / people followed Jesus [KF2.2]
Under this heading we have further examples of Akoloutheó (Strong’s 190) in several verses:
Matthew 4:25 - Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Matthew 12:15 - Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.
Matthew 19:2 - Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
Mark 2:15 - While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
Luke 9:11 - but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
John 6:2 - and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.
Other relevant scriptures we can consider include: Matthew 4:25, Matthew 8:1, Matthew 20:29, Mark 3:7, Luke 18:43, and Luke 23:37. There are around 28 verses that link with this heading.
Accept Jesus call to you to ‘Follow Me’ [KF2.3]
Let’s note that Jesus’ call was not just to people he encountered during his earthly life of ministry. As the risen Lord, he is also calling each one of us to follow Him today. The question really is what will our answer be?
In addition to some of the Greek words we set out under KF2.1 (above) there are some further ones that relate to Jesus’ call to us:
Klésis 2821 defined as ‘a calling’ and translated as ‘a calling, invitation; in the NT, always of a divine call’. It is found 11 times.
Phóneó (5455) defined as ‘to call out’ and rendered in more than one way as ‘I give forth a sound, hence: (a) of a cock: I crow, (b) of men: I shout, (c) trans: I call (to myself), summon; I invite, address’. There are 43 instances.
Deuro (1204) meaning ‘until now, come here!’ And utilised in the context of ‘(originally: hither, hence) (a) exclamatory: come, (b) temporal: now, the present’. There are 10 occurrences.
Verses we can refer to which set out this personal call to us include:
Matthew 9:13 - But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call (2564) the righteous, but sinners.
Matthew 10:38 - Whoever does not take up their cross and follow (190) me is not worthy of me.
Matthew 19:21 - Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow (190) me.”
Matthew 20:16 - So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called (2822), but few chosen.
Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come (565), follow me.”
Luke 9:23 - Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple (3964) must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Luke 9:61 - Still another said, “I will follow (190) you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
John 10:3 - The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls (5455) his own sheep by name and leads them out.
1 Corinthians 1:26 - Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called (2821). Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
Galatians 1:6 - I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called (2564) you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
Other examples we can consider are: John 8:12, John 12:26, Ephesians 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:12, Hebrews 3:1, and Hebrews 9:15. There are around 80 verses that we can include in this Theme’s context.
Digging deeper into our structure (Figure 1)
At the next layer in our structure (Figure 1), we have grouped and summarised four Kingdom Practices that can be derived from scriptures that relate to a positive response to the call to ‘Follow Jesus’:
Submit to Jesus’ Lordship - Kingdom Practice 3 [KP3]
Pursue Holiness - [KP4]
Live out Kingdom Values - [KP5]
Exercise Discernment - [KP6].
In this article we will only focus on the first of these - Submit to Jesus’ Lordship - as outlined below.
Kingdom Practice 3 [KP3] - Submit to Jesus’ Lordship
As we look at this topic area we can find Greek words relating to submission and lordship that enable us to create three sub-Themes related specifically this heading (see Figure 1):
Call Jesus (& the Father) Lord - [KP3.1]
Submit to Jesus (& the Father) - [KP3.2]
Do not reject Jesus' authority - [KP3.3].
We will look at each in turn below.
Call Jesus (and the Father) Lord - [KP3.1]
There is one key Greek word which underpins the context of calling Jesus or God the Father Lord.
Kurios (Strong’s 2962) meaning ‘lord, master’ and rendered in English translations as ‘lord, sir, master, the Lord’. It is found 722 times [6] in the New Testament and can refer to:
God the Father as Lord
Jesus Christ as Lord under the authority of God the Father
Angels as messengers of God
Fallen angels or devil spirits
People who are ‘lords’ over others.
Clearly, we need to have a good idea which of these contexts is being used in each verse reference and a paper was identified that provides some insight into this [7].
Example scriptures we can draw out include:
Jesus as Lord
Matthew 7:21 - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
John 13:13 - You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.
God the Father as Lord
Luke 4:18 - “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free”.
1 Corinthians 10:22 - Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
Jesus and / or God the Father referred to as Lord
Mark 5:19 - Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Ephesians 6:9 - Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Overall, according to our separate analysis of [7], Jesus is referred to uniquely as Lord in around 335 instances (plus a single instance for Strong’s 2961 - meaning ‘Lord over’), God the Father as Lord is referred to uniquely in 168 instances, and both can be inferred in 143 instances.
Submit to Jesus (& the Father) - [KP3.2]
Looking now in the context of submission to Jesus and God the Father we can identify 3 Greek words that are relevant here:
Hupotassó (Strong’s 5293) means ‘to place or rank under, to subject, mid. to obey’ and is used in terms of ‘I place under, subject to; mid, pass: I submit, put myself into subjection’ and is found 38 times in the NT.
Kuriotés (Strong’s 2963) meaning ‘lordship’ and used in terms of ‘(a) abstr: lordship, (b) concr: divine or angelic lordship, domination, dignity, usually with reference to a celestial hierarchy’. This is only found 4 times.
Despotés (Strong’s 1203) defined as ‘lord, master’ and rendered in translations as ‘a lord, master, or prince’. It only occurs 10 times.
Example scriptures include:
Romans 10:3 - Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit (5293) to God’s righteousness.
1 Corinthians 15:28 - When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under (5293) him, so that God may be all in all.
Ephesians 1:22 - And God put everything under (5293) His feet and made Him head over everything for the church,
Colossians 1:16 - For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers (2963) or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
Hebrews 2:8 - and placed everything under (5293) his feet. When God subjected (5293) all things to him, He left nothing outside of his control. Yet at present we do not see everything subject (5293) to him.
1 Peter 3:22 - who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject (5293) to Him.
2 Peter 2:1 - But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord (1203) who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
Jude 1:4 - For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign (1203) and Lord.
In addition, we can also consider: 1 Corinthians 15:27, Philippians 3:21, Hebrews 12:9, and 1 Peter 3:22. There are only 22 verses that relate to this Theme.
Do not reject Jesus' authority - [KP3.3]
There are only two scriptures that provide warnings concerning rejecting Jesus’ / God the Father’s authority and both involve the use of Lordship (Strong’s 2963):
2 Peter 2:10 - This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings.
Jude 1:8 - In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.
Kingdom Actions that sit below the call to ‘Submit to Jesus’ Lordship’ [KP3]
Turning now to the Kingdom Action level we find, unsurprisingly, that there is a huge amount of underlying material under this heading, which we will have to address in subsequent Faith Articles. For completeness we have listed here the Kingdom Actions, which have been developed from our research, that we have placed under KP3:
Recognise that we all need a Saviour - Kingdom Action 5 [KA5]
Believe / have faith in Jesus / God - [KA6]
Count the cost of discipleship - [KA7]
Be born again / made a new creation in Christ (repent and be baptised) - [KA8]
Receive the benefits of the kingdom (forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, eternal life …) - [KA9]
Walk / live by the Spirit not the flesh - in accordance with scripture - [KA10]
Bear fruit for the kingdom - [KA11]
Persevere in personal discipleship - [KA12].
We will explore each of these in subsequent articles.
Summary
This is the third Systematic Discipleship Faith Article, where we have introduced Kingdom Fundamental 2 [KP2] - ‘Follow Jesus’, Kingdom Practice 3 [KP3] - ‘Submit to Jesus’ Lordship’, and outlined the headings for Kingdom Actions KA5 to KA12.
Ultimately, these groupings are subjective, as will be the inclusion (or exclusion) of many verses within each Theme. This is especially so, as some verses have a much stronger relevance to the derived Themes than others. Hopefully, showing the number or relevant verses within each Theme gives some indication of the strength of their validity.
During this analysis, the aim has been to restrict the number of Themes that can be associated with any specific Greek word to eight or less - as any more implies poor analysis technique and the wrong choice / naming process.
In the next Faith Article we shall consider some of the other Themes and scriptures that we can derive under Kingdom Practice 3, specifically Kingdom Action 5 [KA5] and its lower level Kingdom Actions. Again, the aim will be to try and make it informative, but manageable in terms of the time and effort needed to look at and understand each area.
Any constructive thoughts on this Article, the process being undertaken, and related feedback are welcome.
Notes:
[2] - “Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, based upon Semantic Domains” Volumes 1 and 2 - Louw and Nida - Published by and © United Bible Societies - 1988
[3] - “Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words” - © William D Mounce, 2006 - Published by Zondervan
[4] - biblehub - https://biblehub.com/greek/
[5] - Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM.
The Bible references presented are illustrative rather than aiming to be ‘proof texts’. They are examples only as there are, generally, many more we could look at. Please note that when looking at any Bible verse references, you should ideally consider more than one translation / respected version to get a more rounded view, and also look at the wider context for each verse too. In particular, when Greek words are translated, Bible scholars do not always use the same English word every time it appears in the Greek. This is why it is useful to look at more than one Bible version.
[6] - The number of instances of specific Greek words can vary considerably depending upon the Greek manuscript(s) that is / are referenced by the data underpinning a particular program or website. For example, there can be differences in the number of instances of a Greek word depending upon whether your information source is, say: biblehub.com, blueletterbible.org, or Accordance Bible software. For example, the word Kurios (Lord) appears:
722 times according to biblehub
748 times in the Textus Receptus (TR) Greek for the blueletterbible
717 in the Morphological Greek New Testament (MGNT) in the blueletterbible
717 times for the Legacy Standard Version in Accordance (a Bible-related software product)
711 times for the ESV in Accordance.
[7] - https://www.freedomlifelight.com/usages-of-kurios-in-the-greek-new-testament/ - Gene Slavit - October 2018
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Reading the articles will take only a little time to study - more if we look up the additional Bible references - and probably a lifetime to work out in practice. Hopefully they will help make each of us ‘Become more like Jesus’!
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