The People Who Almost Followed Jesus
12 encounters that expose what can keep a person from wholehearted surrender · Part 01
You can be close to Jesus and still hold something back from Jesus.
That may be one of the most sobering truths in the Gospels.
Some people encountered Jesus and immediately left everything to follow Him.
Peter dropped his nets.
Matthew walked away from his tax booth.
Zacchaeus opened his home, and then his wallet.
The Samaritan woman left her water jar and ran to tell her city.
But others came remarkably close to Jesus…
They heard His words.
They asked Him questions.
They felt conviction.
Some admired Him.
Some defended Him.
Some were personally invited by Him.
Some stood face-to-face with the Son of God.
And yet something stopped them.
Not always unbelief.
Not always hostility.
Sometimes it was something much more familiar.
Money.
Comfort.
Reputation.
Fear.
Family expectations.
Political pressure.
The approval of other people.
The desire to remain in control.
Or simply the decision to wait until another day.
And that is why their stories matter so much.
Because their obstacles are still our obstacles.
This Series Is Not About Judging Them
It would be easy to read these stories and say:
“How could they have been so close to Jesus and still walk away?”
But that is not the question I want us to ask.
I want their stories to become a mirror.
Because it is possible to admire Jesus without surrendering to Jesus.
It is possible to listen to Jesus without obeying Jesus.
It is possible to be religious, moral, sincere, even deeply moved by Jesus, and still protect one area of life from His Lordship.
We can sing:
“I surrender all.”
And still quietly mean:
“Except this.”
The Most Dangerous Word May Be “Almost”
Almost obedient.
Almost surrendered.
Almost willing.
Almost ready.
Almost following.
The tragedy is that almost can feel very close to the real thing.
We can attend church.
Study Scripture.
Serve.
Give.
Pray.
Agree with Jesus.
Even tell others about Jesus.
But discipleship eventually brings every one of us to the same question:
Will Jesus have all of me?
Not just my Sunday.
Not just my beliefs.
Not just the parts of my life I am comfortable giving Him.
All of me.
Twelve Encounters. Twelve Mirrors.
Over the coming days, we will look at people who encountered Jesus or the truth about Him and faced a moment of decision.
Some walked away.
Some delayed.
Some chose reputation.
Some chose security.
Some chose the crowd.
Some simply could not release what they were holding.
And with every story, I want us to ask the same question:
What kept them from wholehearted surrender, and could the same thing be keeping us?
This is not primarily a series about them.
It is about us.
Because somewhere in these twelve stories, we may recognize ourselves.
And if we do, the question will not be:
“What should they have done?”
It will be:
“Jesus, what am I still holding back from You?”
Tomorrow we begin with a man who did almost everything right.
He ran to Jesus.
He knelt before Jesus.
He asked the right question.
Jesus looked at him and loved him.
Then Jesus touched one thing.
And the man walked away.
The Rich Young Ruler, When One Thing Is Too Much to Surrender
What would make you walk away if Jesus asked for it?
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