At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus gathered disciples by saying, “Follow me” (Mark 1:17; John 1:43; Luke 5:27). Each man left his old life to begin a new one following Jesus. Our Lord invited anyone to be His disciple by denying oneself, taking up a cross and following Him (Matthew 16:24). However, there were two individuals who did not heed the invitation during Jesus’ earthly ministry (Mark 10:21-22; Luke 9:59-60).
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles (John 21). He asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Each time, Peter confirmed his love for Jesus. Each time, Jesus gave Peter a task to complete. After the third time, Jesus informed Peter of the type of death he would eventually suffer for Christ’s sake. Jesus invited Peter to “Follow me” once again. Peter saw John after he understood the suffering he would endure. He asked Jesus about John and if he would suffer the same. Jesus responded, “If I will that he remains till I come, what is that to you? You follow me” (John 21:22). In other words, “Focus on Me, not John.”
The apostle Paul encouraged the Galatian brethren to “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Some of the brethren were overtaken in trespasses. They needed someone to help restore their relationship to Christ. Paul cautioned those who sought erring brethren to use a ‘spirit of gentleness considering themselves lest they also be tempted’ (Galatians 6:1). Later, he emphasized, “For each one shall bear his own load” (Galatians 6:5). Each of the brethren in Galatia had his own burden whether he struggled with sin or not. Just because the Galatian brethren’s burdens were not the same did not mean they did not have a burden to bear.
What a reminder! There are times in our lives when we desire fairness. We may look around and observe the perceived ease of others while considering the hard time we face. We may even judge others because they are not behaving in a way we would desire. However, as Jesus’ disciple, we are to be following Jesus. We each have our own cross to carry (i.e., burdens), just like Peter, Paul and the Galatian brethren. We lose sight of Jesus when we get overly concerned with earthly matters. Let us maintain our focus on Jesus and help ease the burdens of others along the way.
