At the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus and Peter are talking. Jesus tells Peter to “follow me.” That’s normal.
Now…this is after Jesus has died, and come back to life, and is walking and talking like he did before he died. That’s crazy.
And Jesus is going to leave in a few days. Leave the whole earth and ascend to heaven, where no one can see him anymore. And so just before this he says to Peter, “follow me?” Where? To heaven?
That’s even crazier.
But he says it matter-of-fact, and it’s treated and received as if it really can be done. As if it should be understood naturally that he just means what he says.
Like he’s saying, “I won’t be here, but in a way I will, and you’re to continue to follow me just like you did when I was on earth. Because, from here on, everyone is going to have to follow me as if I’m on earth. Everyone knows what ‘follow me’ means so I don’t have to explain it.” And he didn’t explain it, and no one questioned it, and people have been following him ever since, even though they can’t see him.
Crazy normal.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory – 1 Peter 1.8
