Pretty much everyone knows “the shortest verse in the Bible” - Jesus wept. The verse is from John 11:35, and describes how our Lord reacted in seeing the reality of death overcome His friend.
And while today’s words from the Gospel don’t technically meet the requirement of “shortest verse,” they nonetheless are equal in meaning, given their brevity. Follow Me.
The first expression shows God’s love for His creation, and His sorrow over how its fallenness has changed (ruined?) what He created to be perfection.
The second is an invitation.
If someone says to you, “Come with me,” your first likely response would be, “Where are we going?”
But this is Christ making the invitation. So, “Where are we going, Lord?”
He replies, Let’s start by going to a wedding in Cana. You’ll enjoy the wine. Then we’ll go to the Temple and cast out those who abuse it (Jn 2:16-170. After this, I need to speak with Nicodemus to help him understand. We’ll go from there to Judea and heal many. We’ll travel through Samaria—there’s a woman there who also needs to hear our Good News. We’ll come back to Galilee. A little twelve your old girl there needs our help. We’ll go back to Cana—there’s a nobleman whose son will die unless we go. (Jn 4:49-51) Then we’ll speak to the people in Nazareth, who will reject me (Lk 4:16-30) We’ll move to Capernaum, where we’ll heal the lame on the Sabbath, we’ll call the rest of your brother Apostles, we’ll heal the demoniac, along with throngs in the crowds who will also choose to follow, as you are doing. We’ll heal lepers and paralytics. We’ll attempt to teach the rulers of the people the true meaning of the Sabbath as we continue to heal many even on that day. We’ll seal My ministry by selecting twelve who will be faithful. We’ll heal the servant of a Centurion, and raise from the dead the only son of a widow. We’ll teach the Pharisees again who will accuse Me of blasphemy. We’ll teach in parables so that only those who truly seek to understand will have My mysteries revealed. You will become fearful unto death because of a storm at sea, which I will calm by My word. We’ll witness the execution of the Forerunner. We’ll gather with many on a mountaintop and teach the multitudes of God’s love for them. We’ll together feed thousands with next to nothing. In another storm at sea I’ll come to you to calm you and the storm by walking to you on the sea. We’ll bring sight to a man born blind. You’ll be with Me as I give this same invitation to follow to another, who will ask me to give him time first to bury his father. (Lk 9:59-60) You’ll be one of 70 whom I will send to go as well, to preach and to heal (Lk 10:1-24) I’ll give you the blessing of understanding the Good Samaritan. I’ll teach you to pray. You’ll be beside Me as our friend Lazarus returns from the dead. You’ll witness the rulers of the people conspire to kill Me. You’ll see a brother betray Me. You’ll witness Me being beaten, spat upon, nailed to a cross, and buried. You’ll cower in fear that those who did this to Me are coming as well for you, but I will protect you. And you will see Me after three days, and you will rejoice with a joy that will be eternal, and with life near to me in the Kingdom of Heaven.
How would YOU respond to the invitation? Thing is, this invitation is now, in the present! Are you following TODAY? Like the man in Luke 9:60, the invitation is made “for a limited time, and a limited time ONLY.” Tomorrow may be too late. The call, the invitation has been extended to all of us.
Let none of us delay in responding. The implications are eternal.
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