“Follow me” – with these words Jesus calls people to come close to him. Following means: being on the way with Jesus, learning from him, becoming more like him. Here you will find 21 Bible verses about following and discipleship.
Follow me
Jesus’ call.
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And he said to them: Follow me; and I will make you fishers of men! And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:19-20Calling
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And Jesus said to them: Follow me; and I will make you fishers of men! And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Mark 1:17-18
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And they left their boats, and left all, and followed him.
Luke 5:11
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And when Jesus had gone away, he saw a man sitting at the tax office, whose name was Matthew; and he said to him, Follow me! And he arose, and followed him.
Matthew 9:9
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The next day Jesus was going into Galilee again, and he found Philip, and said to him, Follow me!
John 1:43
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And Jesus spoke again to them, and said, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:12EpiphaniasFirst Communion
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For my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27Hearing
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He that will serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there let his servant also be. And he that serveth me, him my Father shall honour.
John 12:26Serving
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But this he said, that he might shew what death he would shew unto God. And when he had said this, he saith unto him, Follow me!
John 21:19
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Jesus saith unto him, I will, that he tarry until I come; what concernest thee? Follow thou me!
John 21:22
What following costs
Jesus speaks openly about the cost.
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And he called unto him the multitude, and his disciples, and said unto them, Whosoever will follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will keep his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, and for the gospel's sake, the same shall keep it.
Mark 8:34-35Self-seeking
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And he said unto them all, Whosoever will follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luke 9:23
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And it came to pass, that as he went, there was one that said unto him, Lord, whithersoever thou goest, I will follow thee. And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Luke 9:57-58
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But Jesus said unto him, Whosoever layeth his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:62
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And he that doth not bear his cross, and follow me, cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:27
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Therefore whosoever of you hath not renounced all that he hath, cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33
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And he that receiveth not his cross, and followeth me, is not worthy of me.
Matthew 10:38
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Then Jesus said unto his disciples, Whosoever will follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
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But what was gain to me, that I have esteemed loss for Christ's sake. Yea, I yet esteem all things loss for the exceeding knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have esteemed all things loss, and count them but dung, that I may gain Christ.
Philippians 3:7-8
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For unto this ye are called, that Christ Jesus suffered for us, and left us an example, that ye should follow his steps.
1 Peter 2:21
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He that saith, I am in him, ought also so to walk, as he hath walked.
1 John 2:6
Bible texts: Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), carefully adapted to modern spelling.
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What following means
In Jesus' time, disciples followed their rabbi in the literal sense: they walked behind him, listened to him, observed him, and tried to live as he did. When Jesus says “Follow me,” he is inviting exactly that. The first disciples “at once” leave their nets (Matthew 4:20), Levi gets up from his tax office (Matthew 9:9). Following is more than a decision at the beginning. It is a path that begins anew every day – even after setbacks. Peter, who denied Jesus, hears once more after the resurrection: “Follow me!” (John 21:22).
The cost of following
Jesus does not sugarcoat anything. “Whosoever will follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). To one who wants to follow him everywhere, he answers: “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke of the “costly grace” in his book “Following”: grace is a gift, but it changes the whole life. More on this at Bible verses about calling, Bible verses about obedience and Bible verses about mission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does following Jesus mean?
Following means trusting Jesus, learning from him, and imitating him in everyday life – like the first disciples who were on the way with him (Matthew 4:19; 1 John 2:6).
What does “taking up his cross” mean?
In Mark 8:34, Jesus means the willingness to accept disadvantages for the sake of faith and not to put one's own self first.
