Follower or Worshipper?

Matthew 8:1-2 “When He was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”  (KJV)

Did you catch that? It says great multitudes followed him but a leper came and worshipped him! There are, in fact, great multitudes that follow Jesus still today. They often follow at a distance to the ‘Jesus’ they accept as a great teacher, to the ‘Jesus’ they can certainly admire or to the ‘Jesus’, the one, who is indeed worthy of being followed.  Sometimes these great multitudes would just as easily turn and follow another ‘god’.

I love the word ‘behold’ in verse two because it seems to cast a light on the distinction between the individual leper and the great multitude and between the followers and the worshipper.

What is it about leprosy or cancer or bankruptcy or any number of other hopeless situations that change us from a ‘follower’ to a ‘worshipper’?  Maybe I should ask the question another way. If you were not facing humiliation, financial ruin or some other great personal catastrophe could you still be, would you still be, a worshipper? I hope you answered yes to that last question. The true worshipper worships God not just because of what he can do but because of who he is. He is worthy to be worshipped.

Whether he ever heals your body, he is worthy. Whether you ever know again the blessing of financial prosperity or the anointing for a great ministry He alone is still worthy of praise. Are you a follower or a worshipper? Do you worship Him only for what He can do or do you worship Him for who He is? It is good to be a Christ follower. It is infinitely better to be a Christ worshipper.