Biblical Essays
TRUE FOLLOWERS
There is a foundational bedrock truth of Christianity confirmed repeatedly by Jesus in many different ways. Consider three examples:
(1) In Mark 10:17 a young synagogue leader asked, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Sounds like a personal evangelism moment! Jesus could have said, “Make a decision to accept and obey Me.” He didn’t. When Jesus offered some of the 10 Commandments, the young man, thinking himself a candidate for eternal life, bragged about having obeyed them all his life. In verse 21, Jesus said, “Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” Jesus exposed his self-righteousness and love for money. Verse 22: “But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had greatpossessions.” He had no interest in self-denial, self-sacrifice, or submission. Therefore he was unworthy to be Jesus’ disciple.
If we are cocky, self-assured, impressed with our own goodness – if we think of Christianity as one more goal to achieve through performance, skill, money, and influence – if we’re not willing to separate from our family, the world, and material possessions – then Jesus isn’t that valuable to us. It’s an all-or-nothing proposition.
(2) In Luke 9:57 Jesus was walking down the road with some of His followers, and one of them promised,“I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus didn’t say, “Hey, that’s great. We’re all going to the Ritz-Carlton for caviar,” or “Follow Me, and you’ll be happy, healthy, wealthy, prosperous, and successful.” Instead He said, “Just know this: I don’t have any place to lay My head.” In other words, “Discipleship is going to cost you whatever you have. Don’t expect comfort and ease.” Verse 59: “Then He said to another ‘Follow Me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me go first and bury my father.’” The implication is that his father wasn’t actually dead and being buried at that moment, but rather an inheritance was expected. He would follow Jesus later, but instead he disappeared.
(3) A third would-be follower of Jesus wanted to return home and organize a big farewell party with friends and family – to secure support for his venture. A disciple of Christ doesn’t go backward, but, like a farmer, keeps looking forward so the furrow is straight (Luke 9:61-62).
Jesus set the standard – total self-denial. In Luke 14:26, a great multitude followed Him. He turned and said: “If anyone comes to Me” – meaning those who wanted to be His true followers – “and does not hate his father and mother,wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Self-hate? What a powerful truth! This is not salvation by good works but the very opposite: salvation by rejecting all hope of pleasing God on our own.
Following Jesus is not about you and me. Being a Christian is not about us; it’s about our self-esteem. It’s about being sick of sin and desperate for forgiveness. It is about seeing Christ as the priceless Savior from sin, death, and hell. It’s about giving up our families, our marriages, and whatever else we cherish and possess, including our lives, as Jesus said in Luke 9:24 and reaffirmed in 14:27: “And whoever does not bear his cross” – that is, willing to die – “and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Can it be clearer? Holding onto self – my plan, my agenda, my success, my self-esteem – loses forgiveness and heaven. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (John 12:24). In other words, Jesus says, “It’s going to cost you your life. You’re going to have to die.” Verse 25: “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Jesus’ path leads to persecution and death.
What does it cost to follow Jesus? Absolutely everything! The Lord might not take your life. He might not take all your money. He might not take your family or your spouse. He might not take your job. But you need to be willing to give it all up, if that’s what He asks. You need to be desperate enough to embrace Christ no matter what the price.
Want to follow Christ into heaven? Here’s the message: Deny self, take up a cross, and follow Him. In other words, “If you want to be a Christian, slay yourself! Refuse to associate any longer with yourself, reject all the things your self longs for, hopes for, and wants! Be willing to die for the sake of Christ, if required, and obediently submit won’t build audiences or bigger budgets. In a materialistic world, it’s not smart marketing. It’s a message that’s hard to believe, because self-denial is hard to do. It just happens to be the truth.
