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Following Jesus

Following Jesus in his mission and engaging in this cosmic conflict is not to be approached lightly. It will cost you everything.  This passage is a reiteration and restatement of a previous instruction of Jesus in the Mission Discourse:

 

“…anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:38-39).

 

It stands to reason that following Jesus comes at a great cost, something that many Christians in the West are not aware of or have forgotten.

 

This teaching of Jesus also follows the instruction in the kingdom in the World Discourse regarding the incomparable value of the kingdom.

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44).

 

It is worthwhile to forsake everything to gain the kingdom. Nothing is comparable in value to it.

 

The Cost of Discipleship

When Jesus called his followers to “take up their cross”, he was not talking about minor inconveniences or personal sacrifices. The cross meant one thing only, namely, suffering and death. Following Jesus is not just about going to church, staying committed in relationships, or aiming to live a more ethical lifestyle; it is about a radical surrender that could lead to rejection, persecution, and even death for the sake of Christ. Being a Christian in this world will cost you. Jesus is clear: there is a cross to carry, and it comes at a price.

 

In his book The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer made some radical statements, such as the following:

 

Suffering is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Christ. Not the suffering which is part of the normal human life. The suffering which is an essential part of the specific Christian life.

The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is to abandon the attachments of this world. Every command of Jesus is a call to die!                                                                            

          …

          When Christ calls a man, he bids him to come and die.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

Living for Something Greater

True discipleship requires more than just good intentions—it demands a whole-hearted commitment to Jesus and his mission. Jesus calls us to lose our lives for him and for the gospel. As Herman Hendrickx puts it:

 

Although the kingdom of God is announced freely and without distinction to all, it cannot come apart from Jesus Christ!

Where he (Jesus) is, there the kingdom of God is. In his words and deeds, in his person, he himself is the dawning of the kingdom of God.                                                   Herman Hendrickx

 

This means living for something and someone greater than ourselves, using the “keys of the kingdom” to unlock freedom for others by boldly confessing Christ. This message will stir opposition; the world and the devil will not take it kindly.

 

Everything that hinders us from loving God above all things and acts as a barrier between ourselves and our obedience to Jesus is our treasure, and the place where our heart is.

                                                                        Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

The Paradox

Jesus presents a profound paradox:

 

“Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  

 

Why would anyone want to do this? Face rejection, persecution, and maybe even suffering and death? Because what you will find in the end exceeds anything that you can ever imagine.

As Jesus observes in Mark’s version of the mission discourse:

 

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30).

 

The kingdom is the treasure hidden in a field, the pearl of great price. The one that holds on to the world and all its promises will in the end lose everything, even his soul. The world, the flesh, and the devil will tempt us with all these things, and many will find out too late that it is worthless without Christ and the kingdom.

 

For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever (1 John 2:16-17).

Top of Form

Looking Ahead

As we continue exploring the true church of Jesus Christ, we will examine what awaits the believer and the worldling at the end of time.

 

We will also understand more about the universal judgment of the world, which is coming.

 

 

Call to Action

 

Are you following the real Jesus or a version of him shaped by your preferences?

 

 

How are you susceptible to being led astray to follow a different Jesus?

 

 

Write down your thoughts and insights.