THE COST OF
DISCIPLESHIP
Baptism Sunday,
June 16, 2003
The
following are actual responses from comment cards given to the staff members at
Bridger Wilderness Area in 1996:
-
Trails
need to be reconstructed. Please avoid trails that go uphill.
-
Too
many bugs and leeches and spiders. Please spray the wilderness to get rid of
these pests.
-
Please
pave the trails…chair lifts need to be in some places so that we can get to the
wonderful views without having to hike to them.
-
The
coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate
these annoying animals.
-
Too
many rocks on the mountains.
-
A
small deer came into my camp and stole my jar of pickles. Is there a way I can
get reimbursed? Please call xxx-xxx-xxxx.[i]
These
comments and complaints reveal that there are some people who do not fully
understand what it means to stay in a “wilderness area.” A lot of people are
looking for a comfortable and convenient way to enjoy nature without truly
engaging the wilderness experience. They want to observe nature without the
work of getting into nature.
In the same way, many people want to
be observers of Christianity without considering the cost of what it means to
follow Jesus. Many people today claim to be Christian but on their own terms.
What does it cost to follow Jesus
and call oneself a Christian?
Jesus makes four startling demands
of his disciples.
Hate your family
When Jesus spoke to the crowds about
the kingdom of God, they figured he was talking about the resurgence of their
own nation in a political sense. They saw Jesus as the emerging king of this
revived nation, and they were eager to see Jesus overthrow the invader Pilate
and the pretender Herod.
But Jesus was not calling for
spectators but recruits. When he called on people to follow him, he did not
intend for a bunch of tag-alongs and curiosity-seekers, but to throw in their
lot with him in sacrificial commitment.
The first thing he tells them is, “If
anyone come to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and
children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my
disciple,” (14:26).
In an era of mega-churches and
church growth programs, this is not a seeker-sensitive demand to make. This
would turn people off in droves.
What does Jesus mean? On the one
hand, this demand is best seen as hyperbole. A hyperbole is an exaggeration to
make a point. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” is one example of hyperbole.
It would be interesting to know who started that one and if they would actually
eat a horse. But when Jesus says we need to hate our families to follow him, he
means that our love and devotion to Jesus is to be so intense that it would
look like we hate everyone and everything else.
On the other hand, we do not want to
water down the demand by simply labeling it a hyperbole. It is a serious
demand. Many of us treat family as sacred, so sacred that we would exalt family
above all else. Jesus puts following him on a higher priority than even family
Pick up your
Cross
Then Jesus tells the crowd, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and
follow me cannot be my disciple,” (27).
This is the second time Jesus utters
a negative imperative. You CANNOT be my disciple unless you hate your family
and come and die with me, Jesus says. There is an all or nothing requirement in
discipleship. Following Jesus demands your whole life.
The cross is the cursed, ugly
instrument of torture and death. There is no surviving crucifixion. Jesus asks
those who follow him to be prepared to even die with him.
The cross represents complete
devotion and whole-hearted service to everyone else. That is Jesus’ own
example; he came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom
for many. Following Jesus calls for imitation of this very attitude. There is no
compromising this demand. Picking up our cross means that I am dead to my own
desires and alive to serving the first person I encounter with the love of
Christ.
Counting the
Cost
The last two statements Jesus makes
concerning the demands of discipleship come as illustrations. Very simply, when
you build, do you not consider the costs of building a house before you begin?
If you don’t and you only build a partial structure, people will think you a
fool. And if you are going to go battle, make sure you have enough men or a
good plan, or you will lose and look stupid.
If you are thinking about following
Jesus, in other words, let it not be an impulsive decision. Don’t go after him
because of feelings alone, or some emotional experience. Because when the feelings
fade you are going to have to consider the commitment of your decision. How
will that look?
Think of a guy who wants to express
his love to his girlfriend Donna by getting a tattoo of her name on his arm.
He’s at the tattoo parlor and halfway through he asks how much it will cost.
Fifty dollars. He pulls out his cash and discovers he only has forty-one
dollars. Next you see the dude on the sidewalk yelling after Donna, who’s
walking away in a huff, “I’ll get it fixed.” Zoom in to the tattoo which reads,
“I love Don!”
Can you afford to follow Jesus? “In the same way, any of you who does not
give up everything he has cannot be my disciple,” (33).
Baptism represents a point in one’s
life at which one has decided that she is going to give her all to Jesus for
eternity. This is a momentous event. Baptism is death – death to the old life
and the beginning of a new life. This is a funeral service for the old Hayley,
the old Jaime and the old Alyssa. In moments we will introduce the new Alyssa,
the new Jaime and the new Hayley, dead to sin and alive to Christ.
They have considered the cost of
discipleship and found that Jesus is worth the price of their lives. The gain
is incredible.
Have you considered the cost? Would
you pay it? Jesus invites you to meditate on the worth of following him and to
accept the cost today.
AMEN
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