BaptistWay Bible Series for January 29: Face the radical nature of discipleship

One of the world’s most popular games is chess. It is played by friends and strangers alike. It can be played in person, on a computer, online, in tournaments and even through mail correspondence.

The movement of the pieces is easy to master, yet learning to play chess well is a challenge. One reason for the challenge of playing chess well is players will not improve their game unless they are challenged by someone with better ability. Thus, many people can play chess, but only a few accept the challenge of playing it well.

Jesus had a way of challenging people who wanted to be his disciples. In Matthew 8:18-22, he encountered a couple of men who wanted to follow Jesus, and they each were challenged by Jesus in their willingness to follow.

Are you ready to follow right now? (Matthew 8:18-20)
In Matthew 8:14-17, Jesus had just healed many who were sick and demon possessed. With verse 18, he noted the crowd gathering and decided to go to the other side of the lake.

Why would he do that? Perhaps he wanted to avoid the appearance that he was a messiah who cared only about healing people’s physical ailments. Perhaps he didn’t want to gather a crowd of followers who were only interested in him for entertainment purposes.

Once on the other side of the lake, a teacher of the law asked about following Jesus declaring, “I will follow you wherever you go.” What a bold statement of unwavering commitment.

This man must have come across to Jesus as an eager beaver full of excitement at the beginning only to expend all that energy once the venture was begun. Jesus’ reply was not one of eager acceptance. Instead, Jesus cautioned this man by telling him he did know where he would be staying. In other words, Jesus was telling the man he was homeless. What a bold statement that challenged an eager disciple.

It should be noted that Jesus experienced the turning away of many would-be disciples. In John 6, the day after feeding the 5,000, Jesus taught the crowds that came back to him about the bread of life. When the crowd realized there would not be a second day for a free lunch, only tough teachings, they left (John 6:66).

The teacher of the law who seemed so eager to follow Jesus apparently did not count the cost before making his ebullient statement. In Luke 14:25-35, Jesus wanted those wanting to be one of his disciples to count the cost before taking the first step.

Jesus expects total commitment from his followers, just like the teacher of the law proclaimed. Jesus wants total obedience on a disciple’s total commitment.

Are you ready to delay following right now? (Matthew 8:21-22)
The next person to meet Jesus also wanted to become a follower. Unlike the teacher of the law, this man had some family obligations that prevented him from following Jesus immediately. Evidently, this man’s father was gravely ill and needed his son’s care until death. At that point, the man was willing to follow Jesus.

Jesus’ reply may come across as harsh or even cold-hearted, but Jesus was not critiquing a social custom of the time. Instead, he was criticizing limited discipleship. That’s the kind of discipleship which places real limits on following Jesus.

Limited discipleship is cheap. It looks for a bargain from God. The disciple wants all of the blessings God has, but the follower wants to work as little as possible for them.

Limited discipleship is narcissistic. It values only the interests of the disciple not the leader. It’s about the follower and not about the Lord. Limited discipleship defines service as what God does for the one following and not what the disciple gives to God.

Limited discipleship does not pick up the cross. It just walks around the cross, studies the cross, even touches the cross, but by no means does it pick up the cross.

Comfortably following Jesus?
In America today, comfort is highly valued. Whatever makes our lives easier is what we want. We watch our giant plasma-screen televisions in HD while reclining in our rockers waiting for dinner to finish in the microwave, as we utilize our smart phones to interact nonconfrontationally with our “friends.” All the while, we’re thinking how hard the commute home was in our air-conditioned cars with heated seats.

The challenge of Jesus is about radical discipleship. This kind of discipleship is radical, because Jesus actually expects his disciples to come to him on his terms and not their own.

The challenge of Jesus is about being willing to change, and change is not comfortable. Are you ready to follow Jesus? Hold on a minute. Are you waiting to follow Jesus? Stop standing there and move. It’s time to say, “Whatever you want, Lord. Come, go or stay. Help me to be obedient.”