Cost of Discipleship

Good Morning!

Everything has a cost. The cost of discipleship is devotion – absolute devotion. The following passage seems to be cruel in its application … but in reality, what the disciple was asking wasn’t what we think he was asking. Let’s read it:

Matthew 8:18-22 (New International Version)
The Cost of Following Jesus

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

The first person who approached Jesus was a teacher of the law (a rabbi). He knew that there was a cost to following Christ but Jesus wanted him to be aware of the full cost. Jesus didn’t have a home to stay in. The clothes He wore were all that He had. He wasn’t guaranteed even one meal a day. This would be quite a change for the rabbi. Much like our religious hierarchy today, most teachers of the law were well taken care of – otherwise they were considered to be “sinners” because God hadn’t blessed them. Jesus was letting the rabbi know that following Him would not be easy.

The second person is the “another disciple” who asks to go bury his father. Now the assumption we often make is that dear ol’ dad is D E A D and his son wants to attend the funeral. No! His dad is alive and kicking … what this disciple was asking was to put off being a follower until he had fulfilled all the “obligations” of a son – including the funeral. In other words, following Jesus was secondary. Jesus immediately tells the “another disciple” that being a disciple requires primacy. Matthew doesn’t tell us how the “another disciple” reacted. Did he return to his Dad? Or did he put Jesus first?

A true disciple of Christ Jesus is one who recognizes that Jesus comes first. Long ago, Miss N and I both decided that Jesus was the primary person in each of our lives. That doesn’t mean that Miss N loves me any less … in fact, I think her love for Jesus allows her to love me even more. And I think the same thing is true for me. You see, I didn’t really know what love was until I found the love of Christ Jesus. And then I could let that love flow through me to Miss N, my kids and grandkids and great grandkid; to my friends and even to my enemies. But Jesus has to be my first love before I can pass His love on.

One of the joys of discipleship is the uncertainty of being His disciple. We don’t know where He will send us. We don’t know all the challenges we will encounter. We cannot know the hardships or the joys. But we do know that Jesus is leading us … because we are His disciples.

No, the passage wasn’t cruel at all – it was direct and informative. And should be heeded even today.

Agape’


Mr. Jim


Prayer Need:
Please put my friend Dora Brock on the pray list. They found a mass by her heart and she will have a heart cath. tomorrow. Also, Ruth Mundy from my Sunday School class who was diagnosed with Stage 5 liver and pancreas cancer. Thanks.

Judy