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Articles
Exacting Discipleship
When Jesus came to this earth, He had the foreknowledge that He was to die for the sins of mankind. Jesus willingly gave up His glory in heaven and took on the form of a bondservant, so that we may have eternal life through Him (Phil. 2:6-7, 12-13). Our wonderful Savior understood the cost of His love and did not allow the cross to keep Him from accomplishing the ultimate goal. He learned obedience from the things which He suffered, and gave us the greatest example to imitate and follow (Hebrews 5:8). Do we understand the cost of our discipleship?
Jesus spoke on many different occasions about the cost of discipleship. He commanded those who followed Him to pick up their cross, an emblem of death, and follow Him daily (Luke 9:23). To faithfully follow God, we must die to self and let Christ reign in our lives. The apostle Paul understood the ultimate cost of discipleship – “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20a).
The gospel of Luke records three men who were eager to pledge their desire to follow after Jesus (Luke 9:57-62). These men manifested great eagerness to follow after their Savior, but upon greater deliberation their eagerness would be outweighed by the tremendous cost. The first man approached saying, “I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus replied, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” This man immediately understood the cost of discipleship will take him from the comforts of this life, and at times even a proper place to rest. Are we willing to leave the comforts of our home to take the gospel of Jesus to the lost?
The second man was admonished by Jesus to follow Him. Again he shared in an eagerness to follow Jesus, but the cost appeared too great. The man replied, “Lord, permit first to go and bury my father.” Whatever the context of this burial may be, the man was unwilling to put Jesus and His kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). This world is full of encumbrances, which can easily weigh us down in our pursuit of discipleship; i.e. family, friends, work, hobbies, etc. Therefore, it is imperative for the disciple to “lay aside” these things and run with endurance the race set before him (Hebrews 12:1). Are we willing to “seek first His kingdom and righteousness?”
The third man approached Jesus and said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” This man displayed an eagerness to follow the Lord, but based upon his own stipulations. Jesus replied, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Discipleship is not contingent upon our wants, but rather it is entirely dependent upon our willingness to submit and obey the will of God. It requires our full dedication and anything less will ultimately be insufficient. The true disciple is willing to sacrifice his time, effort, and energy to the service of God and others. Are we willing to fully submit and serve our Savior?
The cost of discipleship has proven to be too much for so many who proclaim allegiance to Jesus. They have evaluated the cost and have allowed the things of this life to keep them from fully submitting to the cause of Christ. We may have the desire to follow Jesus, but if we make the same excuses as those in the gospel of Luke, then we have fallen short of the goal of discipleship. A disciple’s objective is to become like his master in every facet of his life. May God bless us with humble hearts that are willing to fully submit and obey His commands. May we be found as disciples of Christ who have counted the cost and sacrificed everything to serve our God faithfully.
