”CALLED

“Discipleship”

9.30am Sunday 24 May 2009

Readings: Mark8:34-9:1; Acts 1:1-11 TNIV

As you may have gathered from the Bible reading from Acts, today is Ascension Sunday on the Christian calendar. This is the day when Jesus ascended into heaven after spending forty days with his disciples following his resurrection teaching them about the Kingdom of God. Before his death when he shared his last meal with them he had said, “…very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”[1] It was necessary for Jesus to return to the Father, or else the Holy Spirit could not come. Jesus’ physical presence as the second person in the Trinity, God the Son, limited him to being in only one place at one time. If he was to be with his followers everywhere, all the time, then he needed to be free of the physical limitations that his humanity placed upon him, and be present with his followers through the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Therefore, as Jesus said, it is “for your good” and to our advantage that he went “away,” as the Holy Spirit has now come to make real the presence of Christ and to equip us with God’s power to do his work. This is God’s wonderful provision for who follow Jesus today through his Spirit.

Luke begins the Book of Acts with these words: “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach, until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.”[2] Note the word “began.” Jesus’ ministry on earth was only the beginning of God’s work among humankind. What Jesus did was absolutely essential. No one else could have done what he did through his death and resurrection. All that has followed is built on the foundation of that work.[3] It could not have happened without it. Now those who believe in Jesus are to continue to do and to teach even as Jesus has done, so that that which was prophesied by Habakkuk and Isaiah may be fulfilled, that “…the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”[4] It is a glorious picture of what will be at the end of time, when all God’s good purposes for creation are accomplished. Imagine what it will be like when every single person knows God. Jeremiah foresaw it when he wrote, “No longer will they teach their neighbours, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”[5] To know God in the way Jeremiah is referring to is to be transformed into his likeness, to be like him, to love as he loves, to be holy as he is holy, to be good as he is good. May God hasten this time for it is sorely needed in our troubled world.

This vision of the future will only come about through suffering and sacrifice as we follow the way of the cross, the way of true discipleship, even as Jesus did. This is how Jesus begins to instruct his disciples in Mark chapter 8, now that they have come to an elementary understanding of who he is through Peter’s confession of him as the Messiah. Jesus has to begin to dismantle all their false notions about life in God’s kingdom, for it is nothing like what they understood it to be. The differences were so radical that Jesus’ literally turns on its head their former understanding. It is little wonder it took them so long to catch on, and why they struggled to comprehend. We saw this in what Jesus said to Peter immediately after he had confessed Jesus top be the Messiah. He told Peter that he was only looking at things from a human perspective. It is the same for us all. Only divine inspiration can reveal these truths to us. God constantly wants to lift our horizons and stretch our thinking to embrace his concerns, while at the same time he constantly surprises us with his grace. That is why it is so great to be a follower of Jesus. It may not be an easy road. It will frequently take us outside of our ‘comfort zones,’ stretch us beyond what we thought possible, but he blesses us ‘out of our socks.’ God’s ways are so much higher and better than ours.

Let us take a closer look at what Jesus says in these verses from Mark. Obviously others were close by Jesus and his disciples when he spoke these words as Mark tells us, “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples.”[6] His teaching on discipleship was for a much wider audience than the select few, and therefore has application for all who follow Jesus today. Jesus is laying down the fundamentals of discipleship. He is being straight up with what is involved. There is no hidden agenda in being a Christian. Jesus makes it as plain as it can possibly be. He is reading out the ‘fine print’ of discipleship, so that when the going gets tough, no one who accepts his invitation can say they were misled, that they were not warned or told the whole story. It can be difficult and at times lonely when you follow Jesus. It will be no different to what it was for him. He was ridiculed and rejected, misunderstood and maligned. It may well be the same for you, if you choose this way. Jesus ‘lays all his cards on the table’ right at the outset as he knows what is ahead. So be warned.

A literal translation of Jesus’ words is as follows: “If anyone wishes to come after me…” Note that it is an invitation. There is no compulsion laid upon us to do this. There is no hint of a pressured sales pitch, or being backed into a corner. That is not God’s way with people. He lays out the demands and expectations of following him and opens it to anyone who is willing to accept the conditions. As such it stands in stark contrast to the Devil’s way. He wants to control people through fear not constrain them through love, to drive and not lead, to enslave not liberate them.

In the next verse Jesus lists three requirements for Christian discipleship. The first is

1. Self-denial, saying “no” to the things you want, and “yes” to what God wants. It means being willing to put aside all your self-promoting ambitions and agenda, your dreams and desires, hopes and longings. It is giving top priority to God’s plan and purpose for your life, to allow him to direct and provide. It is what Jesus meant when in the fourth beatitude he says: “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires…”[7] It is to keep him as the focus of your attention and affection. This of course does not sit comfortably with the present ‘me first’ generation. Putting ourselves first is completely foreign to the Gospel. Discipleship is not part-time volunteer work that one does like an extra curricula activity. God refuses to take a minor role in your life. He is the major stakeholder, and has the controlling influence with the right to veto your decisions if they do not serve his purposes. Denying yourself cannot be limited to a season of the year such as Lent, because it is an attitude of mind that generates daily submission of one’s will to Christ’s. Every day you must open yourself up to his initiative and control. It takes shape in many ways. For some it may mean leaving one’s job and family as the disciples had done. For the proud it means renouncing the desire for status and honour. For the greedy it means renouncing an appetite for wealth. The complacent will have to renounce their love of ease. The faint-hearted will have to abandon the craving for security. The violent have to repudiate the desire for revenge. On it goes. You know best what hinders you from giving your life over to God. Churches need to learn this too; it could mean putting aside future plans to help another congregation in need. This is the first of the three requirements Jesus mentions here. The second is a willingness to

2. Take up your cross. You could almost hear the disciples gasp when Jesus spoke these words. “What has a cross to do with following Jesus,” would race through their minds. People carrying crosses were people on their way to execution. The cross was a symbol of shame, fit only for criminals receiving just punishment for their crimes. Certainly not a suitable emblem for those who sought to honour God in their lives. You can understand the disciples’ perplexity and puzzlement. This was so different to what they had in mind, as we saw on Mother’s Day when we noted their indignation at James and John trying to steal a march on them and secure the places of honour in Jesus’ kingdom. They had dreams of grandeur and glory, not service and sacrifice. They wanted crowns not crosses. What about you and I? What do we think of following Jesus? Are you and I keen to embrace the cross we are called to carry. The cross is at the heart of the gospel, and taking up your cross is a central requirement of discipleship. Making a confession is not enough. If Jesus is the Christ, then he expects to be followed and obeyed. He does not ask for modest adjustments in our lives, but a complete overhaul in how you behave. Cross-bearing separates disciples from admirers. Disciples must do more that survey the wondrous cross, glory in the cross of Christ, and love the old rugged cross, as the beloved hymns have it. If you would follow Jesus you must become like him and live a crucified life. To take up the cross means that you have to graduate in the school of suffering. You are not to wear it but to carry it. For many the cross is a fashion accessory, a piece of jewellery, often worn but seldom borne, as one commentator aptly puts it.[8] The cross is an execution stake. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was imprisoned for much of the Second World War because of his opposition the Nazi government and all it stood for, said, when Christ calls someone, he bids them come and die. That is exactly what Bonhoeffer did. He was executed only three weeks before the Soviet capture of Berlin and a month before the capitulation of Nazi Germany. Carrying one’s cross is part and parcel of being a follower of Jesus. Note that Jesus said, “take up their cross,” indicating that all have a cross to bear. It may not be what you would choose. That is why Jesus says to “count the cost” of following him before we ‘sign on’ as one of his band.[9] Without taking up one’s cross, there can be no crown. Thirdly, we are to

3. Follow Jesus. We are to go where he goes, be where he is, work where he is working, see what he is seeing. To follow Jesus means to keep our eyes focussed on him, to be alert to what he is doing. He is always at work in the world around us in the lives of believers and unbelievers alike. We need to discern his presence in the lives of those we meet each day, for when we show kindness to those in need we are showing it to him.[10] Like Elisha’s servant who could not see the hills full of horses and chariots of fire protecting his master until the Lord opened his eyes,[11] so we our eyes to be opened so that we can discern what he is doing in our midst each day.

Jesus then has a word for those who want to play it safe in life. In this consumer society in which we live it is possible to get so caught up in materialism that like the wealthy farmer in Luke 12 we sell our souls for what will prove utterly worthless. Many want to keep the right of choice that consumerism promotes, rather than giving their total allegiance to their Lord. It is a divine paradox, that we find life by being willing to give it away. Spiritual life is to be found only by dying to self. (Galatians 2:20) Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? Or what can you give in exchange for your soul?” Only Mark adds the words “and for the gospel,” thus making plain the exact way in which life is to be lost for Christ. It is to be spent in his service and in making him known.

Thomas à Kempis wrote: “Jesus today has many who love his heavenly kingdom, but few who carry his cross; many who yearn for comfort, few who long for distress. There are plenty of people to share his banquet, few to share his fast. Everyone desired to take part in his rejoicing, but few are willing to suffer anything for his sake. There are many that follow Jesus as far as breaking of bread, few as far as drinking the cup of suffering; many that revere his morality, few that follow him in the indignity of his cross; many that love Jesus as long as nothing runs counter to them; many that praise and bless him, as long as they receive comfort from him; but should Jesus hide from them and leave them for a while, they fall to complaining or become deeply depressed. Those who love Jesus for his own sake, not for the sake of their own comfort, bless him in time of trouble and heartache as much as when they are full of consolation.”

Jesus’ closing words in Mark 8 are, “If any of you are ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Jesus does not offer the option of secret discipleship. He requires bold confession. Mark was writing his Gospel at a time when Christians were being persecuted for their faith. Many faced the prospect of death. They knew that their lives were on the line. He is writing to encourage them, and us to day, to be strong, because one day God’s kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. The words of Jesus echo what we find in the Book of Daniel: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”[12] The prophet is saying that one like the ‘Son of Man’ will be given eternal and universal sovereignty over all nations, and in using this reference Jesus speaks of his destiny to be enthroned as Judge of all peoples. This is the One whom we are to acknowledge “in this sinful and adulterous generation.” There is no reason to ashamed of him and his words, for as we are about to sing in a few moments, “At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, every tongue confess him king of glory now.”

Prayer:

Lord, you know how strongly we are affected by the people and pressures, which surround us. Help us to see beyond the immediate, to have the eyes to see the evidence of your power at work in our world, and to see beyond this world to your ultimate power and glory. And so may our loyalty be rightly placed, where it will matter in the end. Amen.[13]

[8] Cf. Garland’s commentary on Luke. Several thoughts in this section have their source in Garland’s work.

[13] Prayer from France’s Commentary on Mark.