Now that we are thinking of the marks of a disciple as commitments, let’s explore the relationship between them.
To review, the commitments are:
- Supreme Love for Jesus – Matthew 10:37-39; Luke 14:26
- Regularity in His Word – John 8:31-33
- Renunciation of My Agenda – “deny yourself” – Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23
- Submission & Sacrifice – “take up your cross” – Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23
- Pursue His Agenda – “follow me” – Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23
- Open-Handed Stewardship – Luke 14:33
- Love for One Another – John 13:34-35
We have already noted that this probably reflects both the order in which Christ first introduced these traits, and their logical flow. We might track that flow as follows:
- Supreme Love for Jesus – Given all that it means for Jesus come as the Christ, and offer us all that He does, this must be the beginning point.
- Regularity in His Word – If we love Him, we want to know Him better. So, we meet Him in His Word regularly.
- Renunciation of My Agenda – In His Word, we discover that our agenda is completely at odds with His and always leads to death, and thus, must be renounced.
- Submission & Sacrifice – The problem with our agenda is not simply that we make bad choices. It is that we assumed the role of God (Genesis 3:5), denying Him the honor due Him (Romans 1:18-21). If we hope to recover all that was lost, our relationship to Him must be properly realigned. We must acknowledge that He alone is God and submit to Him unconditionally, regardless of the cost.
- Pursue His Agenda – Only then are we in a position to pursue His agenda with the exclusivity He requires.
- Open-Handed Stewardship – With no competing agendas, all of the resources entrusted to us are held with an open hand, fully devoted to His agenda in our life.
- Love for One Another – Since His agenda is others-centered, and since all of our resources are available for His agenda, we are able to manifest the love for one another that marks us His disciples.
Note that this is not simply a progression through seven commitments, but that the first three commitments drive us to the core issue, expressed in the fourth. The last three then, are natural outflows of that crucial commitment.
The point? Unconditional submission to Christ is the critical element in following as a disciple. It is the heart of the discipleship process – the pivot on which our restoration turns. Without it, we continue in the role of God, deciding right and wrong for ourselves.
Unfortunately, this commitment seems to be missing in the lives of many Christians. They have simply added Jesus to their agenda, looking for Him to bless it and assist them in their pursuit of it.
The problem is not new. It shows up in Jesus’ encounter with three potential disciples (Luke 9:57-62).
The first candidate offers to follow Jesus anywhere. Jesus seems to rebuff him, as if his offer is ill-considered. While foxes have holes, and birds have nest, Jesus, and by implication, His followers, lacked even the most rudimentary place to call home. The first candidate’s willingness is not based on the kind of careful consideration that Jesus will insist on later (Luke 14:25-35). He may be willing to make some sacrifices to follow Christ, but does not realize that it will cost him everything.
The second candidate just needs to bury his father first. This is unacceptable to Jesus. The (spiritually) dead can bury the (physically) dead. “You, follow me.”
The third will follow, just as soon as he tells everyone at home, “bye”. Again, this is unacceptable to Jesus. Anyone who allows themselves to be distracted from the pursuit of the Kingdom, even by such wholesome sounding motives, is unfit for the Kingdom.
For years, I struggled to explain Jesus’ strong words to these aspiring disciples. They were not distracted by wine, women and song – by things we typically think of as sins. Their responses reflected a strong sense of what we would call Judeo-Christian values, things that seem quite understandable to us. I tried to find reasons to make their responses more serious than they appear. The last guy wanted to have a big party first. The second guy’s father was not dead, maybe still in good health. It might be years before he would be ready to follow Jesus.
In these attempts, the heart of the problem becomes apparent. We can’t believe that Jesus would object to such noble-sounding agendas as taking care of family and honoring existing relationships. We have not come to grips with the reality that any competing agenda, no matter how noble, makes us, not God, the final authority in our lives. It seems perfectly reasonable to consider His agenda, and pursue it when it seems good to us, but we reserve the right to decide that there are valid reasons to set His agenda aside because of other things that “must be done”. Oblivious to the fact that we are perpetuating the decision made in the Garden, we continue to pursue life as we see fit.
Jesus, the Christ will have none of this. If we are going to follow as His disciple, we must give up that final decision. We must submit completely to His leadership, without question, without hesitation, regardless of the costs.
Two questions:
- How would you complete the following statement? “I will be ready to follow Jesus more completely, just as soon as . . .”
- Consider your prayers. Are they an attempt to convince God to fulfill your agenda, or an expression of dependance for provision and guidance as you seek to pursue His?