Moment With The Master
“Following Jesus”
Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)
After clearly predicting his fate (Luke 9:22), Jesus enumerates the terms of discipleship. True disciples are called to lead lives of self-denial and commitment. Four times in the context (vs. 23,58,59,61) Jesus uses the word “follow” as a mark of genuine discipleship.
William Barclay’s (New Testament Words, pg. 41) references the uses of the Greek word “akolouthein”. In classical Greek it was used to describe a soldier following a commander, a slave attending to his master, a servant obeying a leader, or of attaching oneself to another to receive a favor. The Christian is a soldier in Christ’s army, the Lord’s bondservant, a citizen in His kingdom, and always in need of the Savior’s grace and favor.
Following Jesus involves counting the cost. (Luke 9:59,61) Jesus will not accept our false pretenses or emotionally charged promises. He requires genuine self-denial. There were some early disciples who left all to follow Him. (Mark 4:20) Following Jesus involves a cross – bearing our cross for Him. This may require the sacrifice of our own habits, ambitions, and pleasures.
There are inadequate ways of following Jesus. Some have tried to follow from a distance. (Matthew 26:58) Had Peter followed closely, he may not have denied Jesus. Some have refused to follow Him. (Matthew 19:21) The result was sorrow instead of joy.
The tenderest words to ever fall from human lips were the words of Jesus – “follow me”. (Mark 2:14) Some times the crowd followed Jesus to experience his healing power, some times to listen to his words, sometimes in wonder and admiration. It was sinners (Mark 2:150, not self-righteous that followed Jesus.
When one embarks upon this great journey, Jesus will keep him in the way of light, instead of darkness. Ultimately, the disciple will arrive at eternal glory. The path will not be easy, but the reward will be well worth it.
By George Slover
