Jesus calls his followers to a committment where they deny themselves. If we want to be Jesus' followers we must be willing to lose our life for Jesus' sake! By that yardstick... how many of us are really Jesus' followers?
Jesus had a purpose for Peter's life. Peter was to be the foundation of the church. And Jesus even warned Peter it would cost him his life (John 21:18-19). For most of us, we will never face death for our committment to the way of Jesus, but we will face giving up our preferences, our priorities, our successes, our fun, our comfort - even being liked. The words, "We are just not that committed" still burn in my ear... words from a favorite and greatly admired elder who unlike Peter didn't want to play their part in building the church. The words, "my congregants are my clients," ring in my ears too... words from a really awesome pastor who realizes he is focused on being liked by his congregants rather than gently and lovingly speaking God's sometimes really hard truth. Or my own hangup, "I will follow you if you are going some place fun (like where we are walking on water), but please don't send me to people who never laugh (where the waves are 16 footers and the wind howls)!" Are we really willing to give up our lives for Jesus?
Matthew 16:21-27 21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? 27 "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done...
Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that to follow him is the ultimate committment? In reality, for most Americans, that doesn't mean dying. For most of us that means trading what we think makes us happy for what Jesus really created us to do and be. And still... are we willing to do that?
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