The Cost of Discipleship (Mark)
Notes
Transcript
I like to think of myself as someone who is pretty tactful. I do have moments where my tact is nowhere to be found, but for the most part I have pretty good control.
Now, I’ve told you before that I’m not the most tactful when there is blatant lying. The story that I had shared with you all was about a time when my younger brother blatantly lied to my mother about getting in trouble at school. In that moment when he lied I scoffed out loud to make sure my mother knew something was up. Again, not very tactful.
There is another situation, however, where I am not tactful at all: shopping. No matter where I am, no matter what store it is, I’m usually pretty vocal about prices I don’t agree with. It’s like I have this deep and festering desire within me to make sure everyone knows when I don’t like the price.
Now, I’m not awful in grocery stores or in small shops, it’s inside name-brand, large, retail stores. Now, I don’t normally find myself in them, but when I do I know I’m going to see something that costs WAY too much and scoff.
I had a friend who liked to go inside a store called Vineyard Vines. To give you an idea of how the prices are, a pair of men’s boxers costs $35. That’s just one pair. So, we walk into this store and in front of me I see a fairly nice pair of socks. I thought to myself, “It’ only one pair of socks, how bad can they be?”
*Pick up socks*
*Look at price*
*Drop jaw*
*Set down*
After I saw the $50 price tag for one pair of socks, I quickly left the store, being very audible with, “Wow, for $50 those socks better put themselves on.”
That was the last time I ever stepped foot in a Vineyard Vines store.
More recently I found myself in the gift shop at Keeneland. Keeneland is a race horse track in Kentucky. Of course, I knew what to expect going in. I walked around a bit, seeing some pretty nice things, knowing that they would cost more than I was willing to pay. And, as I walked throughout the store I spotted this amazing looking bowtie. I had a professor in college who wore bowties on special occasions and I thought to myself, “I know he would love that!”
I started telling my father-in-law about this professor as I walked over to the bow-tie. “He’ll love it” I said as I grabbed it off of the shelf. Then, before my eyes flashed the price tag, $250. As I carefully set down the bow-tie as if it were a highly delicate explosive, I shuttered and said, “well, I guess I don’t like him that much.” At this point I walked quickly out of the store repeatedly saying, “nope, nope, nope, too much.”
Often my reactions can be embarrassing for other people, especially Larissa, but I’m glad that I react this way. It scares me away from making some really dumb purchases!
And this initial scary feeling I get when I see something that costs a lot of money is probably something the disciples felt as well. Maybe not with regards to a $250 bow-tie, the cost for something else.
Let’s look again to Mark 8:27-38
27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Jesus, together with his disciples, go to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Before ever entering the villages, Jesus asks his disciples “Who do people say that I am?” After some suggestions that people believe him to be John the Baptist, Elijah, or some other prophet, Peter clarifies, speaking on behalf of the other disciples, and says, “You are the Messiah.”
Jesus knows that his disciples see Him as the Messiah of God. But, he must help them understood what that means, and what must happens. He began to teach them that the Messiah was not going to be a triumphant soldier who would conquer Rome like they had hoped for, but that the Messiah would humble himself.
The humbled Messiah was to undergo great suffering, be rejected, killed, and rise from the dead. Of course, being a dear friend, believer, and student, Peter again speaks on behalf of the other disciples. He begins to rebuke Jesus for this teaching. Imagine that, rebuking Jesus for Jesus’ own teachings.
Well, Jesus returns the favor and rebukes Peter and the disciples. He wasn’t calling them satan, but on the thoughts they were having. Jesus is wanting them to have the fullest, truest faith in Him and His teachings. He wants them to understand exactly what was to happen.
So, Jesus goes one step further and calls together the crowd around Him as well as his disciples. He says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Here, at this moment, Jesus lays out the cost of discipleship. He is telling not only his current disciples, but the potential ones, that there is a price to pay for discipleship. There is something that we lose, in order to gain discipleship. This cost isn’t subtle, nor is it hidden away or asked of someone through trickery, it’s right up front.
Jesus says to them, “If you want to be my disciple, to believe in me, there is a price to pay, and this is it.”
The cost of discipleship is laid out as this… one must:
Deny themselves
Take up their cross and follow Jesus
Lose their life for Jesus’ sake and the sake of the gospel
Be proud of Jesus and his word
When we read these words and think little of them, of course it doesn’t seem like a heavy cost. We hear the call to deny ourselves and take up our crosses, but tend to have a gross misunderstanding of what that entails.
Claiming Jesus, denying ourselves, and taking up our crosses means more than sacrificing our precious time for Sunday morning worship. It means more than taking a few minutes each day to pray and read a bit of our Bible.
It means to openly deny ourselves. To deny what we want, what we desire, what we think is best for ourselves in pursuit of what God wants from us. In pursuit of God’s will for our lives.
It means that instead of drawing the bullseye around wherever our arrow lands we do everything we can to make sure we hit the bullseye that God has placed in our lives.
The cost of discipleship, largely for the disciples in Jesus’ time, meant leaving their jobs, their families, their friends, and following Jesus everywhere. It meant moments of hunger, thirst, dangerous scenarios, being around people that others considered unclean and non-human. It meant pursuing the truth over what the Roman Empire wanted them to see as truth, and for many of them, it meant facing death in the name of Christ Jesus.
Jesus is calling upon his disciples then, and certainly us today, to be proud in the name of Jesus, to boast about the glory of God, to focus on the Will of God and rid ourselves of self-determination.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus’ call for the lives of His disciples was more than just a one time gathering and a few “Amens” on Facebook. It was a complete and total upheaval of their lives in the name, honor, and glory of Jesus Christ. It was life changing, and as you all know from sitting here, it was WORLD CHANGING. It’s the very reason that we are all gathered here this morning.
We know and understand that Christian discipleship and a life of obedience to God is anything but easy. What we believe, what we know to be the truth for all humans, is under constant scrutiny. You see that in movies, on television, in the news, and on social media.
However, even though discipleship is never easy and there is a price to be paid, it is not something we have to do alone.
The price of discipleship becomes easier to pay when we do it together as a community of believers. We work together to support one another, those outside of our walls, for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.
If we are truly devoted to a life under Christ, that means that we will all have to die to our old selves and take up the cross. We do this for the sake of Jesus and the sake of the Gospel! But, we aren’t doing it alone. As we bear the weight of our crosses we know that we can come together and our brothers and sisters in faith will help bear some of that weight. That’s what it means to deny ourselves.
So, I ask you this morning, are you denying yourself daily and taking up your cross? Are you truly following Jesus, or have you drifted away?
No matter where you find yourself, understand that you do not have to do it alone. Christ our Lord is with us daily. The Spirit of God resides within our hearts, guiding and pointing us in every scenario. No matter the difficulty or price of discipleship, we can rely fully on Christ to see us through.
Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid of this cost of discipleship, but look to the cross with thankful hearts, knowing that Christ has not abandoned us.
The cost is heavy, but instead of responding like I do in name brand retail stores, respond to the cost of discipleship with a glad heart, one set on the ministry, mission, and will of God.
Amen.