The Cost of Discipleship: “If anyone desires to come after Me...”

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul” (Matthew 16:24-26).

Mathew 16 is reputed to be one of the chapters of the Bible that contains a profound record, not only about the identity of Jesus Christ, but also the prediction about the prime position Simon Peter would hold among the disciples of Christ in the future of the Christian Church. After Peter’s confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Christ handed over a promise to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:17-19).

What a great promise! This is a Mountain Top Experience. Soon after Jesus handed down this all time prophetic mandate to Peter that Jesus began to intimate them with his impending suffering, death and resurrection. For Peter, this could not be true. Possibly he thought that this departure of Christ might truncate the realisation of his ecclesiastical agenda. Peter might think that he was a supporter of Christ’s ministry by his response to Christ’s prediction of the impending suffering, “Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (Matt. 16:22). For Jesus Christ, Peter’s purported compliment was a hindrance to the fulfilment of the heavenly agenda of God. Hence, Christ immediate rebuke of Peter, “But He [Christ] turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Matt. 16:23). This is the background to our chosen theme for Year 2011 Synod.

For Jesus Christ, the fact of being his disciple would not mean a problem free life. Indeed experience of sufferings, pains and aches are part of the chosen ways to wear the crown of life. Being his disciple has a cost attached to it. Simply put, ‘Cost of Discipleship’ may be defined as the terms and conditions that the Lord Jesus Christ established for all who wish to follow Him. As we seek to address the theme of our Synod: ‘The Cost of Discipleship,’ we shall consider, Who is a Disciple and How to Understand the Cost of Discipleship.

Who is a Disciple?
A Disciple is one who is a follower of a master, spiritual teacher, religious leader or a guru. From the perspective of the Christian faith, a Disciple is an individual who made a decision to follow Christ. This decision can be viewed from two different ways. First, there were those whom Jesus Christ called directly while he was here on earth at the beginning of his earthly ministry; and immediately they made a decision to follow him:
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him (Matt. 4:18-22).
Second, there were those who later became disciples of Jesus Christ based on the teaching of the early Apostles after Christ has ascended back to heaven. For this dispensation, there must be confession of sins and personal decision to accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour:
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers (Acts 2:37-42).
Whether in the first or second instances, a disciple is a Christian who lives by the teachings and lifestyle of his master, Jesus. Of course, that is what informs the use of the word, “Christians” for the first time in the scripture, “And when he [Barnabas] had found him [Saul], he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” Acts 11:26). It must be noted that the use of the word was not a complimentary remark at first. It was like pouring contempt on the disciples who had chosen to follow the lifestyle of Christ. Christ was considered a rebellious Jew; an accusation that earned him the gruesome death on the Cross.
However, it was clear from the context that it was not the disciples who called themselves Christians, but those around them who watched and observed the manner or pattern of their life saw a complete replication of the lifestyle of Jesus in them. To that extent, they were disciples. It is certain that the earlier words of Jesus Christ had robbed off on them, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed” (John 8:31). One sure evidence of being a disciple of Christ is abiding in his word; that is, keeping his commandments, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Again stressing the import of obedience to his word by the disciple, Jesus said to one of his disciples (Judas, not Iscariot), "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word…” (John 14:23).
A disciple holds on to the standard and ideals set by his master. His desire is always to be like his master. This is the sense in which the Greek word, ‘mathetes’ refers generally to student, pupil, or apprentice. A disciple’s ambition is to be just like his master. Thus, one virtue that marks out a Christian as a disciple is his readiness to obey the words or commandments of Christ, who has purchased him with a price, which is his blood that was shed on the cross at Calvary (1 Cor. 6:20). A disciple has made a decision to follow Christ, and does not allow anything to separate him from Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it rightly when he says, "The life of discipleship can only be maintained so long as nothing is allowed to come between Christ and ourselves."
How to Understand the Cost of Discipleship
Being a disciple or discipleship is not a choice of comfortable life; or a call to constant success and prosperity. It is not a matter of going to Church on Sundays or being a registered member of Church Societies. It is important to note that those to whom Christ made this appeal were already following him, but unfortunately, they have not understood what kind of life they were called to. Is it strange also that many of us are members of the Church today and think that because we have been baptized and confirmed, we are Christians and disciples.
For Jesus, it is essential that the truth must be made known to his disciples so that they would make up their minds whether to stay with him or to retrace their steps. For Jesus, there is no room for diplomacy. The truth of the new life in him must be said. However, such truths are regarded as hard sayings. That was the case when he told the disciples the need to eat his flesh and drink his blood as the only sure way to have eternal life:
Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? "What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. "But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. "Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:60-69).
For Jesus Christ, there is a cost attached to being his disciples. This was the truth that the disciples found very hard to believe, hence the objection of Peter; and the subsequent elucidation of the cost of true Christian Discipleship by Christ. Therefore, the theme of our Synod this year is to examine, The Cost of Discipleship from the view point of Christ, and this includes:
Self Denial:
The first mark of authentic discipleship is ‘Self Denial.’ Self denial is simply rejecting every suggestion from the devil to be friend of the world when you have said yes to the Lord. What we are saying here is the ability of a Christian to say no to the devil when he wants to engage the parts of your body to carry out his satanic wishes. This is the essence of Apostle John’s appeal to believers, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16).
A disciple is one who is able to say in the face of provocative allurement and invitations from the world of sin, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Because a disciple has been crucified with Christ, the old sinful way of life can no longer appeal to him. Pride and boasting of the past as a result of academic or business achievements no longer mean anything to him. The desire to keep company with former members of secret cult is no longer there because a new friendship based on holy and sanctified life with Christ. Paul sums up self denial correctly as he writes, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:7-8).
A disciple no longer does what pleases him, but what pleases the Lord who has called him; just as it is desire of Christ to do the will of his Father (John 4:34). Brethren, if you find it easy to ignore the will of Christ when he commands you through his words or the preachers of the Gospel, your discipleship is in doubt! You many need to go back on your knees to reconnect with him.
Brethren, you may need to deny yourself of that personal comfort for the business of God’s Kingdom to be accomplished. You may need to deny yourself of that dream car, house or what seems very important to you in order for God to have his way in your life. Self denial is the only way that leads to God exaltation and blessed life. We see this clearly in the life of Abraham in the Old Testament. Regarding Abraham, we read from Genesis 22:
Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided." Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son - blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice (Gen. 22:9-18).
By obeying God, Abraham did not only have his son, Isaac back, but he received God’s commendation, through his obedience and self denial; today, we pride ourselves in being Abraham’s children by faith through Christ. Truly, whoever loses his life for the sake of Christ will find it back, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matt. 16:25).
Similarly in the New Testament we learnt of a woman who broke her Alabaster oil for the sake of Christ:
And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted? "For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply. But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. "For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. "She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her" (Mark 14:3-9).
This woman did not only receive the commendation of Jesus Christ, but her name remains in eternal memorial. We must be ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of Christ, “"So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33).
Taking up the Cross
In his clarification of the Cost of Discipleship, Christ enjoined his disciples to take up their cross, which is the second mark of authentic discipleship. In his correction of Peter’s misconception of discipleship, Christ re-echoed what he had earlier told them in Matthew 10 when he was sending them out on mission. In carrying out their mission mandate, Christ prepared their minds for what they would meet on the mission field including beating and scourging, hatred, rejection, and death. However, for Christ, these should not deter them from carrying out their mission assignment. Thus he charged them, "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:38).
It is surprising today the way people have come to understand the ‘taking up of one’s Cross.’ Take for instance, an individual who engaged in a business and was duped by his purported business partner. The next thing you will hear from such a person who has lost substantial amount is, ‘it is my cross.’ Another example is somebody who went into a marriage without seeking the face of God on it. Having married the wrong person which has resulted in crisis and the home has become a theatre of wars; the next thing you will hear from such husband or wife is, ‘this is my cross.’ What it means is that people have come to equate cross bearing with their mistakes or wrong decision which have brought upon them hardships and problems.
However from Christ’s view point, taking up of the Cross here in Matthew 16:24 is synonymous with putting up with all difficulties, problems and sufferings that may come the way of a disciple simply because of his Christian convictions and living out the reality of the same in a hostile environments to the Christian faith. There is no doubt that Christ ministered in a hostile environment. In fact the proof of this was the criminal death of the Son of God on the Cross at Golgotha (Matt. 27:28). Because Christ came to change the order of the day, confronting human wickedness and hypocrisy, even when it was apparent that he was doing good jobs, the enemies of the Gospel still persecuted him.
Christ knew what lied ahead of the disciples. But the fact that they had made the decision to follow him, they should be ready to take up their Cross (to be ready to go through the same persecution he would go through) and follow him, “"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master” (Matt. 10:24-25). Just as it was then, it is still the same thing now. As long as a Christian is a preacher of righteousness, and determines to live a holy and consecrated life, he will be hated. As a married man whose marriage has not been blessed with the fruits of the womb, the world of your family would compel you to try and marry another woman who will give you children. If you have children, but they are the same sex, especially female, they will plead with you to go and take another woman who will give you male children. If you refuse their ungodly advice in either of the two cases above, you will be persecuted. If you fail to join secret cult because of promotion, you will be mocked and persecuted. If you refuse to take bribe and shun corruption because of your Christian faith, you will be blackmailed.
Yes, in all of these difficult situations, Christ says, take up your Cross and follow me! That is the point Peter was making in his admonition to the early Christians who were being persecuted for their faith because they had refused to join the multitude to live in sin, “For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:20-21).
To be a disciple and carry the Cross is to have chosen the narrow way which is the way of pain, suffering, ridicule, mockery, humiliation! This is a decision to crucify our sinful desires. Paul correctly echoes this way of life as he writes to the believers in the Church at Galatia, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24). Therefore, carrying one’s Cross is far from being a life of regret as a result of self inflicted pains or sufferings due to the neglect of God’s commands or disobedience to the word of God.
The Readiness to Follow Christ
The third area of focus regarding the Cost of Discipleship is the readiness to leave everything and ‘follow Christ.’ This is the crux of the matter. Following Christ means nothing is standing between a Christian and Christ. This means nothing is more important in life than Jesus Christ. That is the point Christ was making as he charged those who were giving excuses when he gave them the invitation to follow him based on the request made to him by a man who wished to follow him:
Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Then He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house. But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:57-62).
Brethren, the message here is very clear. Christians have been called by Jesus Christ to follow him. This is a call to forsake the world and all its sinful attractions. This is where our loyalty is called to question. Many are Christian disciples today who are neither here nor there? How many so called disciples who have been called by Christ to follow him, but that which they love so much – their position and social status in the world, their membership of that secret cult, their wealth, that ungodly association and their partial obedience are the obstacles preventing them from following him.
Beloved, Christ has not called you for fun. There is a price to pay for you to remain in good standing with him. Therefore, here him as he says:
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:14-18).
If Christ says follow me, he wants you to follow him. You cannot follow him and miss the way. You cannot follow him and lose eternal life. It will cost you nothing than obedience to follow him. It will cause you everything if you do not follow him. Following Jesus must be our first priority, above our family, career, comfort, even our own life, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:25-26). We must be willing to forsake anything that can hinder our walk with Christ.
Being Christ’s disciple must cost you something. It must cost you your adulterous life. It must cost you the life of hypocrisy you have been living. It must cost you the stinging and tight fisted attitude. It must cost you that membership of secret cult. It must cost you that life of deceit. It must cost you your pride based on your social, family, academic, professional and political backgrounds.
Therefore, "do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world" (1 John 2:15-16). "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4). "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor" (John 12:25-26).
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, remember, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works" (Titus 2:11-14).
As we conclude we beseech you children of God, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Therefore, hear what Jesus Christ is saying to us again, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26). It is our prayer that we shall all make it into the presence of our God on that glorious day and reign with Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour forever and ever, Amen.