Have you had a time when someone you cared for was going away and you couldn’t bear the thought of it? It might have been a spouse, son or daughter going to college, maybe someone in the military who was being deployed to a distant country – and you felt like begging them not to go. Or a beloved relative who had come for a visit, but it was time for them to leave for home. Knowing you wouldn’t be seeing them again anytime soon, did you want to plead with them to stay longer?
We’ve probably all experienced this in one way or another. Perhaps it was a love interest who, after having a sharp disagreement with you, was grabbing a coat and preparing to head out the door. Did you desire to implore them not to go?
It’s not easy to see folks we love depart, whether it’s simply at the end of a pleasant visit or a more emotional parting. The words well up inside of us, spoken or not: “Please, don’t go!”
This came to mind as I’ve been reading some of the interactions Jesus Christ had with people He encountered during His earthly ministry. What has seemed particularly interesting is that if they desired to follow Him, He welcomed them. But if folks wanted to leave, He never begged or pleaded with them to stay. The choice was theirs.
Consider one of the most heartbreaking verses in the Bible. After His feeding of the 5,000, and then a series of stern teachings, many who had avidly pursued Him were having second thoughts. After He declared, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe,” the passage continues: “From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him” (John 6:63-66).
Jesus doesn’t plead, “Hey, don’t leave! Was it something I said?” No, it’s more like He was thinking, “Some people can’t handle the truth.” (You might recall similar words from the movie, “A Few Good Men,” but stated in a very different context.)
Then there’s the fellow often referred to as “the rich young ruler,” an account recorded in Matthew 19:16-30. This man approached Jesus and asked what seemed to be a legitimate, sincere question: “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus responded by saying the answer wasn’t complicated: “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
When the young rich man inquired, perhaps with checklist in hand, “Which ones?” Jesus cited several of the commandments, including not murdering, not committing adultery, not stealing, not lying, honoring parents, and finally, “love your neighbor as yourself.”
We can imagine the young rich man smiling and thinking, ‘No problem. I’ve got this!’ So, he replied, “All these I have kept…. What do I still lack?” Maybe he expected Jesus to pat him on the back or give him a hearty, “Attaboy!” Instead, “Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.’”
The young man’s jaw must have dropped. He might have wondered, ‘What did He say? Seriously?’ The passage says, “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”
As was the case with the hangers-on that decided the Lord’s teachings were too demanding, so they left never to return, Jesus didn’t chase after the rich young man, pleading and encouraging him to reconsider. Why? He explained on another occasion, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).
This is what’s often referred to as “the cost of discipleship.” Or as pastor Kyle Idleman described it, the difference between just being a “fan” of Jesus Christ and being a genuine follower.
Jesus doesn’t want fair-weather fans, people eager to hang around Him as long as things go their way. There’s always a cost to following Him. It might not mean giving away all of one’s possessions, but it does require willingness to release anything standing between us and a thriving, eternal relationship with Him.
Yes, the Lord loves everyone but He’s not going to implore or cajole anyone to follow Him. In Revelation 3:20 we read His words, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” Jesus isn’t banging on the door, trying to knock it down. He’s expectantly waiting, ready to enter into the lives of all who welcome Him.
The Scriptures don’t tell us if any of those who turned their backs on Christ ever returned. Or if the rich young ruler later determined the riches Jesus offered were far greater than all of his material possessions.
Some of us initially rebuffed the Lord’s invitation but later turned to Him in repentance. He’s patient; in no hurry. The Scriptures tell us, “The Lord knows those who are His,” but we’re also told, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness” (2 Timothy 2:19). God is love, yes, but He’s also righteous and just.
There are people like those in the disenchanted crowd, the rich young ruler, or those in Jesus’ parable about people who declined an invitation to attend a wedding feast. But there also are people like the disciples who heard Jesus’ call, the apostle Paul, and many others who earnestly responded to His invitation.
No comments:
Post a Comment