Tag Archives: follow me

THE CROSS, A CONTRADICTION OR CONDITION?

Christian Life, ,

Matthew 16:24-25 NLT
[24] “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [25] If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

It’s a puzzle, isn’t it? What did Jesus mean by “take up your cross”? What is “my cross”, and how do I “take it up”?

Over the years, many have thought, and taking up the cross has come to mean, carrying the specific burden life has placed on us. For example, my husband abuses me, or my child is disabled in some way, or I have a physical or psychological problem that hinders me….many more “crosses” we must bear because they are inescapable.

Some people think that the cross is an appropriate piece of jewelry to decorate their necks or a marker on a fatal accident site or on a grave.

The cross is a torture stake used to kill people in a slow and agonizing way. How can it ever be anything else?

Did Jesus mean that our specific trisls are our cross in life? Are we qualified to be His disciples only if we bear our lot in life without complaining?

In what way did Jesus carry “His cross”? Why did He say, “Your cross?”

The cross, for Jesus, was not accepting His lot in life but, rather, deliberately carrying the torture stake that caused His own agonising death. The cross was the overriding purpose of His time on earth, a deliberate choice, and act of trust in and obedience to the Father’s will.

The cross and death were inseparable. For Him, there was no death apart from the cross.

The context of this instruction, for His disciples, was His own death. In vivid language, Jesus described to them what would happen.

Matthew 16:21 NLT
[21] “From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day, he would be raised from the dead.”

At this point in their journey with Jesus, the cross was meaningless to the disciples. It would take the unfolding of the whole horrible saga to shed light on the mystery. To them, it made no sense for Him to die a violent death, so they dismissed His attempts to alert them to His warnings.

The cross, for Jesus, had a “before” and “after”. Before the cross, Jesus bent all His energies towards doing the Father’s will. Every word and action followed the course of the Father’s plan. Submission and obedience were the prerequisite for the outcome of His life on earth.

Jesus remained in constant contact with His “command centre”, to ensure that He never missed a cue or strayed from His purpose.

Jesus was dogged by a relentless enemy, impersonated by counterfeit religious leaders. Never once did He fall for their schemes or fall into their traps. He knew His destiny on earth and His path to it. He pursued His goal with relentless determination, whatever the cost. As drastic as the Father’s plan was, Jesus embraced it with joy for the “after” of His suffering.

Hebrews 12:2 NLT
[2] “… Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

How beautifully the old hymn describes the story of the cross…

  1. My song is love unknown–
    my Savior’s love to me;
    love to the loveless shown,
    that they might lovely be.
    Oh, who am I, that for my sake
    my Lord should take frail flesh and die?
  2. He came from His blest throne
    salvation to bestow;
    but men made strange, and none
    the longed for Christ would know.
    But oh, my Friend, my Friend indeed,
    who at my need His life did spend!
  3. Sometimes they strew His way,
    and His sweet praises sing;
    resounding all the day
    hosannas to their King.
    Then “Crucify!” is all their breath,
    and for His death they thirst and cry.
  4. Why, what hath my Lord done?
    What makes this rage and spite?
    He made the lame to run;
    He gave the blind their sight.
    Sweet injuries! Yet they at these
    themselves displease,
    and ‘gainst Him rise.
  5. They rise, and needs will have
    my dear Lord made away.
    A murderer they save;
    the Prince of Life they slay.
    Yet cheerful He to suff’ring goes,
    that He His foes from thence might free.
  6. In life, no house, no home
    my Lord on earth might have;
    in death, no friendly tomb
    but what a stranger gave.
    What may I say? Heav’n was His home;
    but mine the tomb wherein He lay.
  7. Here, might I stay and sing –
    no story so divine!
    Never was love, dear King,
    never was grief like Thine.
    This is my Friend, in whose sweet praise
    I all my days could gladly spend.

Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #260

Author: Samuel Crossman (1664)

Just as the “before” of the cross had an awful cost, so, the “after” won a glorious crown.

Isaiah 53:10-12 NLT
[10] “But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. [11] When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. [12] I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”

The rewards, for Jesus, are “out of this world”!

This is the cross Jesus calls us to take up and carry. The cross, for us as it was for Jesus, is not a contradiction. To take up the cross does not mean pain and loss for nothing. To lose our lives, in the final analysis, is purposefully to throw away whatever is useless and unprofitable and to embrace lives that are committed to doing the will of God, whatever that might be.

The cross is my cross, unique and personal. Yes, my struggles are the struggles of all yet my struggles are mine. I have sins to kill, things I think, say, or do that must be cut off if I am to be a true follower of Jesus.

The cross is a condition. No one can reap the reward of faithful obedience to the will of God without taking up the cross of death to self-will and selfish ambition. Gain through loss, life through the cross, is Jesus’s way to enjoy eternal life.

Tha Apostle Paul chose this life at a very heavy cost but, in the end, he could say with confidence…

2 Timothy 4:6-8 NLT
[6] “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. [8] And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

Compare Paul’s words with those of Saul of the Old Testament.

1 Samuel 26:21 NLT
[21]”Then Saul confessed, “I have sinned. Come back home, my son, and I will no longer try to harm you, for you valued my life today. I have been a fool and very, very wrong.”

Saul’s foolishness led to his untimely death on the battlefield, forsaken by the Lord. Saul of the New Testament was confident of a royal welcome into glory for his faithfulness to the will of God, wherever it took him.

Finally, taking up the cross is a deliberate choice to embrace the will of God, not with reluctance or distaste but with joy, whatever it brings. There is a prize to be won. We must run with anticipation, in keeping with the wonderful love of God that is preparing indescribable and unimaginable blessings for those who go the course.

1 Peter 1:6-9 NLT
[6] “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. [7] These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. [8] You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. [9] The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”

HE RESTORES MY SOUL – 2

Bible Study, ,

David, at some point in his young life, began to understand that his relationship with God was affecting his “soul”. Something inside of him was helping him to come back into balance. His mind, emotions, and will, and his spirit were in contact with God, restoring order and affecting his view on life and the way he responded to his circumstances.

So, as he reflected on these things, David began to pen his perspective. How did this transformation come about?

As a young boy, the youngest of eight brothers, his role was to care for his father’s sheep. This was a responsible task, and often a dangerous one, for a teenager.

He had to care for the health and well-being of each individual sheep as well as to seek out suitable pastures and a safe water supply for the flock.

He had to protect them from injury, from preditors, and from danger in rocky terrain. He had to rescue those who wandered away, and to herd them together as they moved from pasture to pasture.

It was a full-time job. On those occasions when the sheep grazed quietly in a safe pasture, David had time to reflect on his own life. No doubt he was steeped in the truths of the Torah from birth. He was no stranger to the faith of his ancestors. He was learning to trust the God of his fathers as he navigated his role as a shepherd. He needed God to help him carry out his daily tasks.

God was never far from his thoughts when he gazed into the night sky and pondered on the majesty of creation.

Psalms 8:1 NIV
[1] “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.”

Songs of praise and worship formed in his mind. He played his instrument and sang to the sheep on the hills outside Bethlehem.

Slowly he began to see God’s place in his life as he pondered on his own shepherding role. He was a sheep in God’s flock. The divine Shepherd was personally responsible for him. His care took many forms, always doing the best for him.

Psalms 23:1-6 NLT
[1] “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.”

No lack in God’s care for him! He met David’s needs, not his wants. The divine Shepherd always knew what was best for His sheep. No overindulged, spoilt little pet lamb! This lamb had to grow up to become a parent sheep one day, to follow the Shepherd first since he was called to shepherd his own nation.

There is an interesting alternative meaning to the Hebrew word translated “want”, i.e., “lessen” or “decrease”. In God’s flock, no sheep will ever become less, or decrease in God’s estimation and care. He never diminishes anyone who trusts in Him.

[2] “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.”

The divine Shepherd never drives His sheep. He allows them time to rest and munch on the good food He provides. How different from our opinion of God at times! Why do we act as though we are driven? Do we always need to be busy, even about His business? Jesus took time out, “me time”, if you like, to rest, refresh, and regroup.

[3] “He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”

He restores my soul! He puts my mind, will, and emotions back into the correct order.

David had ample opportunity, during his leisure time while the sheep grazed in the green pastures, to “graze” on God’s world around him, to learn to think God’s thoughts. In the years of his reign over his people, he constantly sought the Lord to help him do the right thing. Where did he learn such wisdom? Was it when he lounged in the green pastures, contemplating God in creation?

[4] “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

David learned that shepherding mindless sheep was no bed of roses. There were times of danger and hardship, drought and want, wild animals and rough terrain, stubborn sheep and wayward lambs. He also learned that he was never alone. As he thought about God, his Shepherd thought about him. Bears and lions were harmless teddy bears and kittens with God’s strength. He and his sheep were seasoned mountaineers by grace. Water and grazing were always somewhere nearby when they needed it. Faith opened the door to the Shepherd’s provision.

[5] “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

There were always enemies lurking nearby, wild animals to pick off the sheep, rustlers to sneak a raid on his animals, unexpected cracks and crevices to swallow a lamb or two….but God was his shield, an impenetrable barrier of protection. Not even fear could block his pathway to God’s plenty.

Not only provision but abundance of blessing and favour! He would return home at the end of the summer season with his father’s flock intact and flourishing because of his divine Shepherd’s care. What a welcome he would receive from his relieved family!

[6] “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Just as he accompanied his sheep with his presence and careful supervision, so David’s divine Shepherd would be with him all the way to his heavenly destination, intact and flourishing. Goodness and mercy hounded him every moment of his journey, like two faithful sheepdogs watching his every step, supplying his every need, protecting him from every danger. They were behind him, guiding him unerringly to his heavenly destination.

The Shepherd was ready for that moment…and his sheep reached home to a place thoroughly prepared for him. What a welcome for a faithful shepherd!

2 Peter 1:5-8 NIV
[5] “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. [8] For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

He restores my soul!

2 Peter 1:10-11 NIV
[10]”Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, [11] and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT WE MUST GIVE OUR MONEY AND POSSESSIONS AWAY

Apologetics, ,

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT WE MUST GIVE OUR MONEY AND POSSESSIONS AWAY

As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fell on His knees before Him. ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good – except God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honour you father and mother.’ ‘Teacher,’ he declared, ‘all these I have kept since I was a boy.’

Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ He said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. (Mark 10: 17-22)

Well, didn’t Jesus tell this young man to give everything away? Sure he did, but Jesus was addressing a specific individual in a specific situation, not telling everyone who follows Him to get rid of their money.

We have no idea who this young man was and how he came to acquire his wealth. He could possibly have been his father’s eldest son who had inherited a double portion of his father’s wealth as the firstborn in the family. There is no evidence that he was a tax collector who had acquired his money through dishonest means. He was quick to tell Jesus that he had not defrauded anyone. He seems to have been an honest and upright young Jew who did all the right things.

Despite his law-abiding life, he still felt that there was something missing. What did he recognise in Jesus that brought him to Him and not to his own religious teachers? Perhaps he recognised that they were no further than he in their religious lives and practices. Perhaps he even saw through their phoney “holiness” and knew that they had nothing to offer him. How long had he observed Jesus and seen in Him a quality that he longed to have in his own life – a humility and genuineness that showed up the “holy” ones for what they were.

Whatever his reasons for seeking Jesus out, he presented a golden opportunity for Jesus to explain the “gospel” to him.  Why did Jesus begin with the Ten Commandments? Is this a model for evangelism? Get people to admit that they have broken the commandments and are going to hell? Jesus did not even mention hell or contradict the young man when he declared that he had observed the commandments from his childhood. What was Jesus” intention? Was it to find out where this man stood in his understanding and attitude towards God?

From his response, it was obvious that this man was a devout Jew. He did all the right things, even fasting, praying and doing his tsidaqahs, his acts of righteousness which were his duty – his first fruits offering, and his tithes to the temple, and giving to the poor. He did everything by the book. What did he lack? He must have had an emptiness somewhere in his heart, a sense of unfulfillment that niggled at him, and became more urgent when he was near Jesus.

He desperately wanted the assurance that he would “go to heaven when he died”. Is that the conviction that he lacked? Perhaps he thought that one good deed, one thing above everything else he could do would do it so that he would never have to worry about it again.

Do, do, do! That was what hammered in his brain. All he wanted was to do something special to have his future secured.

What was his understanding about eternal life? Was he aware that eternal life is not something you “get” when you die; that it is a quality of life that begins now when you embrace God’s instructions for living in the kingdom of God?

Why did Jesus love him? Was Luke saying that Jesus did not love everyone else? I don’t think so. I think Jesus saw the potential in him and longed to see him fully involved in God’s kingdom. He also saw something else in this man; a huge barrier to his becoming a genuine citizen of God’s kingdom – his wealth. In one quick instruction, Jesus uncovered his heart. “Give it all away,” He said, “and come, follow me.”

There is an important principle in Jesus’ words. It’s not necessarily about money. It’s about who or what we love more than Him. He said that whatever stands between us and Him must go, or we cannot be His disciples. Why is it so imperative that we follow Him without any baggage? He came to show us the Father and to take us to the Father. We can only ever experience eternal life when we are reunited with and completely one with the Father.

Jesus said that a branch has no life outside the vine. There is no life in us when we are disconnected from Him because He and the Father are one, and to be one with Him is to be one with the Father. Jesus is the way, the only way and, apart from Him we have no life. 

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matt. 6: 24)

The bottom line is who do you love? You will serve the one you love. This rich man obviously loved his money too much to let it go. He chose to forfeit life in union with Jesus and to become whole again and one with the Father because money held his heart.

What holds yours?

YOU ARE YOUR OWN JUDGE

Christian Life, ,

YOU ARE YOUR OWN JUDGE

I have noticed, as I have walked and re-walked through the gospels with Jesus, that He was big on human responsibility. He never sanctioned the kind of prayers I often hear people pray – that God would do for us what He has already done or given us the responsibility to do for ourselves. Jesus always honoured the gift of choice. How often He ratified the choices people made! Take the rich young ruler, for instance. Did He go running after the man to beg him to follow Him, or to make things easier for him? Not a chance! He simply let the man go. The young man had made his decision, and that was that!

How will we, as prospective disciples of Jesus, respond to His warning? How will we measure our response to His yoke? I am sure we have no desire to disqualify ourselves or to lose what we already have because we have not understood the kernel of His teaching. What I am about to share with you is, I hope, in essence what Jesus was getting at.

I have an acquaintance who works for a small private company. She has worked extremely hard to help the company prosper, bringing in huge amounts of money through sales and service. She recently resigned to take up a position in her husband’s business, much to the disappointment of the company owners – not because of her value as a person but because of the wealth she brought to the company. The husband of the husband-and-wife team has shown his disdain for her decision. Where once he was her “friend”, he is now distant and unfriendly.

I think that this reveals in a nutshell the difference between those who have “the evil eye” and those who have “the eye of light”. Jesus was adamant that He had come to serve, not to be served. He expects those who follow Him to have to same attitude towards other people as His. My friend was useful to her employers if she brought in the money. The bottom line is: they used her. Their relationship stood only until the crunch of her leaving hit their bank balance.

What came to my mind through this incident was something like this: Whether they are believers or not is irrelevant. They have been diminished by their reaction to her resignation. Something of what they had has been lost. They measured her worth in terms of money and business. They did not value her as a person or share in her anticipation of bringing prosperity to her family. In fact, they did not even reward her or any of the other staff members by a bonus at the end of the year. They became their own judges.

This leads me to the heart of Jesus’s yoke. If we have chosen to walk in the way of Yahweh, our lives will be characterised by selfless service. We will not use people for our own ends. We will serve people at our own expense. The more we serve, the more we will increase in knowledge and understanding of God’s ways. It’s this “reciprocal” thing again. When we give ourselves away, God gives back by multiplication!

The opposite is also true. When we use people for our own purposes; when we disregard them as people and use them to enrich ourselves, we are diminished as people. We become more selfish and self-serving, less sensitive to the needs of others and dehumanised in our attitude to ourselves and other people.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?’ (Matt. 16: 24-26)

Another aspect of this principle is true. The shallow soil does not allow the seeds to produce roots to anchor the plant in all conditions so that it can mature and produce fruit.  Shallow people trust in God if it is beneficial for them. As soon as tests or adversity come, they fall away because their faith in God is opportunistic.

These kinds of people will also use rather than serve God just like they use rather than serve others. Is this not diagnostic of what kind of hearts shallow people have? When they are disillusioned with God because He doesn’t answer their prayers – in other words, He doesn’t do what they want – they give up their faith in Him and go back to their old life. Use or serve – this reveals the true nature of our hearts.

The soil adds nothing to the seed. It only provides the environment in which the seed grows. Whether the seed can reproduce itself or not depends on the nature of the soil. What is the purpose of the seed? It exists only to reproduce itself so that its fruit can nourish the eater and its seeds can continue the cycle of growth and reproduction in the hearts of other people.

It seems to me, then, that this is a picture of our lives. Our hearts are the soil into which the seed falls. Like the soil, we add nothing to the seed but, as it grows and reproduces in us, our spirits are nourished by its fruit. We in turn, continue to perpetuate the life of the seed by sowing it into the hearts of others. Their response will determine its effect on their lives and whether the seed it reproduces will continue to be passed on to others. 

What we eventually become in our efforts to follow Jesus and become true disciples is entirely our responsibility. The Holy Spirit will not make the choices for us, but He will give us grace and power to put into practice our decision to follow Jesus and to do what He instructs us to do. In the end, as we follow Him, we will become like our rabbi, maturing as we journey with Him, into true sons and daughters of God.

“Be careful how you hear,” Jesus warned. “You determine the measure of your own fruitfulness.”

Pray with me, then, the matchless prayer of David whom God called, “A man after my own heart.”

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth.

Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. (Psa. 86:11)

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

FOLLOW ME

Christian Life, ,

FOLLOW ME

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ’and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed Him (Matt. 4:18-20).

Have you ever wondered why these fishermen left everything to follow Jesus without question of debate? Did they know who Jesus was? Why would they drop everything to follow a stranger, even a wife and possibly a family, as Peter did? Did Jesus have some sort of magnet pull that drew these men to Him? These would all be unanswered questions but for one thing – these were young Jewish men who lived in Israel. They knew the drill.

From the time they were at their mother’s breast, they learned to repeat the Sh’mah,

Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Deut. 6:4)

And the greatest commandment,

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deut. 6:5)

 By the time they went to school they had memorised the entire book of Leviticus – the book that contained their sacred laws.

Every young Jewish male aspired to become the disciple of a noted rabbi. They all went to elementary school at the local synagogue, call the Beth Saphar, at the age of about five where an appointed teacher taught them the a-b-c of the Torah – their main textbook for the next approximately seven years at school and for the rest of their lives.

Secondary education at the Beth consisted of the an in-depth study of the Torah as well as the Prophets and the Writings. Those were not proficient in their studies went home to learn the family business while the rest continued their education at the Beth Talmid, – the school of disciples. They learned by engaging in discussion and debate under the tutorship of a recognised rabbi. Their dream was to be chosen to be a disciple of a rabbi with sh’mikah – authority, to follow him, to live in intimate connection with him, to learn his words and his ways so that they could become his replicas and perpetuate his character and his teaching as his disciples.

The cue that the rabbi had chosen them was the invitation, “Follow me.” To hear those words from the lips of a rabbi was to them like music in their ears. They would not even think twice about responding. They would drop everything and join him because it was both a dream and an honour to be chosen to be a disciple.

Imagine the surprise when Jesus, who was recognised to be a rabbi with authority called, not aspiring students from the Beth Talmid, but relatively uneducated drop outs from the lake. They were eminently unqualified to be disciples. Apart from their lack of education, they were also considered to be “unclean” because they worked with dead fish.

Not only did Jesus choose fishermen to follow Him, but He also chose His entire band of disciples from among the disqualified! A despised tax collector, political activists, nobodies and even a potential traitor. Did He know who they were, especially since He spent the whole night in prayer before He selected them from among the motley crew who tailed Him? Did He know what He was doing?

Of course, Jesus knew what He was doing! What if He had gone to the Beth Talmid and chosen young men schooled in the ways of the religious leaders of His day? After all, were they not His chief opponents and the ones ultimately responsible for hounding Him to death? How much better to choose relatively ignorant men whom He could shape by His words into His ways without too much resistance. As it was, He had to contend with some of their prejudices which blocked their understanding of His mission.

They refused to believe Him when He spoke of His impending crucifixion. They believed that He was the Messiah. It was unthinkable that their Messiah should suffer and die. Suffering did not fit in with their concept of a king who had come to overthrow Roman occupation and re-establish David’s glorious kingdom. It was only after His resurrection that the whole picture became clear.

The point for us is that Jesus has called us, if we consider ourselves His disciples, first and foremost, to follow Him. That involves leaving behind all our religious notions and preconceived ideas to become closely and intimately associated with Him, to follow His every thought and action until we are thoroughly familiar with everything about Him and fully convinced that He is the Son of God.

This intimacy demands that He be the centre of our lives, that our relationship with every other person to whom we are related in any way be redefined by our relationship with Him as Lord. Any other attitude immediately disqualifies us from being or even calling ourselves disciples of Jesus.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.