I have often been asked, “What does a disciple of Christ look like?” Well, we discover in the Gospels nine marks or qualities of Jesus’ disciples. Now we could easily look at these marks and determine in our own strength to will them into existence. We could allow our self to operate out of guilt and try to make these marks a reality in our life. I believe such a path leads only to frustration and a diminished spirit. Let me pose a different path. I believe these marks represent the life-result of God showering a believer with His grace. Another way to express this is to understand that the marks give us a picture of what living out and enjoying God’s grace looks like. One mark of such a God-given grace-filled life of a disciple is sacrificing your self for the cause of Christ.
We discover these words of Christ found in Luke’s gospel:
“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘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.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, “’Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:57-62).
These verses can seem a little harsh, but Jesus is merely helping those seeking to follow Him understand what it means to be His disciple. We can only speculate on the actual dynamics present when Jesus encountered each of these would be disciples. Perhaps, the first man who declares, “I will follow you wherever you go,” believes discipleship is going to be glamorous. Jesus corrects this impression. He states that discipleship is not easy. We do understand that each individual Jesus addresses wants to follow Him, but is somehow unwilling to pay the price. We also understand Jesus’ reference to the plowman. Jesus says that discipleship, like a good plowman, means putting your hand to the plow and doing the ordinary, hard work. Jesus says that like a good plowman a disciple keeps their hand on the plow. A good plowman concentrates on the furrow before him. He guides the plow with his left hand while goading the oxen with his right. Looking away would produce a crooked furrow. A good plowman is fully committed to the task at hand, putting his whole self into the work. In a sense, he sacrifices self for duty as a disciple sacrifices self for the cause of Christ. Following Christ takes total dedication and does not allow for halfhearted commitment.
In the original movie, The Karate Kid, there is a scene where the wise sage and karate master Mr. Miyagi and Danielson are preparing to start a journey together as master and disciple. Mr. Miyagi asks Danielson if he is ready and Danielson responds, “I think so.” Mr. Miyagi addressing his would-be disciple explains: “Walk on the Road…walk right side, safe…walk left side, safe…walk down the middle and sooner or later you get squished just like a grape. Here Karate is the same thing. You, karate-do, yes or karate-do, no. If you Karate-do, think so…you squish just like grape.” Following Christ is the same. We either decide to follow Him, or we don’t. Trying to sort of follow Christ doesn’t work. This does not mean we follow Christ perfectly, but that we need to be sure we do indeed desire to follow Him.
Following Jesus is not about arbitrarily choosing what we will and will not accept within the teachings of Christ. We must accept all the teachings of Christ. We cannot desire the benefits of salvation without being willing to pay the price – the price of giving our very selves to Christ and His cause. In following Christ, we understand that we must abandon everything that has given us security apart from Christ and trust in Him alone. This is a decision made, then learned as we journey with Christ in our highs and lows resting in His unfailing faithfulness. Again, a disciple is not perfect, but being perfected by the true Perfecter.
When Paul writes about his being a disciple of Christ, he writes: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life 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). Paul realized that the focus of Christianity was not dying, but living. Our being crucified with Christ has allowed us to be raised with Him (Rom 6:5). We have become one with Christ, and His experiences are ours. We can live the life God has called us to live because it is Christ that lives within us. When we sacrifice ourselves for the cause of Christ, the Lord empowers us to excel in kingdom living.
For most of us what means the most to us in life, we will do almost anything to get. It is our tendency to do any and everything to protect and accomplish what is truly meaningful to us. We make time for things we want to do and excuses for things we do not want to do. Usually, we will face discomfort and even jeopardize our safety for something we truly want. We must realize that following Jesus is of the utmost importance. In following Christ, we may find ourselves in seemingly unsafe and uncomfortable places. But, we must remember that there is no better place to be than in the sweet spot with Jesus where we are blessed to be a blessing. Such a life takes sacrificing self for the cause of Christ.
It is a privilege to serve Christ with each of you. There is no cause worth our whole self, like the cause of Christ. I ask God to help us trust Him to do the extraordinary in and through us as, day in and day out, as we serve Him in the ordinary. Let’s keep our hand to the plow believing the life of the disciple is truly one that glorifies God, blesses us, and benefits others. Let’ sacrifice our self for the cause of Christ. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!