Then Jesus said to them all,
"If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily
and follow me.
For those who want to save their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for my sake
will save it."
Luke 9:23-24
I marvel at Jesus' honesty. He never pulls any punches; he simply lays it on the line. Never once in his ministry does he say, "Oh, by the way - there's one more thing that I forgot to mention."
No, he simply puts the truth - all of it - before people and then he invites them to make their choice.
I probably would have conveniently forgotten to mention the parts about the self-denial and the cross until people had already made a commitment. But Jesus will have none of that. He says, "This is the way it is!" Even his initial invitation includes the hard parts. There are no surprises with Jesus' call.
No, he simply puts the truth - all of it - before people and then he invites them to make their choice.
I probably would have conveniently forgotten to mention the parts about the self-denial and the cross until people had already made a commitment. But Jesus will have none of that. He says, "This is the way it is!" Even his initial invitation includes the hard parts. There are no surprises with Jesus' call.
When Eric and Molly were young, we found something fascinating in a mall in southern California one time. It was a small kiosk that sold hermit crabs. (These hermit crabs can be found everywhere now, but at the time this was something new.) We were captivated. We stood there looking at crabs of all shapes and sizes living inside brightly painted shells. Eric and Molly fell for them immediately.
So we bought two hermit crabs and everything else that was required for their care. We had been talking about getting a pet - and I surmised that hermit crabs would be a lot less work than a dog.
We read the instruction sheet carefully, and we began taking care of our hermit crabs. We followed the instructions to the letter. But our hermit crabs didn't seem very active. In fact, we almost never saw them move. It seemed that we had purchased some pet shells. Our hermit crabs were, in fact, a lot less work than a dog - but they hardly ever moved. If we walked into the room, they would hide immediately. They turned out to be the most boring pets imaginable. They never seemed to do anything.
But every morning their habitat was completely rearranged. The water bowl was moved. The sand had been shifted. Their little palm tree was in a different place. Evidently, they were quite active - just not at the times when we were around.
After doing some research on the fascinating lives of hermit crabs, we discovered one interesting fact. A fact that would have been helpful to know at the time of purchase. A fact that is not widely advertised in the literature. It turns out the hermit crabs are primarily nocturnal.
"Oh, by the way, your hermit crabs won't do much except in the dark of night!"
Funny how the salesman never happened to mention that. It turns out that hermit crabs put on quite a show - if you're willing to sit up until it's very dark and very quiet. Had we known that, we probably would have never invested in Tiger and Butterfly.
Almost everything in our lives comes with an "Oh, by the way . . . " Almost everything in our lives comes with some surprise that we learn about only after we've made the commitment.
But it is never that way with Jesus. With Jesus, there are no surprises. He tells us at the very beginning that a life of discipleship is a life of self-sacrifice and cost and self-denial.
If Jesus simply kept that part secret until the commitment was made, he would probably have a lot more disciples. But Jesus is amazingly honest - even about the hard parts of his call.
Following Jesus is sometimes difficult. There is often a high cost. We don't always get to do what we want. Sacrifice is a daily expectation.
But not one of us can ever say, "He didn't tell me it would be this way." The first word of his invitation is clear: "Are you willing to deny yourself? Are you willing to take up your cross? If so, then you are ready to follow me."
And we will never hear Jesus say, "Oh, by the way . . ."
So we bought two hermit crabs and everything else that was required for their care. We had been talking about getting a pet - and I surmised that hermit crabs would be a lot less work than a dog.
We read the instruction sheet carefully, and we began taking care of our hermit crabs. We followed the instructions to the letter. But our hermit crabs didn't seem very active. In fact, we almost never saw them move. It seemed that we had purchased some pet shells. Our hermit crabs were, in fact, a lot less work than a dog - but they hardly ever moved. If we walked into the room, they would hide immediately. They turned out to be the most boring pets imaginable. They never seemed to do anything.
But every morning their habitat was completely rearranged. The water bowl was moved. The sand had been shifted. Their little palm tree was in a different place. Evidently, they were quite active - just not at the times when we were around.
After doing some research on the fascinating lives of hermit crabs, we discovered one interesting fact. A fact that would have been helpful to know at the time of purchase. A fact that is not widely advertised in the literature. It turns out the hermit crabs are primarily nocturnal.
"Oh, by the way, your hermit crabs won't do much except in the dark of night!"
Funny how the salesman never happened to mention that. It turns out that hermit crabs put on quite a show - if you're willing to sit up until it's very dark and very quiet. Had we known that, we probably would have never invested in Tiger and Butterfly.
Almost everything in our lives comes with an "Oh, by the way . . . " Almost everything in our lives comes with some surprise that we learn about only after we've made the commitment.
But it is never that way with Jesus. With Jesus, there are no surprises. He tells us at the very beginning that a life of discipleship is a life of self-sacrifice and cost and self-denial.
If Jesus simply kept that part secret until the commitment was made, he would probably have a lot more disciples. But Jesus is amazingly honest - even about the hard parts of his call.
Following Jesus is sometimes difficult. There is often a high cost. We don't always get to do what we want. Sacrifice is a daily expectation.
But not one of us can ever say, "He didn't tell me it would be this way." The first word of his invitation is clear: "Are you willing to deny yourself? Are you willing to take up your cross? If so, then you are ready to follow me."
And we will never hear Jesus say, "Oh, by the way . . ."