In the last post we found close analogies between a well-functioning family and the Church as God intends it to be, or more broadly, the Kingdom of God. In particular, we saw the opportunity and
responsibility Christian parents have to raise their children as disciples of
Jesus. This reflects and simultaneously
models the command that Jesus gave the Church to go make disciples of all
nations. But what does it really mean to
become a disciple?
When we read the scriptures, we sometimes read words that in our daily usage have come to mean something different. For that reason it’s always good to learn what the word that has been translated to us as “disciple” meant in the original text. Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines a disciple for us today as “one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another; a convinced adherent.” This is actually not far from the definition of the Greek word mathetes, which appears in the original text and is translated “disciple” in most English language versions of the Bible.
According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, mathetes denotes “a learner…one who follows one’s teaching,” for example, the disciples of John, of Moses, of the Pharisees or of Jesus. For us who are followers of Jesus, however, we need to go a step further and learn exactly what He had in mind when He spoke of becoming His disciples.
What clues do the Scriptures give us? Actually, there are many. The word disciple occurs in the New Testament a total of 269 times, and one key passage on discipleship is Luke 14:25-33. Here Jesus has some shocking things to say about the cost of being His disciple, taking the concept of discipleship to a whole new level. I hope you’ll read the passage to get the full force of His mandate and use of the word hate.
First and foremost, Jesus requires of His disciples a degree of loyalty to Him that exceeds all other loyalties. This loyalty must have preeminence to such a degree that even loyalty to the closest family members could look like hatred by comparison. This may seem harsh to some, but hard choices are sometimes necessary when a decision must be made between pleasing loved ones and obeying the Lord.
But we must be very careful to remember that Jesus, by His teaching and example, was the very personification of love. He proclaimed that the greatest commandment was to love God with all of one’s heart, mind, soul and strength – that’s giving preeminence to Him. But, immediately afterward, He stated, “The second [commandment] is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:29).
I’m reminded of the story of a young man who in the early 1930s clearly recognized God’s call on his life to become a pastor. Even though times were hard back then, he held a good job with the electric company. When he gave notice of his plans to leave and attend a Bible college, his boss said, “You’re a fool. You’ll be back.” But that rebuke was mild compared to the one he faced at home. His mother’s response was that if he went away to Bible college she would never allow him back in her house again.
To someone who had not counted the cost of discipleship, this strong reaction from his mother could have been a game changer, but he was committed to following wherever the Lord was leading him. Any outside observer who did not know Christ or the significance of a personal relationship with Him could easily have seen leaving his mother under such circumstances as mean spirited and a bull-headed determination to follow his own selfish pursuits. Because of his relationship with the Lord, however, he knew that he loved and respected his mother and trusted God to be with her and to bring resolution in due time. Thankfully, her heart was softened and she eventually came to accept his calling, and they were reconciled to each other. And for that I’m truly thankful because that was the story of my father-in-law.
The simple truth for us to learn about becoming Jesus’ disciple is this: In every relationship we have, whether with spouse, family, friend or associate, Jesus must have first place. After all, is that not what it truly means to accept Him as the Lord of our lives, to say to Him, “Your will be done?”
A second shocker in Jesus’ discipleship mandate is that a disciple is one who takes up his own cross (an instrument of death) and follows Him, and a third prerequisite is that he must renounce all that he has. Lord willing, we will look at these in the next posts.
When we read the scriptures, we sometimes read words that in our daily usage have come to mean something different. For that reason it’s always good to learn what the word that has been translated to us as “disciple” meant in the original text. Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines a disciple for us today as “one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another; a convinced adherent.” This is actually not far from the definition of the Greek word mathetes, which appears in the original text and is translated “disciple” in most English language versions of the Bible.
According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, mathetes denotes “a learner…one who follows one’s teaching,” for example, the disciples of John, of Moses, of the Pharisees or of Jesus. For us who are followers of Jesus, however, we need to go a step further and learn exactly what He had in mind when He spoke of becoming His disciples.
What clues do the Scriptures give us? Actually, there are many. The word disciple occurs in the New Testament a total of 269 times, and one key passage on discipleship is Luke 14:25-33. Here Jesus has some shocking things to say about the cost of being His disciple, taking the concept of discipleship to a whole new level. I hope you’ll read the passage to get the full force of His mandate and use of the word hate.
First and foremost, Jesus requires of His disciples a degree of loyalty to Him that exceeds all other loyalties. This loyalty must have preeminence to such a degree that even loyalty to the closest family members could look like hatred by comparison. This may seem harsh to some, but hard choices are sometimes necessary when a decision must be made between pleasing loved ones and obeying the Lord.
But we must be very careful to remember that Jesus, by His teaching and example, was the very personification of love. He proclaimed that the greatest commandment was to love God with all of one’s heart, mind, soul and strength – that’s giving preeminence to Him. But, immediately afterward, He stated, “The second [commandment] is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:29).
I’m reminded of the story of a young man who in the early 1930s clearly recognized God’s call on his life to become a pastor. Even though times were hard back then, he held a good job with the electric company. When he gave notice of his plans to leave and attend a Bible college, his boss said, “You’re a fool. You’ll be back.” But that rebuke was mild compared to the one he faced at home. His mother’s response was that if he went away to Bible college she would never allow him back in her house again.
To someone who had not counted the cost of discipleship, this strong reaction from his mother could have been a game changer, but he was committed to following wherever the Lord was leading him. Any outside observer who did not know Christ or the significance of a personal relationship with Him could easily have seen leaving his mother under such circumstances as mean spirited and a bull-headed determination to follow his own selfish pursuits. Because of his relationship with the Lord, however, he knew that he loved and respected his mother and trusted God to be with her and to bring resolution in due time. Thankfully, her heart was softened and she eventually came to accept his calling, and they were reconciled to each other. And for that I’m truly thankful because that was the story of my father-in-law.
The simple truth for us to learn about becoming Jesus’ disciple is this: In every relationship we have, whether with spouse, family, friend or associate, Jesus must have first place. After all, is that not what it truly means to accept Him as the Lord of our lives, to say to Him, “Your will be done?”
A second shocker in Jesus’ discipleship mandate is that a disciple is one who takes up his own cross (an instrument of death) and follows Him, and a third prerequisite is that he must renounce all that he has. Lord willing, we will look at these in the next posts.
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