The price of following Jesus

Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, ‘Teacher, 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.’ Another of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’ (verses 18-22)

Read Matthew 8:18-27

The definition of a cynic, according to Oscar Wilde, is a person ‘who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing’.

This is as true in the society in which we live today as it was when Wilde wrote those word over a hundred years ago. Ethical, moral or Christian values are often considered to be less important than rational, logical, hard-nosed economic values.

Jesus is aware there will be a cost to his followers if they choose to go with him. It will not be a comfortable journey and they will have to make sacrifices. We are never told if his two would-be disciples chose to follow Jesus or if they found the price too great.

We have been fortunate to live in a country where Christianity has generally been accepted and not persecuted. However, there are more subtle ways of attacking faith than open persecution. Think of those who use rational arguments to try to disprove the existence of God, or those who attack the church as an institution which cares more for its reputation than its members. Even more powerful are snide comments mocking Christians and their beliefs, or the use of social media to seize on anything that could feed the emerging appetite for constant outrage.

There may be a price for all of us who love and follow Jesus but there is great value in living in his love and grace. Sharing this love and grace shows the world ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?’ (Matthew 8:27)

Jesus, we ask you to help us to bring your love to life without counting the cost to ourselves but always sharing your care, your love and your grace for your sake.

Written by Dianne Eckermann, Director of Leadership, Lutheran Education Australia, 2019

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