Need of only one thing

As we look first at the expectation of Jesus for His students recorded in the gospel letters it seems very burdensome.

Come after me – ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'”
– Matthew 16:24 (ESV translation)

Unlike other times when Jesus called believers to “come unto me (Greek: ἔρχεσθε πρὸς ἐμέ),” His requirement expressed for discipleship in Matthew 16:24 may have seemed burdensome at first glance. It was distinctly different. The all-important first words from the lips of the Master Teacher were “If anyone would come after me” (Greek: ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν). Everything following that initial phrase was directed to those believers that willingly chose to come after Him, resulting in a change of lifestyle. Nothing more, nothing less. Those three lifestyle changes are described in practical terms below:

• Self-denial (“deny himself”): Relinquishing selfish desires and priorities.
• Sacrifice (“take up his cross”): The willingness to endure difficulties for Christ, as a result of sacrificing one’s selfish desires and priorities.
• Continuous action (“follow me”): With self-denial and sacrifice becoming a lifestyle, the result naturally becomes walking, serving and loving like Jesus. 

There is another narrative (below) related to following Jesus from Luke’s viewpoint in the New Testament. It’s a dialogue between Jesus Himself and two of His followers, Martha and Mary. It’s worth pointing out here that the invitation from Jesus to “come after me” is open to all, male and female. According to this passage, the response Jesus most desired was consistent with His call to disciples in the Matthew passage, but worded differently. Consider this dialogue carefully, and see if you can find those same three lifestyle changes demonstrated by one of the women in the room.

“Now as they went on their way, [Jesus] entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’” – Luke 10:38-42

So the burdensome call to discipleship from Jesus in Matthew 16:34 sounds quite different from his intimate dialogue with Martha and Mary, doesn’t it? So how do we square these two seemingly different approaches to discipleship? Are they really that much different? As you see from Mary’s choices, she actually fulfilled Jesus’ requirements spoken by Him as recorded by Matthew. Martha, of course, was failing to fulfill the same directive. Mary was willing, Martha was not. What a beautiful illustration from Luke that paints a picture of the two opposing choices we have as believers, to either “come after” Jesus and sit at His feet in a spirit of self-denial and sacrifice, or to carry on with the busyness and burdens of life as usual. Both Mary’s and Martha’s behaviors provide that picturesque contrast between a believer choosing to follow Jesus, and a believer choosing to keep living life no differently than an unbeliever. Can we roll both approaches Jesus used in Matthew and Luke into one call? We most definitely can.

Sitting at His feet

Although stated in different ways, the key component in each passage referred to only one thing: coming to Jesus, to a faith-based, abiding relationship with the Master Teacher, the embodiment of the Mystery, the Cross-Bearer. To follow Jesus was about turning, coming to Him and proverbially “sitting at His feet” just as in ancient Jewish culture students sat at the feet of their rabbi. This posture toward Jesus is what prepared His early followers to overcome the fleshy, sight-based distractions in their lives, to deny themselves and take up their crosses, in exchange for a transformed life, surrendered to the one they knew to be not only their teacher but their Savior and expected Messiah.

Many religions call for self-denial today, but these religious attempts are futile and powerless. Jesus is never impressed with self-denial and cross-bearing through our own human efforts. In fact our own efforts at self-denial are rooted in pride. If we are not engaged in an intimate daily relationship with Jesus – coming after Him and sitting at His feet – we have not yet chosen to follow Him and therefore won’t experience the spirit-filled life that empowers true self denial and cross-bearing. The call of Jesus to follow Him in discipleship always was, and still is, about having need of only one thing – coming after Him and Him alone.

Note: As an important clarification, the term “follower” can be understood different ways. During the time that Jesus Christ was in His public ministry, there were swarms of followers. Yet many of those followers never actually accepted Jesus’s call to become His students. The New Testament often distinguishes disciples from members of the crowds who may have believed in Jesus for salvation but only “followed” Jesus because of his miracles and free meals! There isn’t any indication that the commitment of most of these followers lasted any longer than the immediate circumstance. In other words, their interest in Jesus generally did not rise to the level of relationship that discipleship produces. The same is still true today.

So… are you ready to follow Jesus? The next page may surprise you.

Key Takeaways:

1. The phrases “come after me” and “come unto me” in the Greek refer to two different invitations from Jesus. Coming after Jesus relates to following Him into discipleship.
2. One who chooses to follow Jesus in discipleship willingly accepts lifestyle changes. Not all believers will make this choice.
3. A believer positioned to focus solely on Christ in discipleship will receive power through lifestyle changes to fulfill the seemingly burdensome requirements, as in Matthew 16:24.
4. Another dialogue in Luke 10:38:42 presents the call to discipleship in a different way but with the same requirements as Matthew’s passage.
   

For reflection or discussion:

1. Just as a review, what is your understanding of discipleship as it relates to believing in Jesus?
2. Some believe that discipleship is an obligation believers must fulfill in order to be saved and go to heaven. This article explains it differently. Based on what you’ve learned in this article, how would you explain it to someone that is unsure? If possible, use scripture references to support your explanation.
3. How would you describe the posture of someone that has decided to follow Jesus in discipleship? Posture relates to a person’s attitude and mindset affecting the lifestyle. The passage in Luke above hints at this posture.
4. Related to question 3, can you draw out the three lifestyle changes in the way Mary responded to Jesus in Luke 10:38-42? In fact, throughout the passage there are at least four indications, including Martha’s choices in contrast to Mary’s choices.

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Header photo by Jon Tyson