What You Talkin' Bout Jesus?

Have you ever had a moment in your life where you were completely dumfounded at the words someone said? You get that blank expression on your face that can best be summed up by an emoji like this -_- and you are completely caught off guard by those words? In the Bible, Jesus had a tendency to rattle off sentences that left people completely dumfounded by what He said. Some were so impressed that they gave a blank expression, others thought the words He spoke were so ridiculous that they shot off blank stares. Jesus' words are nothing short of abnormal. But isn't that a characteristic every Christian should have? To be abnormal? In Luke 14, Jesus says something that has always caught me off guard. It seems so contradictory that I can't help but give a dumfounded stare when I read it:

"Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he (Jesus) said: ^'If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.'"

Luke 14:25-26

This verse has always made me a little uneasy. I would read it with wide eyes, while the voice in my head would conform to a Gary Coleman tone, "What you talkin' bout Jesus?" I mean, you want me to HATE my family that you have given me to LOVE? I don't understand! 

Recently, with all of the news being on the crisis going on in Syria, my eyes have been opened to this passage like never before. Something that some people may not know about the fiasco in Syria and even Egypt, is that Christians are being targeted. One of the oldest churches in existence was burned down a few weeks ago in Syria. Thousands upon thousands of Egyptian and Syrian Christians are being martyred. These are places where having any other belief system other than believing in Muhammad is the equivalent of signing your own death sentence. Becoming a believer in Jesus Christ is like a slap in the face to your family members in these countries. How dare you betray our family name, is what most new converts hear from their muslim families. Families take this new found belief in Jesus as a sign of betrayal and HATRED.   

The definition of hatred is, "felling intense or passionate dislike toward someone or something." Jesus isn't saying that we should "hate" our families, but what he is saying is something that may turn your world inside out. Jesus is more accurately asking "Do you love me more than your family? Do you love me more than your wife? How about your children?" In the race of life, Jesus shouldn't be lined up on the starting blocks with our family, wife, children, etc. Jesus should be the only one on the track. Jesus isn't just asking for first place, He is asking for there to be no second place. 

In biblical times, it is pretty safe to assume that following Jesus would be like a sign of betrayal to your family, considering that the Sanhedrin (religious rulers of the Jews) were trying to KILL Jesus. The Pharisees and Sadducees had a great deal of impact on what the Jewish community believed. They turned to them for advice. So following Jesus during this time could have been a decision to disappoint your family for the approval of Jesus.

It is so hard for me to think of having to seemingly betray my family for what I believe is the only thing that matters in life. I am so blessed to have a believing family! My family has provided for me, and cared for me all of my life, and to have them think that I am betraying them would break my heart. With that in mind, can you imagine what believers in muslim countries have to go through when they break it to their family (that has cared and nurtured them since birth) that they are denouncing Islam (the family religion that the family takes so much pride in) for Christianity (what muslims to be considered to be blasphemy). The new believers family is out raged and disgusted. Some families actually kill their family member that has become a new believer. 

It is reported that in a small muslim community, a young man became a follower of Jesus. He told his family; they were outraged and went to the elders of the village. They tied this young believer up, put him on a boat, and went out to sea. Tying a rock to the ropes that enchained him, the man was thrown off of the boat. For several minutes the young man was submerged under water with no way out. Finally, the tortures pulled the man out and resuscitated him, getting the water out his lungs. Once the young man was breathing again, the tortures asked him to deny his faith, "No. I will not." was his response. Again, he was thrown off of the boat, drowning, until the tortures pulled him, repeating the process of resuscitation. Again, the young believer was asked to denounce Christianity, and again the young man replied with a resounding "no". A third time the process happened, and a third time the young man drowned and was resuscitated, and a third time he refused to deny Jesus. The outraged muslim tortures took the boat back to shore, untied the young man, and was forced to leave the village, never to see his family who felt hated and betrayed again. 

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple."

I ask you today, is Jesus your number 1? There are believers all around the world that this verse is very real to. It would be very ignorant of us today to ignore it. Jesus is not calling us to despise our family, but to put him so much farther ahead of our earthly relationships that there is no one else on the track to compete for first place except for Him. We have to put Jesus back on the thrones of our lives. Even if that means removing our families from the top.

Imagine a husband puts his wife's picture in the front flap of his wallet. When he opens it, thats the first thing that he sees. His wife thinks its sweet... Until she finds out that behind her picture in his wallet, are the pictures of the last 4 girlfriends that her husband had before her. She would not take this very well at all, I imagine. She is not content with just being first in his life, she wants to be the only. Jesus is not in the game of sharing your affection. He wants your whole heart. There is obviously nothing wrong with loving and  caring for your family, that is part of God's design. The question and the problem is this, "Does your family take the place of God?

Is Jesus your one of many, or your one and only? 

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God." 

Psalm 42:1

Follower at Night

(The idea for this post comes from the book "Not A Fan" by Kyle Idleman)

Jesus, throughout the Gospels, makes it very clear that following Him is not just a prayer repeated after an evangelist. Or a hand lifted at an altar call. Or mere belief in Him. Following Jesus means crucifying your selfish desires, sinful ways, and self righteousness. Putting your old self in the dumpster, and clothing yourself with a new way of life. A new way of living. A new way of acting. A new way of reacting. Following Jesus is a rebirthing. For some reason, ever Christian battles with this one thing: I want to be close enough to Jesus that I receive all the benefits, but far enough away that it doesn't interfere with my life. We come to Jesus wanting Him to inspire us, when Jesus wants to interfere and change us. We are cool with a few minor changes, a tune up if you will, when Jesus wants to give us a complete renovation. He wants to turn our lives upside down and inside out for His Cause. A man in the Bible is a perfect example of The typical christian: Nicodemus. 

Nicodemus is a member of the Sanhedrin (which is a very high class group of Religious leaders that pretty much rule the Jewish community.) Nicodemus hears of Jesus, hears his teachings, and becomes convicted that Jesus is from God. Now, in today's Christian society, many people would close their bibles and Praise God that Nicodemus became a follower of Jesus. But following Jesus is not mere intellectual belief and knowledge. Following Jesus is much much more. It's not just a decision, it's a commitment. Even the demons and satan himself believe in Jesus. Back to the story: John 3:2 says that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and tells Jesus that he believes he is from God. Why did he come at night? Because he wanted to follow Jesus without it interfering with His life. He came at night so that no one would know. He could begin following Jesus without any change having to come His way. But Jesus quickly cuts to the issue at hand. He tells Nicodemus that no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again. Woah. I can imagine Nicodemus giving Jesus the most puzzling look that one can possibly give someone. "Be born... Again?? Now Jesus, I've seen births in my anatomy class in Pharisee school, I don't know if that's possible.." But what Jesus is telling Nicodemus is a fundamental principle of Christianity that I think has been dropped down through the years: you cannot follow Jesus without a change taking place. You cannot follow Jesus just at night where no one can see you. Following Jesus is either all day - or non at all. You must be born again! Become a new creature, let the old pass away! 

Skipping down past Jesus explaining what it means to be born again to Nicodemus, in verse 19 Jesus starts with a phrase that I don't think is so coincidental: "light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." Remember how the chapter started off? -Nicodemus came to Jesus in the night(aka dark).-  This becomes even more clear with the next verse. Nicodemus came in the darkness of sin as well as the darkness of night. The chapter ends with this, "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." I believe this chapter represents the core of spiritual warfare that goes on inside every believer. Jesus is talking on the issue of sin to this man that said he believes Jesus is from God. To some, this looks like Jesus is pushing Nicodemus away from believing in Him, when it is the exact opposite. Jesus is being straight up, and straight forward with this man. He is telling him exactly what is wrong, and exactly what he needs to do. Nicodemus came in the dark, but Jesus is telling Him that he needs to reside in the light. Nicodemus doesn't want anyone else to know about his belief, but Jesus says everyone needs to know. Jesus is addressing a teaching that is forgotten among many Christians: there is no forgiveness without repentance, just like there is no belief in Jesus without commitment to follow Jesus. Jesus would not accept a relationship with Nicodemus where he simply believed; Jesus wanted Nicodemus to follow. Later on in John chapter 19 we see that Nicodemus finally made that decision to follow. When most of Jesus' followers had abandoned Him, Nicodemus made a sincere act of affection and devotion to Jesus by bringing myrhh and aloe, 75 pounds worth, to Jesus' tomb. This was Nicodemus' defining moment. There was no hiding in the dark any longer. His devotion to Jesus was now all day.  

Today, many Christians are stuck following Jesus at night. They want to be inspired by Jesus without Him interfering with their lives. They confuse admiration for Jesus with devotion to Jesus, and they find themselves in this false reality of discipleship. Jesus is calling for you to follow him all day, not just in the night where no one knows and it doesn't affect you. It is either following Jesus all day or non at all. The decision is yours. 

Psalm 42:1 "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God."