It should cost us Everything!!
At first, the title of this post was going to be "Following Jesus Should Cost us Something", but after careful consideration, I decided this wasn't exactly a good statement. Now, while it is true that if we are not losing anything by following Jesus than we are probably not REALLY following Jesus. However, we are not just called to give up a few things here and there, nor only the things that are most important to us, but we are supposed to give up everything.
There is a man in the book of John whom I greatly appreciate. His name is Nicodemus. We first see Nicodemus in chapter 3 when he comes to Jesus at night. It would seem quite simple to overlook this tiny detail, but, it's always the minute things that seem to bare the most importance. Jesus was out in the city squares preaching quite often, Nicodemus who was a prominent Sanhedrin would have had more than ample opportunities to have a chat with Him in the day time. He was a little bit sheepish, it would seem. Nicodemus has had a great education in the Torah. He was held in high regard by the Jews, and the community, and yet, Jesus makes it clear that this isn't enough to have eternal life (v3). Jesus tells him what he has to do to be born again. But by the time we get done with chapter 3, we are left wondering what Nicodemus is going to do. But don't worry, he appears later. In chapter 8 we see him again. The Jews have become jealous of the popularity Jesus has gotten, and since part of their job description is to judge false prophets, they start scheming as to how they can silence Jesus. And who else comes to Jesus' defense? None other than Nicodemus (v 51 "Does our law condemn anyone without hearing him to find out what he is doing?") Now it may not seem like much, Nicodemus doesn't actually state that he believes Jesus, but he is risking his status as a "higher up" to defend Jesus. How does the counsel respond? "are you also from Galilee?" now this might not seem very harsh, but you have to remember that there was a saying back then. "Can anything good come out of Galilee?" Galilee was a very small town, not very significant at all. This was meant to be a very harsh insult.
On one more occasion do we see Nicodemus in Scripture. After Jesus' death he is one of the men who takes some spice (about 75 pounds, which would have been VERY expensive) to wrap Jesus' body in. This is actually quite the gesture, not only would it cost him a great deal of money, but there would be no hiding the affection he had for Jesus any longer. We don't hear about Nicodemus any more in Scripture after this, but historical records show that he would later be martyred.
Jesus held nothing back from Nicodemus, for Nicodemus to follow Jesus would, in the end, cost him. This seems to be a theme throughout Scripture. Moses couldn't follow God without standing in front of Pharaoh. Noah couldn't follow God without building an ark that would bring ridicule from his neighbors. Daniel couldn't follow God by praying to him alone without being thrown into a lions' den. Following Jesus isn't something you can do at night where no one notices. It's a twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment that will interfere with your life, and that's a guarantee.
Our society is getting worse and worse, no one is willing to admit that they are a follower of Jesus. they know that if they do, they will be despised, and rejected. But we are no longer are own. We have been bought with a price, and it is no longer us who inhabits are souls, but the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Luke 9:23 is one of my favorite verses of all time: "And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.""
Denying yourself, have you ever tried that? It's not something we do often, nor is it something we like to do. Why? Because due to our nature we suffer from the "It's all about me" syndrome.
Yet Jesus makes it very clear that if we have any desire to follow Him, we have to give up the "Me syndrome" and take up our cross.
So what can we expect if we are truly followers of Jesus?
1 John 3:13 "Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you."
