Last Word: Following

For the last few miles it was all downhill. But now Jesus was pulling into the most scenic service station imaginable. For Caesarea Philippi was no tacky M6 Todhills (recently voted the worst pitstop in the country); it was one of the lushest valleys in Palestine.

Accordingly, it was the perfect place to ask the question. No, not: ‘Who wants to come with me to buy some overpriced confectionery?’ but: ‘Who wants to drive on to death?’ Mark 8:34: ‘Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”.’

The topography was spot-on. For at this junction Jesus no doubt physically looked up and said: ‘Will you climb, with me, these mountainous roads to Jerusalem and then the hill of crucifixion, or will you stay here relaxing in the rich and peaceful valleys of Caesarea?’

Thus far, following Jesus had been relatively easy, but now following took on a different dimension. Following meant not only interacting decisively with the words of Jesus, but interacting decisively with the world. For the highway ahead meant death to the world and such a denial would be costly.

For Peter it was a roadblock to earthly dreams (verses 31-33). Yet, in many ways, that is what true Christianity looks like for everyone. Following Christ is the end of the old life. It is the end of living like the world tells you. Although Jesus did not tell His disciples to remove themselves from the world. Nor to stop enjoying the

world He made. This is a far cry from: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must stop eating chocolate at Lent and serve in Sunday School once a month’. Jesus tells them that following Him would cost them their very lives. They, too, would die to the world, as they walked in the shadow of the cross.

Hence, their following became a Samwise Gangee kind of following. Frodo: ‘It would be the death of you to come with me, Sam. I am going to Mordor.’ Sam: ‘I know that well enough, Mr Frodo. Of course, you are. And I’m coming with you.’

Many of our brothers and sisters around the world understand this and yet still follow Jesus. Indeed, a few months ago I received a letter from a very close friend of mine. It read: ‘Last night, three unidentified men on a motorcycle came near our church and lobbed two homemade hand grenades. They were really loud explosions with massive flashes of light. The police arrived within 15 minutes and they found another live grenade and told us that these were serious. … Thankfully none of our brothers were on the roof where the grenades had landed. The forensic department said that, had someone been around, it would have been fatal. We think that the men who did this were angry at the gospel work, and are trying to scare us and stop us from doing what we are doing. These kinds of attacks are increasingly common. We will not stop, by God’s grace. The Lord is at work in our church and the gospel is going out; last week we had eight baptisms and all of them were from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds. Please pray that the Lord would be glorified through all this.’

Many Christians in India struggle to read Mark 8, yet many of them understand it better than we do. The challenge for us is different. Praise God, most of us don’t fear grenades on a Sunday morning. Yet, let us be clear, according to Christ, the road with Him is painful.

Indeed, as we walk into church on Sunday, perhaps we ought to reflect upon the fact that it has already been painful that past week for many we sit next to. For some in our local churches, following Jesus has meant singleness, as they have denied the attractive non-Christian at the gym who likes them. For others, following Jesus has meant the acceptance of no children, as they have denied certain reproductive treatments because they understand life begins at conception. For some, following Jesus has meant less time, as they have denied worldly pleasure for hours with a needy parent. For others, it has been the denial of becoming the most popular parent, as they have decided to speak of Jesus at the school gate.

And we ought not to play down such denials. After all, our denial of the world and our decision to follow Christ to the cross is not seen as a one-time act of great sacrifice, but in the everyday ways in which we follow Him.

Victor Kuligin, missionary to Namibia, put it like this: ‘We are often led to heroic acts when we consider what love might involve, but love is not only expressed in this way. If I may speak bluntly, I would find it easier to put my life on the line for my wife if a mugger grabbed her, than in the daily process of loving her. Sadly, the same often applies to my walk with Jesus. I can envision myself making a great stand for Jesus and going to prison, but when it comes to the daily grind of following Jesus, I often stumble. Our following of Jesus is usually proved in the day-to-day choices we make rather than in great acts of heroism that we may imagine.’