Winning the succession
Series: Follow me | Bible text: Matthew 19:16–30
Following Jesus costs me everything. The first followers of Jesus, the disciples, were sobered by the fact that not even those who had an advantage according to their understanding would enter the kingdom of God through their own means. How were they simple men supposed to manage this? What then is the benefit of discipleship? The disciples asked Jesus the same question, because they had left everything behind for him. Following Jesus promises a double gain. On the one hand, I gain a lot in the community of believers, and on the other, Jesus promises eternal life as the main prize to all those who have left everything behind.
Last Sunday we talked about the cost of following Jesus. Today we want to look at the benefits of following him. Because following Jesus has a lot to offer me and is definitely worthwhile.
Who then can be saved at all?
I would like to start with a biblical story that is perhaps unusual when talking about the benefits of discipleship. It is the story of a rich young man who seeks out Jesus (Matthew 19:16–24). He wanted to know from him what good things he must do to be saved. The answer is simple: keep all the laws. According to him, the self-confident young man had obeyed all of them. But what is he still missing? «Jesus said to him: «If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me. But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he was very rich» (Matthew 19:21–22 NLB). When Jesus is back with his followers, he adds that it is impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. This statement deeply shocked his disciples. «The disciples were very shocked. «Who then can be saved at all?» they asked» (Matthew 19:25 NLB). The Israelites were characterised by the fact that spiritual blessing always had an earthly dimension. The original family from which the Israelites descended was very wealthy. They owned large herds of cattle, many maidservants and servants and were very respected people. In the eyes of the followers of Jesus, the rich, powerful and respected had something over the «normal people». They thought that God was more pleased with these people because they were already doing well here on earth. The earthly well-being of the people of Israel also indicates an advantage when it comes to eternal well-being. This view is probably not exactly unpopular among followers of Jesus today. However, Jesus» statement destroys this view. He also points out that possessions are not only God’s good gift, but also a great danger for people. But if not even those who are blessed on earth can be saved, then who can? Now comes the crux of the matter, which is very important to understand, especially when we talk about the gain or reward of discipleship. «Jesus looked at them insistently and said: «Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible» » (Matthew 19:26 NLB). With God, other standards count. Salvation is independent of what a person has to offer. It is decided by his commitment to Jesus. It is a decision to leave his old life behind and lead a new one with Jesus Christ as Lord in and over his life. If someone gives up self-determination and believes in God, then he agrees with Job «Now I know that you can do anything, no endeavour is impossible for you» (Job 42:2 NLB). It is a sign of dependence on God.
We have given up everything!
The closest followers of Jesus, the twelve disciples, are a prime example of what it means to follow Jesus completely. Peter therefore asks a self-serving question at this point. «Then Peter said to him: «We have given up everything to follow you. What will we do forür get?» » (Matthew 19:27 NLB). The disciples were all personally invited by Jesus to follow him. They were ordinary people, not the usual elite called by a scholar. A few of them were fishermen (Matthew 4:18–22). They were busy with their work when Jesus comes by and calls them to follow him. They drop everything and go with him. Two even leave their father behind in the boat and follow Jesus. We know from another that he was married. Later, Jesus invites Matthew, a tax collector (Matthew 9:9–13). This professional group was quite despised by the Israelites and was considered greedy. They also made common cause with the Roman occupiers. Matthew was sitting at his customs post when Jesus invited him to follow him. He leaves everything and follows him.
Church history is full of people who left their familiar surroundings to follow Jesus Christ. John Hudson Taylor was one of them. He was born in London in 1832 and was rather frail. At the age of seventeen, he decided to live with Jesus. The desire grew in him to go to China and invite people there to follow Jesus. Before his departure, he lived among the poor in London for a few years and cultivated a simple, frugal and spartan lifestyle. In China, he then worked in Chinese clothing and wore a plait, as was customary there. He wanted to break down as many barriers as possible in order to invite as many people as possible to follow him. Two of his children and his first wife died within a year. He gave everything for this one thing, just like the first followers of Jesus.
The closest twelve followers of Jesus have given up everything. Certain translations also use abandoned. This is in contrast to the rich young man. He should sell everything. They, on the other hand, left everything, which does not necessarily mean that it was no longer there. But they all showed that it no longer stood between them and God. Matthew followed Jesus at customs, but invited people to his home on the evening of his decision. They were other tax collectors and many dodgy people known to the town. The point of leaving is that nothing should stand in the way of following Jesus.
Stories like that are pretty blatant. Admittedly, they are perhaps also extreme examples. I would therefore like to share with you a few examples from my environment where people abandoned things and thereby expressed their trust in God.
- Someone decides to follow Jesus, even though this means losing their family and they no longer want to have anything to do with this person.
- A couple decides to limit their expenditure and invest all income in excess of this in the kingdom of God.
- A family changes their place of residence, leaving their dream home and their eldest child in New Zealand and moving to Switzerland because they are being called as pastors.
- A man decides to work only 90% so that he can invest more of the rest of his time in God’s kingdom.
- People open their homes and willingly take in refugees for longer periods of time, giving up some of their privacy.
- A couple decide to get married, even though they fear financial losses as a result.
- A family opens their home and takes in and cares for children.
- A woman invests a lot of time in voluntary work instead of working more.
- Another woman has a 50% job at the church with no pay because her spouse’s income is good enough for both of them.
- A man retires and decides to go to South America for three months to renovate a mission station – separated from his wife.
There are many more stories to tell. All these people left something, renounced something and thereby expressed their dependence on God.
Hundredfold reward
Now finally to the wages. But this cannot be categorised without what has been said so far. In response to Peter’s question, Jesus tells them that the twelve disciples will one day sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. He explains «And everyone who has given up his house, his brothers and sisters, his parents, his children or his possessions for my name’s sake will receive a hundred times as much again and gain eternal life» (Matthew 19:29 NLB). Jesus promises two rewards or gains here. On the one hand, eternal life, on the other hand, a hundredfold gain in houses, siblings, parents, children or possessions. On the one hand, even after life here on earth, but also here!
Firstly, eternal life. Life is rendered here with the Greek «zoe». «zoe» means the supreme blessing of a creature through the gift of divine eternal life. This life can be characterised as follows: It is not affected by the limitation of time. No cell division. No ageing. No hair loss. Eternal life in the presence of God is the reward for following Jesus Christ. But is this not simply a consolation for the afterlife? Yes and no. We will come to the no in the next point. Yes: following Jesus always has a dimension that goes beyond life here.
The second gain is a hundredfold. God knows us only too well, he knows that it is difficult for us to give up everything. So if we give up something, we will gain it. Those who lose their parents because of their faith have a loving Father in God. Those who lose their siblings because of following Jesus have a share of siblings and children in the Christian community. The picture that Jesus paints is that of «all for all». Everyone is a brother and sister to everyone. Everyone helps the other out with what he/she needs. My wish is that you can experience this here in the seetal chile.
However, such a reward is only possible if everyone is in the same boat. This means that everyone is prepared to leave everything for Jesus. In other words, not to hang their hearts on it, but to share it generously and willingly with others. Jesus Christ concludes the passage with a statement that again emphasises the reversal of the usual. «But many firsts will be last and last firsts» (Matthew 19:27 ELB). Many who seem important today will then be the least important. Those who are insignificant on earth will then be the greatest. The decisive factor is not how I am placed on earth, but the grace of God. It has to do with whether I leave everything or not. The more I have, the more difficult this can be.
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: Matthew 19:16–30
- «Then who can be saved at all?» The first followers of Jesus had to have their idea of Jesus corrected. They assumed that earthly well-being goes hand in hand with eternal well-being. What does this look like for you?
- The disciples gave up everything for Jesus. Which person who gave up something for Jesus fascinates you and why? This could be a person from the Bible, church history or your environment.
- Eternal life» is a gift from God for all those who follow Jesus Christ. How do you judge this?
- Those who give up/leave everything will gain houses, siblings, parents, children or possessions on this earth and for eternity. Have you already experienced leaving something behind and gaining something in return?
- The reward of discipleship is a gift of God’s grace and is independent of the status I have here on earth. What does this thought do to you?