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Religious
Called To Sacrifice MARK 1:16-20; LUKE 14:25-33 (KJV)
This week’s lesson uses scriptures from 2 of the Gospels to describe the cost of disciple- ship.
Mark 1:16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to be- come fishers of men.
18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired ser- vants, and went after him.
Luke 14:25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, in- tending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31 Or what king, going to make war against an- other king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
33 So likewise, whoso- ever he be of you that for- saketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Jesus Had A Plan
(Mark 1:16; Luke 14:25–27)
Notice the context in which Jesus approaches His soon-to- be disciples. Jesus meets them in a place where they are already working toward a pre-planned purpose. They are fishing as they have always done, and Jesus calls them in the midst of their work.
The Sea of Galilee is the stage for many of Jesus’ acts in ministry; but at the start, Jesus finds His first disciples there. The reality is that most of us do not have a plan when we invite people to our faith. We “go” as instructed in Matthew 28:19, but sometimes have little idea of what to share, or do not have correct information.
We can wrongly assume that those we are sharing the Gospel with have had no experience with hearing it, but that is usu- ally not the case these days. Any- one can Google what we are talking about and challenge what we claim to be truth. Therefore, we must follow the plan set by Jesus. But there is a cost to following that plan.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells the crowd that possessions and family can keep them from ulti- mately following the path marked for discipleship. As dis- ciples we must earnestly pursue God, but at what cost will we fol- low Jesus Christ? Many adults admit they might lose friends and family members when they make the decision for Christ. But others sell their discipleship and morals short to gain notori- ety and worldly possessions.
Being a disciple of Christ is easier said than done. Once we choose to be a disciple of Christ, we choose to be subject to God’s specific will for our lives even in those good and bad, wanted and unwanted, favorable and unfa- vorable days and moments in life. But the outcome will be far greater than the sacrifice made in our discipleship.
that once we follow, He will send us out to fish.
Jesus’ pathway is made clear when He implies that He has the way to fill our disciple- ship nets with more people. Anyone who fishes knows that fishing can be time-consuming. There is a right way and a wrong way to catch fish. You must be patient, have the right bait, and realize that there is more than one spot to find what you are looking for.
In one sentence Jesus gives the pathway to executing the task He gives us. First, we must come. We must take up our nec- essary bait, i.e., fellowshipping with Jesus ourselves while also leaving behind some things that are not needed for the trip.
Second, we must follow Jesus. There were probably many other fishermen out on the sea that day, but none pre- sented a new place and purpose for the brothers. To follow Jesus requires a devoted sense of call. Jesus uses the imagery of a builder looking to build a tower in Luke’s Gospel. This desire to build is not for personal gain or glory, but it is for others to see and marvel. Jesus says we must count all costs of loss and labor as they are necessary to com- pleting the work. No major con- struction can be done without first itemizing the cost of labor and supplies.
We, as the disciples, must also recognize that there is a cost to our labor. We will sometimes become discouraged, especially if we are looking at other towers being built around us, while try- ing to erect our own.
Furthermore, there will be a cost for use of supplies. Our sup- plies as disciples will be the blood, sweat, and tears of main- taining our personal relation- ship with God while living in a world that is not so friendly to our proclamation.
Jesus Had A Process
(Mark 1:19–20;
Luke 14:31–33)
Jesus did not stop at the two brothers when fishing for peo- ple. He kept walking and saw James and John who also were preparing to begin their daily work. “Without delay he called them” (from v. 20). The sense of immediacy shows us that this was Jesus’ plan from the begin- ning. The slightest hesitation could have caused the disciples to miss their assignment. When Jesus calls, we should not hesi- tate to answer. There is no rea- son for us to delay the work of
God; souls are ready to en- counter Christ now. It is our job to call more people into fellow- ship with Jesus so that they can go forward with their new lives.
Realizing that the work of discipleship cannot be done alone, Jesus draws on the im- agery of a king contemplating war and utilizing his military personnel to devise a strategy. Jesus shares with us through this illustration that calling in reinforcements to aid in the bat- tle plan is a wise idea. While it may seem easier to go alone, it is not wise because the enemy of our souls seeks to devour the weak and isolated. We need to pray for, build up, and encour- age one another to ensure that we are fulfilling God’s complete work for our lives.
In Conclusion
We prefer to hear Jesus tell us that following Him means liv- ing the easy, abundant life for Him. But His warning to us about counting the cost and cross-carrying means suffering, sacrifice, and pain are a part of what it means to be His disciple.
Jesus Created
A Pathway
(Mark 1:17– 18; Luke 14:28–30)
Upon greeting the brothers Peter and Andrew, Jesus says, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” Jesus makes an intriguing call for the brothers to follow Him, and they could only as- sume that the man calling them had a plan. Jesus made it clear
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