On A Collision Course With The World

You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.   Matthew 16:23

Following Jesus will be costly. When Jesus announced that he was going to Jerusalem to suffer, he called his disciples to follow him. They were reluctant. Peter even tried to persuade Jesus to pursue a less costly plan. That’s when Jesus told Peter, rather bluntly, the problem with his mind-set.

Jesus refused to hide the cost of following him in the small print of his invitation. He said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). He told his disciples plainly that he was sending them out “as sheep among wolves” (10:16) and “if the world hates you, remember that it hated me first” (John 15:18).

The world will not tolerate the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. It has a definite opinion about him, and it is not favorable. Christ claimed that we cannot know God without him (see Matthew 11:27), and that insults our pride. He claimed that we’re incapable of coming to God unless he brings us (see John 14:6), and that renders useless our strength. He claimed the authority to tell us what is right and what is wrong (see John 5:27), and that restricts our freedom.

That’s why they crucified our Lord, and that’s why our culture would crucify him again today. We probably wouldn’t do it with wood and nails; we would likely crucify him on talk shows. Can you imagine what our media would make of Jesus’ saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”? The world hates Christ. It has no room for his claims, and it will not look kindly on his disciples either.

If you follow Christ, you will have to take up a cross. He is on a collision course with the world, the flesh, and the devil. And if you follow him, you will find yourself in conflict with all three, and you will find yourself out of step with our culture. Only those who have seen his glory will be ready to pay the price.

For further reading, see John 15