Holy Discontent

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him
Matthew 9: 9

The next person in Matthew's gospel that we see following Jesus is Matthew, the tax collector. Whilst the fishermen of chapter four might have been unlikely choices, Matthew is downright controversial. He works for the enemy. He is in the words of the pharisees "a sinner". Yet, once again, like the fishermen, he does exactly what he is told. He gets up, follows Jesus, and invites all of his friends to meet him. This is a stark contrast from the teacher of the law in Matthew 8. So why is it that Matthew when called leaves everything and follows, whilst the teacher of the law declares in bravado he will follow and then doesn't?

The clue seems to be in verse 12. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick". Now to be clear, in God's eyes we are all in need of the doctor. As Paul says in Romans we have all sinned and fallen short. The difference is that Matthew recognises this, whilst the teacher of the law doesn't. Matthew's need to follow Jesus outweighs the discomforts of following him. Often our prayers are for an easy life - but it is those who are spiritually discontented who have the impetus to get up and follow.

The cost of following Jesus

A teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Matthew 8: 18-19

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the need for action when following the disciple-making Jesus. As we delve deeper into Matthew's gospel, this need becomes even clearer. Matthew eight contains two accounts of people who said that they would follow Jesus. Unlike the fishermen of chapter four, these men both state their intention to follow him, rather than receiving an invitation. In both cases, Jesus immediately raises the stakes. We never hear of either of these men again. The implication is that the cost is too high. Following him is not merely an intellectual decision. It has real-life consequences.

For the teacher of the law, Jesus issues a warning. If you follow me, you make yourself homeless. Discipleship is not a well-paid profession. It is a radical call to leave behind the things in which we place our security. By making our gospel purely about salvation when we die we allow ourselves the easy option of getting on with our lives and avoiding any sacrifice. Yes, Jesus death on the cross is the only sacrifice needed for our salvation, but it doesn't mean there is no other cost. As Bonhoeffer says "Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life."

Following the disciple-making Jesus

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him
Matthew 4:18‭-‬20 (NIV)

Recently I have found myself thinking a lot about discipleship. Wondering exactly what it is. An immediate glib response would be that it is following Jesus. The question is, however, what exactly does that look like.

Often as I have discussed evangelism with people it seems to come down to offering people the chance to accept Jesus. We give a presentation of the gospel like the four spiritual laws or the three circles, and ask people to say the sinner's prayer. Whilst I have nothing against these methods as a way of engaging people in a spiritual conversation, I don't really see them as having much to do with following Christ. Accepting him as Saviour, yes, but actually following him?

When Jesus called his disciples he did not give a gospel presentation. He simply asked them to follow him. Physically follow him. Stop what they were doing, get up and walk with him.

The implications of the gospel is that the twelve were disciples long before they were Christians. I wonder if by making evangelism all about decision rather than action we are missing an opportunity to truly disciple people?

New beginnings

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it
John 1: 1-5 (NIV)

Twelve years is a long time. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since my last post. In many ways my life is completely different to the way it was when I started this blog. My Mum, afer many years of Alzheimer's passed away in 2017. I miss her but I said my goodbyes a long while before that.

In other ways life is much the same; I still find myself seeking the Kingdom. It still seems as slippery as ever. Sometimes absolutely, visibly breaking out around me. Other times tantalizingly just out of reach.

When I started this blog in 2007 I was planning to look at all of the references to Kingdom in the gospels. It was a task I never completed. In restarting the blog I hope that it is a task that I will return to. But there are other priorities as well. A broader look at the life and commands of Christ. As someone seeking for the kingdom it is to the Gospels that I return!

Setting out

Most journeys are easier with a roadmap. Especially trips to unknown destinations. The roadmap to the kingdom is an old one. The pages are partially obscured by centuries of comments from other travellers. Some are helpful, many less so. And this is no conventional map. We see tantalizing glimpses of the destination and hints as to the route, but the junction by junction directions are strangely absent. Perhaps this is because it is a personal journey. Everyone's route is different. Like a mountain with no paths, we must all pick our own way to the summit. For all the uncertainty, however, we must be assured that there is a summit and it - like the starting point - is the same for all.

In John's gospel we see the question of an early traveller:

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me..."

I have a lot of sympathy for Thomas. There is a tendency to look down on him - one of the lesser disciples. He is forever tarred as a doubter. But Thomas has two things going for him which place him ahead of many. He wants to go where Jesus is going, and he's not afraid to admit his ignorance. Over the years I have come to realise that so much of what I have been taught with so much confidence, comes from people who aren't certain, but are afraid to say so. In my journey I hope to find some answers. I hope also to admit when I don't find any. After all if it had not been for Thomas' question, we might have missed one of the deepest statements in the bible.

In an expedition to find the kingdom the only place to start is with the person of Jesus. He is more than a map, he is a guide. We find his thoughts on the kingdom scattered through the gospels. By my count there are 139 references to the kingdom of God in the New Testament of which 105 come in the gospels (and 49 of these are in Matthew). So it is with the Gospels that I will begin...