Jesus is scary. Really. Think about it. To really follow Jesus should be legitimately frightening. When I read my Bible I see amazingly brash acts of faith. I see fishermen leaving their families, friends, livelihoods to follow someone they’d known for a few moments. I see women pouring out their greatest earthly possessions upon his feet. I see broken fathers, sisters, and friends grieving over sick and dying loved ones, going to Jesus and believing that he can do what no one else can.
I try to make these passages convenient for myself. I reason the amazing scariness out of it. I try to convince myself that these examples of normal people giving everything up are in the Bible to be examples- God doesn’t really expect us to follow through with stuff this big just like God doesn’t really expect us to part the red sea or something. I tell myself this, but when I read I’m still frightened.
At once they left and their nets and followed him. Mark 1:18
I’m scared because I have my nets in the water. I’m fishing hard. My nets are cast out, looking for love, success, children, notoriety, friends, accomplishments, happiness… Jesus calls each and every one of us to take our nets out of the water. Pull them out. Give up.
It’s not that it’s bad to fish. We know Jesus himself enjoyed earthly pleasures, good friends, good food, good jokes, good wine. We need good things. God created good things for our enjoyment. The thing is, focusing your life upon yourself will make you sick and miserable.
Modern Christianity does not emphasize how big of a commitment Jesus really is. To follow Him is not just to say a prayer. To follow Him is not just to donate a few hours a week to church. To follow Him is not even to read your Bible, pray, and be devoted in spirit. To follow Jesus, the Living God, is to give up every dream for yourself you’ve ever had, to do whatever He tells you, and to ACT.
See, I like my where I am. I like being behind this computer screen, doing my own thing, having fun, being with people when it is convenient. Jesus is about action though. He is about meeting people. He is about talking and sharing hearts. He is about helping through real action. He is about doing something about the crappy things we see in the world. Jesus is about doing real things, because HE is real.
We have to stop limiting Jesus to the Bible, our prayers, and cute blog posts. We have to realize that He is alive. He is working in real ways today, right now, as you sit behind your screen reading this and I sit behind my screen typing this! Jesus does not live in the past. He is alive! Praise God!
What is our response to this? My encouragement is to enlist! Enlist in the battle, engage the enemy. Be real, work in real ways, do real things, meet real people, feel real feelings- don’t deny Jesus his reality.
Following Jesus is scary. It involves enlisting for battle. It involves giving up long held dreams and aspirations. It involves giving up the reigns to your entire life, be willing to do anything He tells you. Following Jesus lives not only in the spiritual world but in the physical tangible world. Friends, I cannot tell you that everything will be perfect when you give it up, but I can tell you that you will be at perfect peace. Jesus keeps her in perfect peace who’s mind is stayed on Him (Isa. 26: 3). You will rest in the fact that you are carrying out your calling in life- the thing God created you to do. Church, let’s work! Let’s do! Let’s lay down our nets and take up Jesus’ cross.
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their lives will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” Mark 8:34-35
