A Study of Luke 9: 23

Follow The Leader- Part 1

Some of my friends and I would get together when were kids to play a popular game back then called, Follow the Leader. We would each take turns playing the role of a leader and everyone else had to follow in doing exactly what the leader did. I am sure some of you may remember those days. It was a big and exciting thing to get to be the leader when it was your turn. As the leader, our minds would race to think of that something different and daring to do that no one else had thought of. It was really cool to be the leader, and yet, it was an exciting challenge to be the one daring follower who made it to the end. My cousin's parents had a detached garage and my cousin and I would always lead our team to the highest pitch of the roof and jump off. That separated some true followers from the sitting on the sidelines admirers.  

Jesus has set himself out for us to follow Him in much the same way we played in the game. He is, without doubt, the chosen leader for all to follow. He sets the standards and ask all His followers to go anywhere and do anything He does. That can present some challenges for us, and yet, He never ask us to do anything that He has not already prepared the path for us to follow. There were always some in our game who would drop out because the task was unsettling - something different or more challenging than what we were used to. Many times, we just lost interest or our attention was diverted away. But if you could stick it out, the rewards were tremendous, you got to be the leader.

In the following verses 24-27 in Luke 9, Jesus sets out some reasons we too may drop out in following Him. Verses 24 - 25 state; "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self." I find it interesting that Jesus mentions this particular thing first right after He ask us to follow Him. Are we to assume that the world and all it's glitter will be the biggest distraction to us being able to really follow Him? We all know or have heard of people who have forsaken all, friends, and even family, in order to gain the world. The road that Jesus calls us to may look tough or unappealing at times when compared to some of the attractions of the world, and yet, Jesus is telling us this is not a situation to take lightly. We may think we can simply drop out of the Follow the Leader game and face some shame with our buddies, but with Jesus it is a matter of losing our life in order to save it.

But there is another stumbling block to staying in the game with Jesus. Verse 26 states: If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Have you ever found yourself ashamed of Jesus? Ever hesitated to say a blessing over a meal in front of friends, or let people know at the office you are a follower of Jesus. Have you ever hesitated to go or do something for Jesus, or walked away from standing up for Godly principles? I think we all have. How about the other part - His Word? Do we deny it's authenticity, let it sit on the end table until we have to blow off the dust before picking it up? To be ashamed is to be embarrassed or hesitant to identify our selves with something. It is to say that someone is not worthy to receive our acknowledgement or recognition because of something they have done. I figure there is more merit for Jesus to be ashamed of me, than for me to be ashamed of Him.   

In this game of Luke 9:23, Jesus is asking us to let Him be the leader. We choose  to come with Him by denying ourselves and taking up our cross of death and victory daily so that we may be counted as one of His daring followers all through life. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1: 16, 17.