Three times Jesus invited people to follow him into danger – Growing in Faith Together, Part 2

This week we’re talking about growing in faith together, particularly through the lens of Jesus’ famous phrase “Follow me.” In the previous post, we learned about some of Jesus’ first invitations to people to follow him. Some people accepted the invitation, some were hesitant. In Matthew 9:9, Jesus has another “follow me” invitation,

“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.”

For Matthew, following Jesus likely means giving up a tax collector’s lucrative income.  Matthew is also likely giving up protection of the Roman soldiers.  As a tax collector, Matthew was collecting money from his fellow Jews and giving the tax to the Romans.  Therefore Jews hated tax collectors.  Jews viewed tax collectors as sell-outs, betrayers, and greedy, as the tax collectors got rich, skimming money off the taxes they paid.  Jews considered tax collectors as people who didn’t work for their money, but who cheated people out of their money.  You can see why tax collectors needed the Roman soldiers as their security personnel.  Now Matthew, in giving up his work as tax collector, is also giving up his security team.  He is stepping out of his comfort zone to follow Jesus, thus joining a new group of people with whom he will be able to grow his faith. 

Soon enough, Jesus would push the disciples out of their comfort zones, so they would grow their faith together.  In Matthew 10:1, page 790, we read that,

“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” And then in verse 5, “These twelve Jesus sent out” on a mission trip. 

We don’t know how long the disciples have been watching Jesus minister at this point.  A couple months?  A year.  But think about it.  They are fishermen, tax collector, regular working-class guys.  They haven’t gone to rabbinical school.  They’ve followed Jesus, though.  They’ve watched his ways.  Now he has empowered them, and he sends them out saying, “Now, you go do what I have been doing.” 

In Matthew 10, verses 9-10, Jesus says the disciples are to take nothing with them on the mission trip.  Huh?  Nothing? No money, no extras.  Just go and trust in God.  “Where are we going to sleep, Jesus?  How are we going to eat?”  Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone to follow Jesus.

If that wasn’t enough, then Jesus kicks it up a notch in verses 16-20.  “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

Woah.  Hold on.  Did Jesus just say what I think he said?  Arrested?  Flogged?  How can those be good things?  Because we’ll be able to minister to the people who are arresting and flogging us?  And the Spirit will speak through us?  This sounds really bizarre. 

Could you imagine signing up for a mission trip, and the leader says, “Well, we’re going to a country where we will be arrested and beaten for our ministry, but that’s a good thing because we’ll get to share Jesus with the guards and judges.”  Not too many Christians would sign up for that.  Yet that’s what Jesus is saying to his disciples.  Follow him and he’ll take us out of our comfort zones into the area of incarceration, physical persecution. 

Scan down to verse 38 on the next page, and Jesus adds more detail to what following him is all about, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” 

The image of carrying a cross was very well known to the people of his day.  Crucifixion happened frequently before Jesus himself was crucified.  Rome used crucifixion to put down rebellion, to exert its authority, to keep the peace.  The Jews knew exactly what taking up their cross meant.  Jesus is comparing following him to an awful form of capital punishment. “Sit down in your electric chair and follow me,” we might say in our day.  Following Jesus is a life of stepping out of our comfort zone like he did.

In due time, Jesus would give the disciples even more opportunities to practice stepping out of their comfort zones.  Matthew 14:25-33 records a great story about one of those opportunities.

“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’ And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.

I give Peter a lot of credit in this story.  He was probably a good swimmer, having spent his whole life around the Sea of Galilee, working as a fisherman with his father and brother from childhood.  But what he does in this story is on another level.  Asking Jesus if he, Peter, can step out there on the stormy water with him?  Is Peter showing off?  Is he arrogant?  Is he a thrill-seeker?  He definitely has some guts, and he must be stepping out of his comfort zone.  But only enough to get out of the boat.  With waves crashing over him, Peter has one of those “Uh-oh, what was I thinking?” moments.  “This was a mistake.” 

After Jesus rescues Peter and calms the storm, thereby calming the fears of all the men who thought for sure they were going to drown, Jesus refers to faith.  Growing faith means stepping out of your comfort zone.

Photo by Raúl Nájera on Unsplash