One of the great consequences of sin is that things that are worthwhile have become hard work. “By the sweat of your brow you will eat, until you return to the ground…” (Genesis 3:19). This is why I think it takes 2 hours to prepare a delicious meal, and only 20 minutes to eat it. But it is also why it is so hard to learn things like how to play an instrument, and why it takes years to master a craft. The saying goes that “Anything worth doing is worth doing well”, but to do something well is hard work! It requires sacrifice.
Now this holds true of following Jesus too. It can be tough, especially in today’s society to be a true follower of Jesus. It is hard work and it requires sacrifice. But this is nothing new, this is something even Jesus’ first followers discovered. Let’s have a look.
Scripture Reference: John 6:60-71 (ESV)
“When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him. And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”
Remember what happens just before this. A large crowd had started following Jesus because he had fed the five thousand. Then Jesus addressed the crowd and said that to follow him, to abide in him, meant that one had to eat his flesh and drink of his blood. This left many of his followers confused. His teachings got tough to swallow (pun totally intended).
Many of his disciples left him, they stopped following him and so Jesus turns to the twelve apostles and ask them “Do you want to go as well?”.
This is a crucial question for us to ask as well. When following Jesus gets tough, when it gets difficult, when our friends ridicule us and mock us and even abandon us, will we abandon Jesus? When taking up our cross and following Jesus, actually involves taking up our cross and following Jesus, will we instead lay the cross down as something to hard to carry? When following Jesus requires sacrifice, will we be willing to pay it?
To do so requires the right view of who Jesus is. I find Peter’s answer so helpful. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”. Where else is there? Who else can we go to?
A great friend of mine made the comment a few days ago that you should always ask “What is the alternative?”. If following Jesus is hard, what is the alternative? Who else would we follow? Ourselves? Our hearts? If we are honest with ourselves, at the deepest level, we don’t actually want what is best for us. So why would we follow ourselves?
That is what real faith looks like. When the going gets tough, and the temptation to give up our faith comes, we need to answer with Peter: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we admit that it is often hard for us to follow you, especially when we see the lives our friends and families live. Lives that don’t seem to require much sacrifice. But help us to see that next to you, nothing is really worth it. You really do have the words of life. Help us to listen when you speak. Amen.
Spiritual Challenge:
Today think of something in the Bible you find hard to accept. Ask Jesus to help change your mind and to stick to his word no matter what.
Where else can we go?