Matthew 16: 25 “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
Jesus wants followers, not fans. Not so long after pronouncing the above – and despite Peter’s protestations that even if all the others left, he would keep following Jesus – Jesus was left to face the cross alone. His disciples had proved to be fair-weather fans, not followers.
A few centuries earlier, Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known world. In one confrontation, he approached a strongly fortified city with just a small company of soldiers. He came forward and demanded to see the king. The king approached to hear Alexander’s demands. “Surrender to me immediately,” commanded Alexander. The king laughed. “Why should I surrender to you? We have you far outnumbered. You are no threat to us!” Alexander responded by lining up his men and ordering them to march straight towards the nearby cliff. The defending soldiers and king watched incredulous as man after man marched off the edge of the cliff without hesitation. After ten of his men had thus died, Alexander ordered the rest to stop. The king realized that with such loyal enemy soldiers willing to die for the cause, his defeat was guaranteed. He surrendered on the spot to Alexander the Great.
Will we show that same dedication to the cause of Christ? Fans won’t, but followers will. Thankfully, God is in no way capricious like Alexander, and by His grace the deserting disciples were restored and re-commissioned by the risen Jesus, and then empowered and equipped by the Holy Spirit to live and die for him. And indeed many of them did! Tertullian, in his great apology for the Christian faith, challenged the Roman authorities: “Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust. The more you mow us down, the more we grow, for the seed of the Church is the blood of the martyrs.”
Lord, I pray for those followers of yours who, even today, are dying for their faith. Help me choose to be a follower, not a fan. Amen!
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