Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:21-2)
Jesus is everything or Jesus is nothing.
He is more important to you than your mother, father, son and daughter, or you have missed Him (Mt 10:34-9). He calls you to unwavering allegiance to Himself.
Modern Christianity has glossed over the radical nature of Jesus’ Christianity. Modern Christianity is merely respectable. It wants the comforts of home, the entertainment of Hollywood, the approval of society, and, oh yes, let’s throw in some Jesus too.
This is not the Christianity that turned the world upside-down. Rather, this is the world turning Christianity upside-down.
Jesus is everything or Jesus is nothing. Here in America we had an election this week, and the results are still unknown., Much of America is wringing its hands over who its next president will be. Social media has lit up with claims of doomsday if such-and-such gets elected, and the mainstream media treats this election as if life itself hangs in the balance over who wins. This fear shows where their hope is. To these people, political power is everything.
But Jesus must be everything. If your hope lies in an election, then it does not lie in Jesus. If politics is everything, then Jesus is not. And if Jesus is not everything, He is nothing. I struggle with this. Who wouldn’t? If you take seriously the ultimacy of Jesus, you should struggle with His call. If you are like me, you find times when good things pull you from ultimate things – when sleep or work eats up your time with God, when sports or money becomes a priority, when family keeps your mind and time occupied. I struggle precisely because I have good and normal desires for various earthly things, and I don’t want to place those desires under the lordship of Christ. I want Jesus to be one good thing among many good things and not to be everything.
But Jesus is everything or Jesus is nothing. This is why He calls us to die, to take up our Cross, to lose our life, and those who follow Him walk that path. They may stumble while on that path, but they are on that path. It’s hard. But it’s good.
For when you get Jesus, you get everything.
Yes! And then my soul complains “Yes Lord, you are everything and you are not up for election.. But the results of the election will carry with it a lot of ramifications. That is why I am concerned”. To which I hear Him say; “The part you play in all this is the same regardless of who fills this office. You are called to Love ME with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself, This is a tall order and only doable in the easy yoke I provide. Be at peace, walk with me and be ready to love others in this dark world.”