What does it mean to be a follower of Christ?
I keep thinking of Mark 8:34 (NIV) where Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." This verse sounds like a pretty good definition of what a Christian, a true Christ-follower, should look like. But is this who we are? Is this who we are becoming? Is this how other people would describe us? Have we lost sight of what it means to be a Christ-follower?
A little while back, our church set up a Twitter account. How many of you have a Twitter account? Twitter is one of the most popular social networking sites on the internet. It is super easy to follow someone on Twitter. It only takes a click of a mouse. There isn't any cost and there isn't any life change required. Just a click of a mouse, and it's all done.
Well, this is kind of what we want following Jesus to be like! We want it to be a social thing, not a self-denial thing, or a personally costly thing. We want to be associated with Jesus, and tune into his tweets, and be his friend, all the while not having to change, or obey, or have any further demands put upon us. But that isn't at all what following Jesus is about. Mark 8:34 (NIV) states the terms of discipleship well. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
There are three major changes that must take place in our lives to become a true follower of Christ.
Following Jesus requires self-denial.
Our text this morning is Mark 12:38-44. In Mark 12 Jesus is in the temple courts where thousands of pilgrims have traveled long distances in order to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. The crowds are listening to Jesus with delight, as he refutes those seeking to undermine his authority. And then Jesus drops a bomb.
Mark 12:38-40 (NIV) says, "As he taught, Jesus said, 'Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.' "
These verses constitute a stunning indictment against the Jewish teachers of Jesus' day! For them, religion had nothing to do with self-denial. Their religion was all about self-promotion. Here are some things we know about the teachers of the law.
First, they had an insatiable need for recognition, praise, and honor. They wore long, white linen robes with decorative stitching and cords, to announce their presence wherever they went. They would make a show of being greeted by everyone in the marketplace. "Oh, here is Rabbi so-n-so, Master so-n-so, Father so-n-so." They would steal attention and honor for themselves in the synagogues or at banquets. They were pretentious, pompous, arrogant, and self-important. For them, religion was a cult of their own personality. "Look at me. Look how charming I am. I must become greater. God can become less."
Second, they had an insatiable greed for money. Jesus has already referred to them as a den of robbers, but now he accuses them of, "devouring widow's houses." There is a lot of debate about what this phrase means, but the bottom line is that these teachers knew how to work the temple system to their own advantage. They weren't attuned to the plight of widows, orphans, or aliens. They would show mercy only so long as they could extract a financial benefit for themselves in the process.
Third, they had an insatiable need to showcase their works. It wasn't enough to pray, fast, study God's word, or give alms to the poor. They had to broadcast their good works.
The teachers of the law did not truly deny themselves.
Remember Jesus' Sermon on the Mount? Matthew 6:1-7 (NIV) says, "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words."
To follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves. It's not about us. It's not about our recognition, our being praised, being honored, or having the limelight on us. We must be content to give God all the honor, glory, and praise. We must be content receiving heavenly rewards, not earthly payment. We know we have denied self when we can say with absolute integrity, "It's enough that God sees it, and that it is done for him."
Second, following Jesus requires faith.
Now tell me that this is a coincidence. Immediately after denouncing the teachers of the law for devouring widows' homes, Mark 12:41-44 (NIV) says, "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-- all she had to live on.' "
Notice that the widow puts in two small copper coins worth fraction of a penny. Her situation isn't hard to imagine. Paul's description in 1 Timothy 5:5 (NIV) could very well describe her. "The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help."
Basically, the richer people were tithing out of their abundance, but this widow, in her poverty, fully trusting in God, gave away everything she had to live on. Her two copper coins would have barely made a clatter in the offering plate, but Jesus, God in the flesh, noticed her faith immediately!
James 1:27 (NIV) says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." What's interesting to contemplate is whether the teachers in the law would have any interest helping this poor widow now that she's surrendered everything to God. In actuality, her gift would have gone to fund the temple treasury and pad the pockets of the teachers of the law.
What's also interesting to contemplate is why this woman was willing to do what the rich young ruler and teachers of the law would have refused to do. Why did she exceed the tithe and give everything she had? What was the basis for her profound act of generosity? Do we have that same kind of faith to trust God completely?
Third, following Jesus requires an eternal perspective.
Immediately after the account of the widow, we read these two verses in Mark 13:1-2 (NIV). "As he (Jesus) was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, 'Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!' 'Do you see all these great buildings?' replied Jesus. 'Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.' "
Jesus warns his disciples that all of Jerusalem, and all of the temple, and all of what the Pharisees, teachers of the law, and chief priests, Heordians, and Zealots were squabbling over would be utterly destroyed. Mark 8:34-37 (NIV) says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Does anything in this life really matter for longer than a few years? Wouldn't it be a shame if a man were to invest everything he had in this life, only to lose his eternal salvation? With an eternal perspective, a man is much more likely to give of himself in this world, storing up eternal treasures in heaven for himself.