“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 10:34-39
Once, I met an American who had become a missionary in Turkey. He trained for three years at Bible College, learned the language, raised thousands of pounds in personal support and after three months had decided to come home. I asked his what went wrong and he said, ‘it just wasn’t what I expected.’
Whether we realise them or not, we all have expectations about how following Jesus should feel and what that experience should be. Jesus warns us that to follow him will look like losing your life. It will look like losing the closest relationships that you have and it will look like conflict. When Jesus says that he didn’t come to bring peace but the sword, he isn’t talking about starting Holy Wars or aggressive foreign policy. He is talking about expectations.
To follow Jesus today means laying your life aside but not so that we live sad, painful, small lives. We lay aside our lives so that we can step into true life, eternal life, that is full of peace, love and joy. The way of Jesus runs counter to the systems of power, commercialism, materialism, control, fear and selfishness in our world. Expect conflict.
Reflect
- What are your expectations of following Jesus (good and bad)
- How does identifying them help you as you follow him?
Respond
Jesus famously prayed, ‘Your Kingdom come, on Earth as it is in Heaven.’ Spend some time thinking about what that would be like. Imagine your town as it would be. Turn that picture into a prayer.
