Getting Straight About Discipleship

GETTING STRAIGHT ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP

A man had been driving all night and by morning was still far from his destination. He decided to stop at the next city he came to, and park somewhere where it was quiet so he could get an hour or two of sleep. As luck would have it, the quiet place he chose happened to be on one of the city’s major jogging routes. No sooner had he settled back for a snooze when there came a knock on his window. He looked out and saw a jogger running in place. "Yes?" he said. "Excuse me, sir," the jogger, said, "do you have the time?" The man looked at the car clock and answered, ¡§8:15.¡¨ The jogger said thanks and left. The man settled back again, and was just dozing off when there was another knock on the window and another jogger. "Excuse me, sir, do you have the time?" asked the jogger. "8:25!" the man replied. The jogger said thanks and left. Now the man could see other

joggers passing by and he knew it was only a matter of time before another one disturbed him. To avoid that, he got out a pen and paper and put a sign on his window saying, "I do not know the time!" Once again he settled back

to sleep. He was just dozing off when there was another knock on the window. "Sir, sir?" said a jogger, seeking to be helpful’ "it¡¦s 8:45!"

Matt 16:21-28 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

A few years ago Dallas was playing Buffalo in the Super Bowl, and Leon Lett, who is a defensive lineman for the Cowboys, recovered a fumble and began racing toward paydirt for what appeared to be an easy touchdown. You’ve seen running backs and wide receivers hot- dogging it as they cross the goal line, high stepping, waving the ball in the air--Deion Sanders was a master of the craft. Leon Lett is no Deion Sanders, but that day he tried to be. As he approached the end zone, he held the ball out away from his body and slowed his step a bit, as if to taunt the other team and extend his glory for just seconds more. What Leon didn’t know, however, was that a Buffalo player was racing up behind him. When Lett was at about the three yard line, the Bills’ player knocked the ball out of his hand--and there was no touchdown for Leon Lett after all. No glory. No celebratory dance in the end zone. But the play did become an NFL highlights favorite, and earned Mr. Lett a certain amount of notoriety.

„X The Apostle Peter had one in Matthew 16. You remember Jesus asked the question the question, "Who do you say that I am?" and Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." And Jesus said to Peter, "That’s right, Simon Peter. You are a rock and on this rock I will be build my church and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it!"

I don’t know what Peter’s immediate reaction to Jesus’ statement was, but I can guess what mine would have been. I probably would have turned to the other 11 disciples and said, "Did everyone get that? Any questions? ... And just in case those in the back couldn’t hear, James, would you repeat what Jesus said for the whole group? And, by the way, Thaddeus, from now on you’re in charge of carrying my brief case." Well, hopefully, I wouldn’t really have reacted that way. But Peter didn’t have a chance to over- react, because he was about to have his Leon Lett moment. Here’s how it happened. After Jesus told his disciples about the future of the church, he began to explain to them that he must go to Jerusalem to die. Matthew writes... (v. 22) Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Listen to what happened next...(v. 23) Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."