So often in America, Christians act as half-hearted followers of Christ. Matthew 16:24 says: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.’” In this verse, Jesus is calling others to follow Him despite the fear and shame. Matthew 28:19 reads: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” These verses could be considered two of the most well known verses in the entire Bible, and yet they are so often misconstrued by American Christians. Specifically, there are three very common misconceptions about these verses, and therefore the concept of following Jesus, that often plague American Christians.
Becoming a Christian only requires a change in my spiritual life, and not any part of my public life.
America is unique in the fact that it was one of the first countries founded on the concept of a freedom of religion. As an American, you can worship whatever you please in almost any way you please. Because of this freedom, it is easy to simply take the name of Jesus without accepting its implications. However, in the early church no one simply took the name of Jesus without great risk. To follow Jesus was to literally put your life on the line. The Roman Empire was constantly hunting and executing Christians in this time, so becoming a Christian literally meant shame and death.
Becoming a Christian means that I can act the way I want to and still go to heaven.
Closely associated with this verse, and therefore following Jesus, is the concept of a bondservant. In ancient Israel, if a person was in severe debt, he or she would sell themselves into slavery. They would usually go to work for a rich family as a house servant to pay off the debt. The rule was that if the debts were not paid within seven years, the servant was erased of his debt and set free. However, if the servant was treated well, he was given the chance to stay with the family permanently. Servants who did this took the mark of the bondservant and had a nail driven through the lobe of their ear. From then on, the servant was bound to the master by his own will to do the will of the master.
The point of this concept is that the bondservant was so indebted to the master that he gave himself completely over to do the will of the master. As Christians, we are so indebted to Jesus’ sacrifice, that following His command to be holy is expected. The part of Matthew 16:24 that says “he must deny himself” means that a Christian must deny his desire to do evil. The good news that Jesus' sacrifice allows us to do this through his strength because of our inability to do it on our own.
Becoming a Christian means that I can keep it to myself and avoid offending others.
The concept of taking up the cross is something that is shameful. In ancient times, the cross was the most shameful method of death, reserved only for heinous criminals and those publicly hated. Based on this, taking up the cross was something that everyone saw. To follow Jesus is also to follow the great commission to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” If we believe that the unsaved will go to hell, then it is insane for us not to tell everyone. This may mean telling people what they do not want to hear.
Christianity means anything but complacency. To take up the cross is shameful in the eyes of the rest of the world. In the scope of eternity, it is worth it to follow Jesus’ command whole-heartedly.
