If you lived 2,000 years ago, would you be a disciple of Jesus?
Imagine if you had lived back in the time and the geographical location where Jesus lived. You went to hear him preach. And you saw the way he treated people with love and respect. You saw him heal people and lots of other amazing things he did.
So I’ve been imagining what I might be thinking if I were listening to Jesus preach and seeing the amazing things he did. How would I process everything? Would I be one of his followers? Would I decide to commit my life to his teachings?
If I had lived 2,000 years ago…
Here are some of the ideas I came up with that I might have thought about if I had lived back then.
Wow, this Jesus guy is something else. I love his message of hope, and all those people that have been healed is amazing, but the more I hear him speak, I realize he’s making some pretty strong demands on anyone who wants to follow him and be one of his disciples.
Some of what he says makes sense. Like loving your neighbor as yourself. That’s in the Torah. And he talks a lot about forgiveness. I get that. Because of what he said in his big Sermon, I have actually forgiven those three guys who cheated me several years ago when I traded them my cart for some building supplies. I used to want to get revenge, but I put it all in God’s hands when I forgave them and they came to me the other day and apologized. They had heard Jesus’s big sermon too and they settled with me fair and square. We were laughing the whole time.
And Jesus talks about praying, fasting, and giving alms in secret. I really appreciate that. It makes so much sense. And I love what he says about seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness and trusting God to provide everything we need. I’m actually doing a better job at that.
To be a disciple includes some hard things
But then he says stuff like, love your enemies and pray for those who hate you and persecute you. I’m not so sure I understand that or how to do it. Every day he tells us something else that we need to do…or not do.
We’re even supposed to deny ourselves and take up our cross every day, whatever that means, and follow him. That’s a big demand. I’m not sure I can pull that off.
And then he said I have to hate my mother and father, all my relatives and myself too, or I can’t be his disciple.
But didn’t he say we’re supposed to love everyone? How could I hate my mother and father? I went up to Andrew, one of his 12 main students, and asked what this meant. He said, the best he can figure it out it means to follow Jesus and love him more than all your closest relatives. I guess that makes sense.
But the way he talks it sounds like there are some pretty far reaching consequences of following him. That I’ll be ridiculed and cast out of the synagogue. That doesn’t sound so great. Why would I do something that got me kicked out of my synagogue?
Eternal life
He talks a lot about eternal life. That sounds pretty amazing. But then he said one time we’re supposed to eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have eternal life.
That just sounds like more than I can handle. But he didn’t exactly cut off pieces of himself and hand them out for us to eat. And he didn’t cut himself and give us any of his blood to drink. I bet he didn’t really mean that literally, his literal flesh and blood, but it sort of sounded like that. What on earth is he even talking about?
A lot of people quit following him after he said those things. The more I think about it, I think he means we’re supposed to “eat” or participate fully in the way he lives and follow his example. That’s all I can figure out.
Even still though, he wants us to be totally committed to him and leave everything to follow him. I mean, I really love what Jesus is doing, especially the way he stands up to the Pharisees. I’ve never seen anyone do that before with such authority and common sense. He’s said things to them I’ve thought about, and wished I had enough courage to say, but I never would have dared to say out loud to them or anybody.
The commitment to be a disciple
I just don’t know if I can make the full commitment he’s asking me to make. But I’ve never met anyone like Jesus before. He speaks with such authority, like he really knows what he’s talking about. He does know what he’s talking about.
He couldn’t heal all those people he’s healed unless he’d been sent by God. He’s said several times that the tree is known by its fruit. I guess all that healing he’s doing is his fruit that proves he’s like a good tree with good fruit.
I kind of get the idea he expects us to have that same kind of fruit in our lives. He’s actually said a couple of times that if we really believe on him and follow his teachings, we’ll be able to heal like he did.
Several weeks ago, he sent out 70 people to preach about the kingdom of God and heal. One of those guys he picked was Simeon, a friend of mine. He came back with all kinds of stories about people who were healed while he was preaching. Simeon is just a normal guy. I mean, he’s always taken his faith pretty seriously, but he’s no different than the rest of us. If Jesus can give him the power to heal, maybe he could give me the power to heal too. There are a lot of people I would love to pray for and see healed.
Is Jesus the Messiah?
Some people are saying Jesus must be the Messiah. If that’s true, I really do want to be a disciple and follow him. But it’s a big commitment. What if he’s not really the Messiah? I don’t want to get involved with some false prophet.
But the more I think about it, he must be the Messiah. No one else could do everything he’s done.
So, let’s come back to the 21st century.
Every once in a while, I find it really helpful to imagine myself back in some Bible story, just to get an idea of how I might have responded in a given situation.
I encourage you to do the same. I used to always imagine myself as one of the 12 disciples, but I usually get more insights when I try to think how a regular, every day guy would act.
To be a disciple today
The reason I imagined this particular situation is because I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus had pretty high expectations of those who chose to follow him. He said,
Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 NIV
And along these lines, he adds
And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27 NIV
These are pretty bold statements. What does this mean to deny yourself and take up your cross daily?
Several things actually. To carry your own cross can mean to accept responsibility for the task God has given you. you can’t fulfill someone else’s purpose. You have to do what God calls you to do.
You have to face the challenges and accept them and when you meet them, you’ll be stronger and you’ll grow in your faith.
Put off the old self to be a disciple
Jesus is also asking us to follow his example of setting aside our will and following God’s will. To deny ourselves is to deny, or set aside, our own limited perspective on life, our own self-oriented priorities and opinions, our own agendas.
Jesus said we need to repent, but that word means “to rethink,” to think from a different perspective. To deny yourself could mean to deny as invalid the worldly, material way of how you see yourself, how you think and act.
Paul talks about that a lot, especially when he says in Ephesians,
put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; Ephesians 4:22 NIV
That’s kind of like denying yourself. Then Paul adds that we will
be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4: 23, 24 NIV
This new self, this new sense of who we are, is created to be like God. This is not the self that Jesus is saying to deny because it is Godlike, which necessarily includes living in obedience to God’s commands. It’s the born-again self Jesus talks to Nicodemus about. The old self is the self we deny.
To be a disciple, you must be born again
And there’s another “requirement” to be a disciple of Jesus, to be born again. The phrase “born again” can also mean born from above, or understanding your true origin is spiritual. Jesus is emphatic to Nicodemus
You must be born again. John 3:7 NIV
In order to follow Jesus, we need to have a more spiritual perspective on ourselves and life in general.
What are some other things that a disciple of Jesus must be or do?
Why do you want to be a disciple?
Well, it’s important to understand why you want to follow Jesus in the first place. Is he just another inspired spiritual teacher? Or, do you want to follow him because he is the Messiah? You can follow him either way, but to experience the full impact of following Jesus, you really need to come to terms with the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.
There are lots of great spiritual teachers throughout history, but there is only one Messiah. It’s important to know who you’re following.
Once it’s clear Jesus is the Messiah, it gives you a reason to follow him, to be his disciple. And the things he demands of you make sense. For example, he says
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.” John 8:31 NLT
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. John 14:15 ESV
It’s really about the love we have for Jesus as the Messiah that impels us to follow his teachings and obey his commandments. If you say you believe in Jesus but don’t do what says to do, you’re not really one of his disciples, or at least not at that particular moment.
Now, don’t be too hard on yourself. We’ve all had times when we didn’t do exactly what Jesus wanted us to. You may be trying to follow Jesus’s teachings but find some of them harder than others. Do the best you can. Obey Jesus as much as you can and you’ll get better at it.
Love Jesus more
Let’s come back to that unusual demand I mentioned in my little imaginary trip back in time at the beginning of the episode. Jesus says,
If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26 NLT
That does sound pretty severe, doesn’t it? Would Jesus ask us to break the commandments to love you father and your mother, or to love your neighbor as yourself? I don’t think so.
One extension of the verb “to hate” in this passage can mean “to love less.” Jesus is saying our loyalty to and love for him must be more than for our closest relatives. It doesn’t mean you don’t love them, you just love Jesus more.
To be a disciple requires you bear fruit
Another thing that shows we are Jesus’s disciples is the fruit we bear. He says
For every tree is known by his own fruit. Luke 6:44 NIV
The most important fruit, or proof that you’re his disciple, is love for one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35 NIV
If you don’t love all other followers of Christ, even if you don’t agree with them on everything, then you are not one of his true followers, at least not in that area of your life. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you don’t love a fellow follower of Jesus, this is really an invitation directly from Christ to love that person or group. Even if you get off track for a minute or a season, you can always find love for someone when your heart is set on following Jesus.
Much fruit
Jesus expects us, as his followers, as his present day disciples, to bring forth much fruit. He expects us to follow his example in every area of his life, from the simple way he loved the lilies of the field to healing sickness and delivering people from the bondage of sin. He says,
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 NIV
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:5, 8 NIV
Jesus is saying our fruit is proof that we are his followers.
There have been times in my life where I was bearing much fruit. And it was because I was following Jesus in every way I knew how. But when I look back on the times in my life when there wasn’t much or any fruit, I realize I may have been following Jesus with the words that came out of my mouth, but not so much with my actions and attitudes.
Jesus makes it very clear that we have to remain in him, like a branch on a vine. We have to be faithful to him and his teachings by living them in our daily lives, in order to bear much fruit.
To be a disciple is demanding
Some of the expectations Jesus has for us as disciples are pretty demanding. For example, he says
those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. Luke 14:33 NIV
Does that mean we give away our houses, all our clothes, our money, all our possessions or we can’t be a disciple of Jesus?
This call, or demand to discipleship, actually has various levels. It could mean you sell everything you have and go to a foreign country on a mission to preach the gospel. Some people have done pretty much that at times in history. But on a deeper level, I think this demand is more a mental and spiritual one.
He doesn’t want us to be focused on material possessions and think that’s the purpose of life.
Giving everything to God
There have been times when I have given everything I have to God: my home, my bank account, my past mistakes and accomplishments, my hope and dreams for the future, my regrets about the past. Anything and everything, even myself, I have turned over to God and said, “God, here. Everything I have really belongs to you. Take me and all that I thought was mine and use it for Your glory.”
If you literally give up all you have and go live in a cave by yourself, what will that do to bring the kingdom of heaven to those who need it?
I think Jesus is also saying we have to give up all our self-will and pride, our opinions, our personal agendas and perspectives. These are the things that really get in the way and keep up from following Jesus.
Eat and drink Jesus?
And now for one of the most challenging things Jesus said, at least if you take it literally.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. John 6:54 NIV
Jesus does not come right out and make this statement as a command. It’s more of an observation of a great truth.
Taken as a metaphor, eating Jesus’s flesh and drinking his blood is the epitome of what it means to be his disciple and follow him.
Jesus didn’t expect people to each have a bite of his literal flesh or a sip of the actual blood running though his veins. He never gave anyone that opportunity.
But he does want us to “eat him up,” to “devour who he is,” so to speak, to take in and digest everything he says and does and let it feed our hearts hungry for things of the Spirit. Let it nourish us and strengthen us spiritually. Let the vital flow of his life refresh and revive us with spiritual inspiration.
To be a disciple of Jesus is to follow his example
In short, this demand to eat Jesus’s flesh and drink his blood, means to follow his life example, take his nature and his teachings into us, let them become part of us, and then let us live our lives the way he lived his.
There’s a lot more in the New Testament about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, but I’ve mentioned some of the most important ones. And it’s helpful to remember that everything Jesus expects of us, he knows we can do. And that word “do” is really important to Jesus.
He emphasized more than once that just calling him Lord was not enough. We can’t just repeat his words. We need to do the will of the Father in heaven.
Sometimes we talk of discipleship as a duty to Jesus. And it can be that, but Jesus didn’t come to earth just to fulfill some duty. He came as the very manifestation of God’s love. Everything he did was motivated by a deep pure love for God and every person on this earth throughout all time.
To truly be disciples of Jesus, we need to have the same love for God and all mankind that Jesus did. And of course, this goes hand in hand with our love for Jesus. Without this love in our hearts, we’re more like robotic manikins, going through motions but with no real life in them. With this love, we are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world today.
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Luke 9:23 NIV
23 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Luke 14:27 NIV
27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Ephesians 4:22 NIV
22 put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
Ephesians 4: 23, 24 NIV
23 be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
John 3:7 NIV
7 You must be born again.
John 8:31 NLT
31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.”
John 14:15 ESV
15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Luke 14:26 NLT
26 If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.
Luke 6:44 NIV
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit.
John 13:35 NIV
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 14:12 NIV
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
John 15:5, 8 NIV
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Luke 14:33 NIV
33 those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
John 6:54 NIV
54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
