The Beautiful Invitation of Discipleship

I’ll admit that my posts tend to lean much more toward challenging than affirming.

I often feel compelled to point out areas of biblical teaching that I feel the church has neglected.

Believe it or not, I try not to be rude as I do so. I try not to ‘throw out the baby with the bathwater.

I try not to swing the pendulum from one extreme to another.

But still, perhaps my tone seems overly critical at times?

Today, I simply want to say that the what might legitimately be perceived as the demands of Jesus on those who would be his disciples should also be heard as a loving invitation.

Nobody HAS to follow Jesus.

Plenty of people – the majority of people – do not.

Many people who ‘believe in’ Jesus don’t really follow him (there I go again).

Jesus gives us a wonderful invitation.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Wow!

He says hear that his way of life is a way of rest for our souls.

You know, Jesus’ core teaching isn’t immensely complicated theologically.

He takes the complex, detailed and wearisome instruction of the Pharisees and provides a simple alternative.

We don’t all need to be astute theologians.

We don’t have to keep checklists of morality.

But we do need to do one hard – and yet wonderful – thing.

We need to give up. Give up our rights to decide everything for ourselves. Give up our strivings to make our own way in the world. To make a name for ourselves. To climb the ladder.

Jesus promises us that we can find life. That we can be set free!

But first we have to give up.