"Come follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." -Matthew 4:19
In Matthew 4:19, Jesus invites two brothers, Peter and Andrew to follow him. They accept without hesitation, leaving their occupation as fishermen behind. A few verses later, Jesus extends the same invitation to another set of brothers, James and John. Immediately they decide to follow Jesus, also leaving their jobs, as well as their father, in the boat. Eventually, eight more men were invited, each one accepting the invitation to follow Jesus. I wonder if these twelve men knew what they were signing up for. I wonder if they knew the cost that each of them would pay -the ultimate sacrifice of their lives- for the sake of the Gospel.
- James, son of Zebedee (the Great)- beheaded in Jerusalem
- Philip- stoned and crucified in Hierapolis
- Matthew- beheaded in Ethiopia
- James, son of Alphaeus (the Less)- stoned in Jerusalem or Syria
- Peter- crucified upside down in Rome
- Andrew- crucified in Patras
- Judas/ Thaddeus- executed with arrows or a javelin in Armenia
- Bartholomew/ Nathanael- flaying and crucifixion (head down) in Armenia
- Thomas- thrown into an oven and speared in India
- Simon the Zealot- crucified upside down then sawn in-half
- John- though not dying a martyrs death, his life displayed a martyrs qualities of great suffering and persecution. Tradition has it that John escaped being put to death on several occasions, such as the time that he was scheduled to be boiled to death in oil, but God intervened. He died quietly in Ephesus
- Judas Iscariot- committed suicide after betraying Jesus
The twelve disciples weren't the only ones who suffered persecution and were killed for following Jesus. Acts 8 tells us that "great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem" and that "Saul began to destroy the church." Listed below are some of the other followers of Jesus from the early church who were killed for following Jesus:
- Stephen- stoned to death in Jerusalem
- Mark (John Mark)- dragged to death through the cobblestone streets of Alexandria
- Paul- beheaded just outside of Rome on the Ostian Way
- Matthias- either stoned to death or crucified and beheaded in Jerusalem
- Luke- hanged in Greece
*The above information about the deaths of the twelve disciples and the early church was collected from VOM Books, "Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs"
I wonder if these men knew the extent of what it would mean to follow Jesus.
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ met opposition as he taught his message of God's unconditional love. He himself was insulted, suffered torture and was brutally murdered. Just as Jesus committed to give his Father his all, the apostles and the early church committed to give Jesus their all. They believed Jesus when he told them, "...no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him." -John 13:16. They considered it an honor and a privilege to suffer for Jesus. "The apostles left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering for the Name." -Acts 5:41. The Apostle Paul wrote, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead." -Philippians 3:10-11. In 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, he goes on to boast about his sufferings for Jesus, "...I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again..." . Because of their commitment, followers of Jesus were made, the church grew and Christianity spread across the globe.
We should count the cost of what it means to follow Jesus.
I often consider the fact that being a Christian, a follower of Jesus, is so much more than just attending church. It's so much more than being in a small group or Bible study. It's even so much more than generously serving the oppressed and the needy if we're not giving Jesus our all- meaning selflessly sacrificing ourselves for the sake of others coming to faith in Jesus. Like our Lord himself, and his disciples after him, selfless sacrifice means expecting to suffer insults and/or persecution for the Name because Jesus did it and, "...no servant is greater than his master...".
Following Jesus means that I'll do as Jesus did, and that means that there is great risk involved. Risk of being known at work, or even at church, as one of those weird Jesus freaks; risk of not being in the "in crowd"; risk of dealing with opposition from people who don't have an understanding of who God really is. Chances are, we'll risk losing close relationships with friends and family members. And as we serve the oppressed and the needy, we need to risk sharing the love of Jesus with them. If we're not doing that, but rather serving for the sake of doing good deeds or to make ourselves look good to other people, then we missed the point and the purpose of following Jesus.
I saw a great Facebook post from a friend that said, " Being different comes with a price. I think that's why people find it so hard to be a christian and truly follow Christ. You have to be different, you're supposed to be different. If you're not you're doing something wrong. You're not going to be the same person you were and that's okay." It's true. And there will be people who don't like it and therefore there will be opposition. Opposition is something we should expect as a follower of Jesus. It is something that I've been thinking about recently and believe that it's something we should train for (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
Another thing that I often wonder about is if I would remain faithful to Jesus in the face of persecution. In the United States at this time, persecution for the most-part consists of insults, harassment and ridicule. The way that I think about it is that if I cannot even endure insults and ridicule, then chances are slim that I'll be able to endure severe persecution where my body is being physically harmed or where my life is being threatened.
God's Holy Spirit is the only way that these early followers of Jesus and our brothers and sisters who have been persecuted throughout the ages have been able to endure sometimes brutal persecution. It's also the only way that we'll be able to endure it. Staying connected to God through His Word (the Bible) and prayer, as well as to other like-minded believers, are essential as a follower of Jesus, especially as one who expects opposition from others and the sufferings and persecutions that come with it. If we are not connected to Him, then we'll never be able to stand for Jesus in the face of opposition and persecution if and when the time comes (John 15:4-5).
Consider counting the cost of following Jesus. How far are you willing to go? Is he worth it?
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ met opposition as he taught his message of God's unconditional love. He himself was insulted, suffered torture and was brutally murdered. Just as Jesus committed to give his Father his all, the apostles and the early church committed to give Jesus their all. They believed Jesus when he told them, "...no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him." -John 13:16. They considered it an honor and a privilege to suffer for Jesus. "The apostles left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering for the Name." -Acts 5:41. The Apostle Paul wrote, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead." -Philippians 3:10-11. In 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, he goes on to boast about his sufferings for Jesus, "...I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again..." . Because of their commitment, followers of Jesus were made, the church grew and Christianity spread across the globe.
We should count the cost of what it means to follow Jesus.
I often consider the fact that being a Christian, a follower of Jesus, is so much more than just attending church. It's so much more than being in a small group or Bible study. It's even so much more than generously serving the oppressed and the needy if we're not giving Jesus our all- meaning selflessly sacrificing ourselves for the sake of others coming to faith in Jesus. Like our Lord himself, and his disciples after him, selfless sacrifice means expecting to suffer insults and/or persecution for the Name because Jesus did it and, "...no servant is greater than his master...".
Following Jesus means that I'll do as Jesus did, and that means that there is great risk involved. Risk of being known at work, or even at church, as one of those weird Jesus freaks; risk of not being in the "in crowd"; risk of dealing with opposition from people who don't have an understanding of who God really is. Chances are, we'll risk losing close relationships with friends and family members. And as we serve the oppressed and the needy, we need to risk sharing the love of Jesus with them. If we're not doing that, but rather serving for the sake of doing good deeds or to make ourselves look good to other people, then we missed the point and the purpose of following Jesus.
I saw a great Facebook post from a friend that said, " Being different comes with a price. I think that's why people find it so hard to be a christian and truly follow Christ. You have to be different, you're supposed to be different. If you're not you're doing something wrong. You're not going to be the same person you were and that's okay." It's true. And there will be people who don't like it and therefore there will be opposition. Opposition is something we should expect as a follower of Jesus. It is something that I've been thinking about recently and believe that it's something we should train for (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
Another thing that I often wonder about is if I would remain faithful to Jesus in the face of persecution. In the United States at this time, persecution for the most-part consists of insults, harassment and ridicule. The way that I think about it is that if I cannot even endure insults and ridicule, then chances are slim that I'll be able to endure severe persecution where my body is being physically harmed or where my life is being threatened.
God's Holy Spirit is the only way that these early followers of Jesus and our brothers and sisters who have been persecuted throughout the ages have been able to endure sometimes brutal persecution. It's also the only way that we'll be able to endure it. Staying connected to God through His Word (the Bible) and prayer, as well as to other like-minded believers, are essential as a follower of Jesus, especially as one who expects opposition from others and the sufferings and persecutions that come with it. If we are not connected to Him, then we'll never be able to stand for Jesus in the face of opposition and persecution if and when the time comes (John 15:4-5).
Consider counting the cost of following Jesus. How far are you willing to go? Is he worth it?
1 comment:
Totally agree! I pray that I will be like the others before us and Stephen to take the persecution and see Jesus standing there beside the Father calling me toward Him (be it ridicule or death). May I stand with Jesus in His suffering and look totally different than the world because of my faith in Christ. I pray this for all who call upon the name of Jesus Christ.
Thanks Jason for sharing!
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