Putting Jesus First

Jesus’ call to leave everything behind to follow Him is one of the most challenging and radical teachings in Scripture. In Luke 18:29, when Peter asks Jesus what the disciples will receive for leaving everything to follow Him, Jesus responds with a promise: “Truly, I tell you, no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

At first glance, this may seem harsh, even unloving. After all, how could Jesus, who teaches us to love our neighbors, ask us to leave behind family and loved ones? But Jesus’ teaching is deeply profound and rooted in the reality that following Him means that our relationship with Him must surpass all other relationships. When we choose to follow Jesus, we are called to prioritize His kingdom above everything else, even our most cherished earthly connections.

When Jesus speaks of leaving behind “home, wife, brothers, parents, and children,” He is addressing the very things that are most important to us. These are not just random relationships, these are the people and places that give us security, love, and identity. For the people in Jesus’ day, family and community were everything. Yet, Jesus is teaching us that our loyalty to Him must transcend all else. This does not mean we hate or despise our families; rather, it means we love Jesus so fully, so intensely, that every other relationship is secondary to our devotion to Him. This is the radical nature of discipleship.

Jesus made it clear that following Him requires an absolute commitment. In Matthew 10:37, He said, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” The comparison Jesus makes here might seem shocking: how can He demand that we love Him more than our own families? The key is that Jesus is calling us to a love that surpasses all other loves. It’s not about rejecting our families, but about putting Christ at the center of our lives, allowing Him to be the source and foundation of all our other relationships.

But here’s the crucial part: Jesus’ call to leave things behind is not a call to abandon people for the sake of abandoning them. He is not asking us to sever ties with our families or friends as a mere act of self-righteousness. It is about recognizing that when our loved ones do not share our commitment to Christ, they might unintentionally draw us away from our devotion to Him. This is why we must be careful about the influence of those around us, especially when they do not understand the depth of our calling to follow Jesus.

Now, what happens when those we love want to come with us to serve Jesus, but they do not share the same passion for Him? What if they want to be part of this journey but are not yet ready to surrender to Jesus in the same way? This is where we face a crucial choice.

If they are willing to follow Jesus, then, by all means, we welcome them to walk alongside us. The mission of the Gospel is always inclusive, inviting others to join in the journey of faith. If our family members, friends, or loved ones desire to follow Jesus and are willing to make the same sacrifices we are making for His kingdom, then we joyfully embrace them. The Bible calls us to share our faith with others, to be witnesses of the love and truth of Christ. If they come to Jesus with genuine faith and a willingness to follow Him wholeheartedly, they become part of the same family of God, the body of Christ.

However, what if they are not ready to follow Jesus in the same way? What if their commitment to Him is conditional, or if they are still attached to things of this world that would prevent them from fully living for Christ? In those cases, we must follow Jesus, even if it means walking alone for a time. This doesn’t mean abandoning them, but it means that our commitment to Christ must come first, even if others are not ready to join us. This is not easy, and it can be painful, but the call to follow Christ is not about compromise—it’s about absolute surrender.

Jesus Himself faced rejection from His own family. In Mark 3:21, when His family heard what He was doing, they went to take Him home, thinking He was out of His mind. They didn’t understand His mission. Yet, Jesus did not stop His work or compromise His message in order to appease them. Instead, He said, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35). In this moment, Jesus redefined family, showing that those who do the will of God, who follow Him, are His true family.

Similarly, when we follow Jesus, we may experience moments of rejection or misunderstanding from those closest to us. It’s painful, but the message is clear: our ultimate loyalty must be to Christ. If those around us do not share the same commitment to His kingdom, we cannot allow that to hold us back. We must move forward, trusting that God’s plan is greater than any human relationship.

That doesn’t mean we abandon our family members or stop loving them. On the contrary, we are called to love them deeply, even if they don’t share our faith. But it does mean that we cannot allow any relationship, no matter how dear, to take priority over our relationship with Christ. The Gospel calls us to be willing to follow Jesus, even if it means walking a different path than those we love. Our greatest calling is to live for God’s kingdom, and sometimes that means leaving behind what is comfortable and familiar.

In the end, Jesus promises us a great reward for our sacrifices. He assures us that those who leave behind family, possessions, and comfort for the sake of His kingdom will receive “many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” The blessings of following Jesus are both present and future. In this life, we receive the fellowship of believers, a new family in Christ, who encourage and support us in our faith. We also receive the peace and joy that come from living in alignment with God’s will. And in the age to come, we receive eternal life, a life that far outweighs any earthly sacrifice.

To follow Jesus means to prioritize Him above all else. It means being willing to leave behind anything that could keep us from fully pursuing Him. But it also means that if those we love are willing to join us in this journey, we welcome them with open arms. If they are not ready, we continue to follow Jesus, trusting that He will be our strength and our guide. Following Him is the greatest decision we can make, and though it may cost us, the rewards are eternal.

I hope this message blessed you. If so, please leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.

AMKCH  2022

The image is AI generated on chatgpt.