Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

Disgruntled aggravation settled in the lines of the disciples faces as the slap of sandals sounded on the hardened path behind them. Seriously!? This was not the plan. At all. Their schedule had effectively been dismantled by a horde of sticky-fingered, dusty, runny-nosed children, and now some crazy guy was racing up behind them, calling out to Jesus, actively thwarting their attempt to get on the road.  

Heaving irritated sighs, the disciples turned to watch as the young man screeched to a halt and dropped to his knees before Jesus. A quick perusal of his carriage and attire told his story. This wasn’t just some average guy. Although disheveled from his near-sprint through town, his wealth was glaringly apparent. Robe of the finest quality. Sandals of the best leather. Hands adorned with heavy gold rings. When his breathing calmed enough for him to speak, his voice was well modulated, his verbiage educated. The disciples wondered what he could possibly need from Jesus. 

Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait to find out. The first words breathlessly blurted out formed a question that had doubtless been eating away at his conscience for quite some time. “Teacher, what can I do to secure eternal life?” Silence fell over the disciples. The infernal bellyaching about a journey and timetable stopped. They gathered closer. Not in an effort to ward off the man. No. They didn’t want him to go anywhere. Not before they heard the answer to his question. If there was a way to buy, borrow, or earn eternal life, they absolutely wanted to know about it. If there was a neat trick, a side door, an easier way, they certainly wanted to use it. But their hope for such a clue was useless. There wasn’t one. Jesus’ answer was the same one they had been hearing all their lives. Obey the commandments. The ones everyone knows. Don’t kill. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t lie to, steal from, or defraud your neighbor. Respect and honor your parents. That was it. No side roads. No tricks. No surprises. Keep the law. It was that simple. They had been doing it their entire lives. 

An enormous sigh of relief echoed from the young man before them at the realization. Worry lines relaxed in a smile. This was good news. He was already safe. He’d learned to keep all those commands as a child. He’d been raised to strictly adhere to those principles. His worries had been for nothing. Random kernels of thought blown out of proportion. What a relief! This eternal life thing was easier than he’d anticipated! His life didn’t need to change at all. Except it did.

Unfortunately for the young man, his celebratory congratulations were premature. Jesus wasn’t finished speaking. His next words fell like grenades into the lightened heart of the rich young man. Heavy words. Hard words. Honest words. Words laced with the everlasting love of the God who is unwilling that anyone should perish in their sins and wants everyone to have eternal life. “Sell it all. Everything you own. Houses. Vineyards. Flocks. Herds. Elaborate jewelry. Embroidered cloaks. Costly sandals. Give it all up. Sell it all. Give the earnings away. Feed the orphans. Pay the widow’s bills. Donate to the poorhouse. When it is all gone, when everything you hold dear on this earth has become nothing to you, come, follow Me.” (Mark 10:13-22; II Peter 3:9)

Centuries later, in another time, another place, a different society, it is impossible for us to fully comprehend the impact of those words on that young man. We can only know how they would affect us today. Having found our security in our physical abilities, mental faculties, and financial accounts, our hearts quake at the very thought of letting go of it all to blindly follow Jesus Christ! Our hearts and minds stop just short of unequivocal surrendering everything to God so He can accomplish His will, His way. The very concept causes our fingers to involuntarily tighten around the imaginary controls of our lives. Standing utterly still, we carefully weigh the cost. Is relinquishing everything to gain the One thing worth anything really worth it? 

The young man must have felt something similar. Staggering under the weight of Jesus’ words, his eyes filled with tears. He thought of his comfortable bed, cushy sandals, soft robes. He considered his servants, houses, and lands. He mentally tallied his gold and silver. He remembered the parties and friends and festivities of his current lifestyle. And he made his choice. The cost was too great. His things too important. He loved them far too much. Standing there in that crossroads, weighing the earthly against the eternal, he made his final determination. Following Jesus simply wasn’t worth it. Lowering his eyes, he backed away, surrendering his life to the world and his eternity to damnation. His expensive sandals were nearly sounless as he disappeared down the road. His choice told the story. He got the answer he came for, but not the answer he wanted. He chose to exchange his soul for the world. 

Astonishment covered the disciples’ faces. They were acutely familiar with leaving everything behind to follow Jesus. They had done it themselves. Laid aside their nets. Abandon their boats. Forfeited their livelihoods. Admittedly, they hadn’t had as much to lose. They weren’t living in the lap of luxury. Eating bonbons. Entertaining beautiful women. Nothing currently in their world held them back. Not the boat, the net, the fish, the sea. Not James and John’s father. Not one stopped to question what they would eat, where they would sleep, or how they would survive. They simply chose to abandon everything earthly for the glorious opportunity to walk with Jesus for eternity. Why? Because their hearts knew what their minds were only still grasping. Jesus was worth it. (Mark 1:16-20)

So worth it, in fact, that they followed immediately. There was no hesitation. No hosting farewell parties. No visiting relatives. No sorting and packing, and closing up their homes. Jesus said, “Follow me,” and they did. Immediately. Even Matthew. Sitting in his tax booth, Matthew was busy. People were lined up waiting their turn at his window. He had a job to do right where he was. Authorities relied on him to do his job. His paycheck was dependable. Yet, when Jesus called, he immediately hung his “Closed” sign in the window, hopped out of his booth, resigned from his job, and signed on for a future of preaching, persecution, and poverty. Why? Because Matthew knew the tallies. He knew the earthly cost of following Jesus was far less than the eternal cost of denying Him. (Mark 2:13-15)

He wouldn’t be the last to decide this. The Bible teems with accounts of individuals who gave up security, dignity, prosperity, and social safety because they deemed Jesus worth it. Martyrs of the faith, like Stephen. Offenders turned defenders of the faith like Saul turned Paul. Preachers and missionaries of the Gospel when it wasn’t popular or prosperous. Philip. Silas. Barnabas. Followers of Jesus Christ who refused to be deterred by persistent confrontation, raging persecution, or threat of prosecution. People who believed with every fiber of their being that following Jesus was worth anything, even if it required giving up everything, because their lives would be worth nothing unless they gained the One thing worth having–the daily presence of Jesus Christ in their lives. (Acts 4-28)

Accounts of people making that bold choice are not limited to the tissue pages of your Bible and yellowed pages of history books. People consistently give their lives, their resources, their time, their talents completely to Christ, deeming nothing worth more than following Him. People from your lifetime, your list of acquaintances, your neighbors, your friends. People who so strongly believe Jesus is worth everything, worth anything, that they have sacrificed it all to follow Him. Maybe you have watched their lives, been astonished at what they have been willing to give up, leave behind, or deny themselves. Perhaps you have shaken your head and wondered how they were going to live without constant internet access, shopping, recreation, family, or friends. Maybe you have heard the call yourself, but are hesitant. Weighing the options. Wondering if full surrender and absolute abandonment of your own selfish pursuits is truly worth it. Hear me when I say this. It is. Following Jesus is worth anything, worth everything. No matter what. But you have to choose it for yourself. You have to relinquish yourself willingly. God will never take the wheel without you asking. He won’t hook up a tow and forcibly drag you His way. He will call. The choice to follow will always be yours alone. 

Knowing that truth, I feel compelled to ask, how much is Jesus worth to you? Is He worth more than the boat and house, and vacation? Is your relationship with Christ worth more than your social status, friend count, or family connections? Is following Him more important than chasing a list of achievements, accolades, and adulations? Is Jesus worth more to you than the new job, the college acceptance, the team win? Would you sacrifice the earthly to gain the eternal? Is Jesus worth anything to you? Is He worth everything to you? What place does Jesus hold in your life? Are you willing to answer His call to lay it all down, set it all aside, sell it, drop it, give it away, and come, follow Him? Right now? Today? (Mark 10:23-31)

If you don’t have an answer, friend, you need one. Just as He did the rich young ruler, the disciples, the saints who decorate the halls of time, Jesus is calling. Calling you. He’s saying the same thing he said to each of them in one manner or another. “Lay it all down. Give it all up. Come. Follow Me. Completely. Immediately.” Only you can choose the answer. Only you know if there is anything in your life that keeps you from wholly following Jesus. Earthly comfort. Social accolades. Worldly ideals. Only you can decide if He is worth it. But weigh it wisely. Think long and hard. Ask yourself serious questions. With this world passing away and eternity stretching before you, is it worth it to trade the eternal for the earthly? Is following Jesus worth it to you? Worth everything? Worth anything? Worth losing the world but gaining your soul? Do you know and believe in the heart of your being that following Jesus is worth anything, even if it means sacrificing everything, to gain the one thing most worth having? “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27; Philippians 3:7-8)

In New Testament parables, Jesus tells of a man who uncovered great treasure buried in a field. Desiring the treasure for his own, he sold everything he had to buy the field. Another man, a sea merchant, upon laying eyes on a pearl of enormous value, so desperately desired to have it that he sold everything he owned to buy it. The correlation is clear even if the question is only implied. Is Jesus your treasure, your pearl of great price? Is He worth everything, worth anything? Have you chosen Him above all things? In a world where you can have anything, have you chosen the One thing that is worth more than everything? I hope you have. I hope you do. I hope you, like the disciples, find the permanent presence of Jesus Christ to be worth more than the passing presents of this world. Poised on earth, gazing into the foreverness of eternity, weighing your options, I hope you choose Jesus. More than everything. More than anything. May you know and believe that following Jesus is worth it. (Matthew 13:44-46, 16:24, 19:29; Luke 9:23, 12:33; Mark 8:34-35; John 12:26)