Luke 9:24

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 9:24 

“And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” – Luke 9:24  

First, I want to say I had to miss our Verse of the Day for Monday and Tuesday of this week due to some medical issues.  But now things are better, Praise God.

This verse is an important statement from Jesus, for it tells them what is required to be a true disciple of His.  Three conditions of discipleship are laid out. We will be looking at these three conditions listed here. The first involves a need to deny oneself. This is much more radical than simply a denial of certain things. This mandates a rejection of a life based on self-interest and self-fulfillment. Instead a disciple is to be one who seeks to fulfill the will and the teachings of Christ. Another metaphor to express this act of commitment is to hate one’s own life. 

The second condition involves the need to take up one’s cross. Jesus’ own crucifixion reveals more fully to Luke’s readers that this call is for a commitment unto death. There needs to be willingness to suffer martyrdom if need be.  Luke added the need to do this daily “and take up his cross daily”,  whereas Mark emphasized the initial act of denying oneself once and for all. “And He summoned the multitude with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.“ Mark 8:34.  Both are saying the same basic thing, for taking up His cross should be something we do daily, but even more as what Francis Schaeffer would say, “moment by moment.”

The final condition is the need to follow Jesus. In contrast to the other conditions this verb is a present imperative, indicating that following Jesus must be continual.  Following Jesus means striving to be like Him. He always obeyed His Father, so that’s what we should strive to do. To truly follow Christ means to make Him Lord. Every decision and dream is filtered through His Word with the goal of glorifying Him in everything. We are not saved by the things we do for Christ but by what He has done for us. Because of His grace, we want to please Him in everything. All this is accomplished as we allow the Holy Spirit to have complete control of every area of our lives. To follow Christ means we apply the truths we learn from His Word and live as if Jesus walked beside us in person.

Now He goes on to explain the why.  He starts by our lives.  “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” Luke 9:24-25.  That is, do we wish to save our life here at the expense of our conscience and ultimately our eternal life with Christ? By casting aside the cross, we will lose our eternal life; the very evil we wish to avoid shall overtake us while losing our soul in the bargain. See then how necessary it is to renounce ourselves, for whatsoever a man loses in this world, for his steady attachment to Christ and his cause, he shall receive infinitely more in our eternal life.

And “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:25-26. When denying Christ, man does not profit in anything, but actually loses everything. This is essentially a proverb stating that one should live in light of ultimate values. The loss of one’s soul and experiencing God’s judgment is far too great a price to pay for possessing the whole world. To be ashamed of Him is the same as disowning Him.  And when we do this, at His coming, He will disown us in the presence of the Father and the angels. 

And then He closes with this. “But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:27. There is a lot of questions regarding what this means.  However, I see this as referring to His resurrection.  He has been given all authority, meaning that His kingdom is here.  “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.  Some who were with Him there would be alive at His resurrection, and ultimately His Lordship, but some would not.  I see this as picturing His kingdom as coming within a short period of time, for some would still be alive.  

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Mark 10:44

Verse of the Day Devotion Mark 10:44 

“And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” – Mark 10:44 

These words of Jesus were spoken due to a question asked by James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  “Grant that we may sit in Your glory, one on Your right, and one on Your left.” Mark 10:37. Jesus then responds with a question of His own. “You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” Mark 10:38.  In the scriptures, to drink of a cup is figurative o being filled with either good or of ill things.  Here, Jesus is referring to a cup of suffering.  The object of this question seems to have been to see how far those two men were capable of the dignity to which they aspired and this on the principle that he who is able to suffer most for His sake will be the nearest to Him in His kingdom. They responded by saying, “We are able.” Mark 10:38a.  Then Jesus responds by telling them they will suffer. “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.” Mark 10:39. And then He adds, “But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Mark 10:40.  It was not His choice, but it is for those who they were prepared for.

Now the disciples other ten were indignant with their request.  But Jesus calls them together and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.” Mark 10:42.  The leaders in that time period did not lead the people but ruled over the people.  But this is not what Jesus wanted of His disciples.  “But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” Mark 10:43-44.  And then He makes it clear that they should follow His way regarding this.  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45.

At no place do the ethics of the Kingdom of God clash more vigorously with the ethics of the world than in the matters of power and service. The ideas that Jesus presents regarding rule and service are combined in a way that finds no obvious precedent in either the Old Testament or Jewish tradition. In a decisive reversal of values, Jesus speaks of greatness in service rather than greatness of power, prestige, and authority: whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  Theologian James R. Edwards wrote, “The preeminent virtue of God’s kingdom is not power, not even freedom, but service.  Ironically, greatness belongs to the one who is not great, but the diakonos, the ordinary Greek word for waiting on tables. The preeminence of service in the kingdom of God grows out of Jesus’ teaching on love for one’s neighbor, for service is love made tangible.”

Another interesting point here is where He tells the disciples in our focus verse, “and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all”. Mark 10:44.  The pronouncement is, of course, an oxymoron, for a slave, who was inferior even to a servant, was in ancient society the last and least of all. The idea of a slave being first is as absurdly paradoxical as a camel going through the eye of a needle (see Mark 10:25) and it probably induced smiles and shaking heads from Jesus’ audience.  But this must be our way.  Too many leaders today believe that people should serve them rather than serving the people.  We see this in our governments, places of employment, and many churches as well.  Now I am not saying all regarding these three categories,  but speaking regarding churches, I have seen this more often than I imagined.  The desire for power and dominance focuses attention on self and this kills love, for love by nature is focused on others. The Christian fellowship does not exist for their sake, but others. Neither is the apostle or Christian leader above the congregation, but part of it. The congregation does not belong to him; rather, he belongs to the congregation and the Church itself belongs to Christ.

In closing, what Jesus teaches about service and self-sacrifice is not simply a principle of the kingdom of God but a pattern of his own life that is authoritative for and transferable to disciples. The ‘for’ at the beginning of verse 45 has a strong and important purpose: disciples should adopt the posture of servants and slaves not on the basis of ethical reasoning but because it is the way of the Son of Man. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45. The life to which the gospel calls believers is not an ethical system but the way of the Lord, of which Jesus is the pattern and incarnation. This model of ministry cannot come from the secular order, but only from the unique way of Jesus, which defies the logic of this world and its fascination with dominance, control, yields, results, and outcomes. The key to the model commanded by Jesus is in the verbs ‘to serve’ and ‘to give.’ The reason why a servant is the most preeminent position in the kingdom of God is that the sole function of a servant is, through love, to give, and giving is the essence of God.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Mark 8:34

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Mark 8:34  

“And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, if anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” – Mark 8:34

Jesus here is speaking to the disciples and the crowd that was there with them about what was going to take place.  “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Mark 8:31.  He told them the Jewish leadership would get Him killed, however He would rise from the grave in three days.  After He clearly states this, Peter pulls Him aside and literally rebukes Him.  What is interesting is that, knowing who He was, he felt it necessary to rebuke the Son of God.  “But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Mark 8:33.  The reason for this rebuke is that Peter was minimizing the will of the God and usurping it with his own will.  This shows Peter still did not fully understand Jesus’ purpose here. 

So, in our focus verse, Jesus summoned them all together and told them what He required from His followers.  “And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” Mark 8:34.  Now, these words of Jesus were similar to the principal qualities required of a proselyte to Judaism. 

The first principal being that proselytes must embrace the Jewish religion voluntarily, and that neither force or influence has anything to do with this decision (if anyone wishes to come after me). 

Second, they must completely renounce and separate themselves from  their former religion and its beliefs and ways (he must deny himself).  He must deny his former life and be reborn.  “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Third, he must submit to the yoke of the Jewish law (he must take up his cross).  However, instead of the yolk of the law.  Jesus speaks of the yoke of His teachings.  “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 11:29-30.  His teachings are less burdensome and onerous then the Jewish yoke of the Law of Moses. 

And lastly, he must solemnly and honestly engage to continue in the Jewish faith (and follow me).  This condition Christ also requires; and it is comprised in this word, ‘let him Follow me’.  In following Him, they agree to adopt the teachings and ways of Christ. 

One other idea within this verse is that they are putting their lives on the line by following Him.  Note here the phrase, ‘he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.’  No matter any danger that may come as a result of them following Christ, they must continue with Him.  He must put Christ ahead of himself and if required, take up the cross and sacrifice himself.  Following Jesus requires continuing and non-stop determination to stick to the chosen path. 

To follow Christ can be a difficult task, but it is following the truth.  In the first century it was a dangerous decision due to the Jewish leadership and the Roman government.  And we are beginning to see similar situations in our world today.  There is definitely movement to seriously restrict Christians in their beliefs and even in their speech.  So, as Jesus spoke to the crown around Him, so He speaks to us today.  “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”  Mark 8:35-38.    

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 20:26

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 20:26 

“It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,” – Matthew 20:26    

I worked at many different companies in my time prior to retirement.  I had places I enjoyed working at and places I very much did not.  I distinctly remember a company I went to immediately after my discharge from the Air Force.  It was a service bureau in Miami, FL where banks used their computer to process all banking functions.  I was working around sixty hours a week, but it was a good job to start my non-Military career.  After about two months, my parents wanted to visit me from Washington State.  I figured I could spend time with them in my off hours, but I wanted one day to spend with them.  So, I asked my supervisor for one day off.  He looked at me and said, this is no lie, “This job is more important than your parents, this job is more important than your church, this job is more important than anything else in your life.”  I could not believe He said that.  However, I responded with, “I’m sorry, but this job is nothing more than a paycheck in my pocket.”  I then went back to my chair and turned the newspaper to the want ads, right there in front of him.  And by God’s grace, I had a great new job in three weeks.

This is an example of how many companies back in the late 1970s, yes I am that old, treated their employees.  If he would have told me in a nicer way, I may not have responded as I did.  However, this was in many ways the norm.  Jesus tells His disciples that the rulers of the Gentiles were extremely overbearing to those who worked for them. “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.” Matthew 20:25. They were far more arrogant and harsher than my boss, but it was typical back then.  Even today there are many bosses who lord over their employees.  However, according to our focus verse, this is not the way the leaders of the church are to act.

In the world, if anyone wants to be great in their company, they will take charge and order others around.  However, this is the opposite of how leaders in the church should act.  “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,“ Matthew 20:26, our focus verse.  This is understandable, in fact, the work environment today exhibits this tendency.  But then He takes it a step farther.  “And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;” Matthew 20:27.  This goes against the way of the world where leaders lead and workers work.  He says that those who want to lead must work with and be willing to work for others.  Theologian Adam Clarke puts it this way.  “A minister of Christ is not to consider himself a lord over Christ’s flock.”  He is not to become a taskmaster, but a co-worker who guides the work while training them how to train others. 

We are always looking at Christ as an example of how we are to live our lives, and this idea is not any different.  For He completes this teaching with Himself as the example.  “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:28.  In all ways, we are to be like Christ.  He did not come to be served by us, He came to serve us, all mankind.  To give His life as a means for our salvation.  He taught them truth and the ways of God.  But He did not expect anything in return but for them to do the same, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20. 

And this is our calling.  To go out and do the same as He called them to do.  Not necessarily to send others out, but to go out ourselves.  To call the unsaved to Christ, disciple them in this Christian walk, and teach them to make disciples who will  call the unsaved to Christ, discipling then in this Christian walk, and then to make disciples themselves.  Jesus calls us to humble ourselves and do His work on the earth, giving our lives in service to Him, doing as He desires.  Just as He gave His life in service to His Father, doing what He desired.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.