Jesus had just entered Jerusalem at the center of a cheering crowd.  He had cleansed the temple, and angered religious leaders.  He had challenged temple officials, and He'd done it all without asking permission or taking a poll.  Big changes in a church usually cause an uproar, but are best made deliberately, and without hesitation.  For our Lord's critics, His radical behavior was the last straw.  They met and decided it was time for Jesus of Nazareth to be removed - forever.

          There's much drama and intrigue in these last days.  Beggars and pickpockets mingled among the pilgrims and sightseers.  Religious leaders were nervously preparing for the Passover.  Police were on high alert for the terrorism of the Zealots.  Merchants and hawkers of wares were prepared for the Passover sales rush.  Jesus of Nazareth was a known man who knew He was walking the streets of Jerusalem the last time.  His disciples sensed something brewing, but weren't sure what it was.

          In the midst of all the mayhem and mild hysteria, some Greeks wanted to see Jesus.  They came to Philip, perhaps because Philip was a Greek name, and they politely asked to see Jesus.  Philip wasn't sure.  Maybe it was a trick.  Maybe Jesus didn't want to see Greeks right then.  So he asked Andrew and together they went to Jesus.

          The coming of these Greeks seemed to disturb the Lord.  Not because they were Gentiles, but because, in Jesus' words, "The hour has come..." (John 12:23)   These Greeks represented a whole world of people outside the Jewish faith, who were seeking God.  Their coming meant most of His fellow Jews had rejected Him.  It meant He must now begin walking the road of suffering, pushing ahead through the Last Supper, the arrest and trial, the humiliations and beatings, and the final bitter walk to Calvary, carrying the weight of the sins of the world.

          Most people still struggle with talk of sin.  We'd rather hear only good things about ourselves.  We don't like to hear negative talk.  Years ago a cartoon going around the office caught my eye.  Dennis the Menace was coming out of church with his parents and said to the pastor, "Next Sunday, just for fun, could you tell us what we're doin' right?"  Now there's a message!  We aren't very good at telling others what they're doing right.  It's easier to notice the bad, especially if we're looking for it.  Sometimes it just seems easier to frown than to smile.

          If you're trying to make a change, you must expect frowns.  Old, worn-out ways can't be sugar-coated for long.  Jesus knew what was coming.  He could have jumped ship on His mission.  He'd heard enough complaints about His message and ministry that He easily might have piloted Himself back to heaven.  And many people would have applauded that as a courageous act, that He was right in quitting.

          But cowardice was not needed, then or now.  Endurance, walking the road, and paying the high cost of following God - that's what was needed.  Jesus would take a bullet for us, pay the ultimate price.  To retreat might be what some would do, but Jesus stayed the course and paid the price.  The hour had come.  This was His defining moment.  God had sent him on a mission of liberation.  He had to take the risk, because He had come for just this moment, for such a time as this.

          In a recent article, Jim Nelson Black, author of When Nations Die, said that for America, these days may be our defining moment.  He made a strong argument for Christians to be involved in politics so as to stop the onward march of those who are changing our cultural values.  He quoted William Penn who said, "Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants."  Author Black stated, "If men and women of conviction will rise with purpose, speak the truth in love, and become engaged in the battle for America's soul -- in their homes, neighborhoods, schools and workplaces -- if they will go to the polls with passion, then we may see meaningful change take place.  But we must begin now."

          Defining moments will come to us, and when they come we must either take action, even it others might be against it, or else miss our chance.  If it's right to do, and we don't take the courageous step, we will miss our defining moment.

          We must not turn our backs on the right path just because the path seems hard.  We must be willing to pay the cost of doing right.  Jesus knew this, so He kept going, walking His path, from heaven to Bethlehem, from Bethlehem to Galilee, from Galilee to Jerusalem, from Jerusalem to Calvary, and finally from Calvary to the grave.  Everything pointed to this moment.  All He had done was for such a time as this.

          One of the least known books of the Old Testament is the book of Esther.  It's about a lovely Jewish woman who becomes a queen.  Through her uncle Mordecai, she learns that Haman, official to her husband King Xerxes, has hatched a plot to kill all the Jews in Persia.  Mordecai urges her to go to the King about this, to approach him without an invitation, a breach of protocol that could cost her life.  He says she must do this to save her people, even if it means losing her own life.  He pleads that she is the only one who can save the Jews, that God has put her to a royal position to do so, as he said, "And who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)   Esther took the chance and her people were saved, and for her bravery, Esther has been remembered each year in the Jewish fall festival of Purim.

          Esther is a "type" of Christ - what she did foreshadowed what He would do.  He was a Savior willing to take a chance on us.  He faced the authorities for the sake of sinful people, but things didn't turn out for Jesus so well as they did for Esther.  He was arrested and beaten.  He was accused and condemned.  He was nailed to a cross and died.  Like a kernel of wheat, He was cast into the ground to die.  And like a heavenly seed, He arose to give new life to you and for me.

          If Christ had not died, you and I would have no hope.  If the seed had not been cast into the ground, it would have been useless, a museum piece to admire.  Without Christ taking a chance, we would have nothing but this earthly life, and the prospect of living only this life is a dim future indeed.

          This message today is called, "The Cost of following Jesus."  It comes from the words of the text, "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor him who serves me."

          It's not possible to be a follower of Jesus without some kind of cost.  Sometimes the cost is our time or offerings.  Sometimes the cost is doing things we'd rather not do.  Sometimes it's a long meeting or sore muscles, and sometimes it's just embarrassment.  But the real cost that separates the disciples from the wannabees, is measured by our courage to stand up for God's truth.  It's standing to be counted for Christ.  It's speaking God's truth the best we can, in love, without hiding behind our excuses.  If we want to be His followers, there will be a cost.

          To be His disciples, you and I must have courage to look beyond ourselves.  We must face the truth about ourselves.  We can't wait till later, till we have time, or till things get better, to seek a relationship with Jesus.  We must set aside our cares and pet projects and pet gripes and let Jesus lead us.

          That's the cost of following Jesus.  It's not just church attendance, or Bible study, or daily prayer.  It's hating the things that we like that draw us away from God.  It's being in a healthy relationship with God and with His people.  It's asking forgiveness even when we aren't sure why, it's forgiving even when the other hasn't asked for it, it's being willing to lay aside things that don't matter.  It's not sweating the small stuff.

          Jesus once said, "A student is not above his teacher." (Matthew 10:24)   To follow Jesus requires courageous deeds and loving the unlovable.  Following Christ will not be a safe and easy road.  Loving people takes a big heart and a boatload of courage.

          What would you and I have done, if we had met Jesus?  Would we have left all to follow Him, or would we have played it safe?  Thanks be to God that Jesus stayed the course, that He paid the price.  Thanks be to God you and I don't have to go to the cross, because He's already been there - for us.  And thanks be to God we live in a nation where we can follow Jesus without fear.  Amen

Copyright © 2003 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.