Sunday
School Lessons
Commentary by Walter Albritton
May 11
A Genuine Disciple Will Listen to Jesus and
Obey Him
Mark
Key Verse: [Jesus] asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”
--Mark
Once I asked a key
leader of my church, “When did you become a disciple of Jesus?” He replied, “I
have been a Christian all my life. My parents took me to church when I was a
baby, and I have been going ever since.”
I realized he was
confused about what it means to be a Christian. Attending church all your life
does not make you a disciple of Jesus.
You become a disciple
of Jesus when you acknowledge that you are a sinner, ask God to forgive you for
your sins, and accept Christ into your heart as your Savior and Lord. God
rewards this intentional decision to trust Jesus with the gift of salvation.
The promise of God is
made clear by
If indeed we grow up
within the church, we gradually learn many wonderful things about Jesus and
about ourselves. We discover that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and that we, as
little children, are his lambs.
We learn that Jesus is our friend, and that he
loves us. We learn that Jesus is a great teacher, perhaps the greatest teacher
who has ever lived. We may even think of him as a great prophet.
As wonderful as all
this is, it is not until we begin to understand the divine identity of Jesus
that we are ready to become his disciples. This is often for many of us a
“revelation” moment, as it was for Peter, when God revealed to him that Jesus
was the Messiah.
Such a moment usually
brings us to our knees in surrender. We realize that Jesus was more than a
friend, more than a great teacher, and more than one of the prophets. He was
truly the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the King of kings, and Lord of
Lords.
Belief in the
resurrection of Jesus is part of this equation. We realize that Jesus was not
only an historical person, like Abraham and Isaac, but that He is alive today!
So, convinced that He lives, we surrender to
him, as in the humble words of the familiar song, “Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way! Hold o’er my being Absolute sway! Fill with thy spirit Till
all shall see Christ only, always, living in me.”
Genuine discipleship
begins with such a surrender. It continues as we “listen” to Jesus, and obey
him. To follow Jesus is to trust his guidance in our everyday lives. We find
that where once we admired Jesus, now we want with all our hearts to please
him.
On the mount of
transfiguration, Peter, James, and John heard some of the best advice God has
ever given: “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Actually, God gives
us also that admonition: “Listen to Jesus!”
He lives. He speaks.
He guides. He provides. He shows us how to live. He tells us what we are to do
to honor him as faithful disciples today.
When we truly listen
to Jesus, we understand that real discipleship is much more than attending
church. It is sometimes paying a great price to follow Jesus. The road home is
characterized by sacrifice. The old gospel song sums it up quite well: “I must
needs go home by the way of the Cross; the way of the Cross leads home.”
May God give us grace
not to flinch when genuinely following Jesus requires that we take up our cross
and walk on in faith. + + + +