Disciples Are Made, Not Born
Introduction: Christians are born, but disciples are made. When I say that Christians are born, I mean that they are born again, born from above in a moment of time when they turn in faith to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Disciples, on the other hand, are made, not born. When Jesus gave the great commission to his disciples in Matthew 28:19, he said, “Go, therefore, and make disciples.” One does not become a disciple instantaneously. It is a process, a lifelong process.
As we continue our study of the Gospel of Luke this morning, we come to the ninth chapter and a series of stories that are arranged together because they have one primary thing in common – the training of the Twelve. As we read these first 27 verses, I want us to observe how Jesus turned this rag-tag group of followers into committed disciples:
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere … (Skip down to verse 10).
When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”
He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish – unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” (About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
I find here four principles or steps concerning how disciples are made.
Disciples must get their feet wet in ministry.
It is difficult for us to grasp the passage of time in the gospels, but about two years have already passed since the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He has called twelve men to be his ambassadors, and He has taught them through His discourses and His miracles. But now it is time for them to go out on their own.
It is human nature, you know, to sit and soak and sour if we do not put knowledge into practice. If these men are to go to the next level, it will only be as they are released for personal ministry. Furthermore, Jesus knows that His time is short. He is on a one-way trip to Jerusalem, and if the truth of the gospel is to be shared with all the nations, His ambassadors will have to take it there. As Jesus calls the twelve together the first thing we note is …
Their commission
In verse 1 Luke says, “He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Essentially there are two parts to their commission: preaching and healing. They are to minister to both body and soul, just as Jesus did. This balance has always been difficult for the church to maintain. Some branches of the church have focused all their attention upon the body—providing food, housing, medical relief, and all manner of other social services, but rarely telling people what it means to have a right relationship with God. On the other hand, there are branches of the Church which focus all their attention on doctrine and evangelism and discipleship, but who will not lift a finger to help those in need. Jesus was always concerned about the whole person—both body and soul—and He wants His church to likewise be concerned.
Their method
On this first trip the disciples are to travel light. This is not a sightseeing tour, but a ministry trip. They are to stay in the first home that admits them, not moving around should they find a home that has a better mattress or better food. Mark tells us they travel two by two. Why? Probably so they could encourage one another. Everywhere in Scripture one finds ministry teams. Peter and John, Barnabas and Paul, Paul and Silas, Barnabas and Mark. It is God’s method.
If the disciples are not welcomed into a certain village, they are to do what Jews always did when they returned home from Gentile territory – shake the dust off their feet. This is a prophetic act symbolizing that Israelites who rejected the gospel were no better than Gentile pagans.
By the way, the methodology required of the Apostles on this first ministry trip is descriptive rather than prescriptive. In other words, it tells us what they did, not what everyone of all time must do. Christians, even ministers of the gospel, are not required to be ascetics, or to go only to the lost sheep of the tribe of Israel, or to shake the dust off our feet when their ministry is not received. In fact, on a later trip Jesus sent the same disciples out in a quite different manner. We read in Luke 22:35-36, “Then Jesus asked them, ‘When I sent you without purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?’ ‘Nothing,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.’”
However, the principle offered here in Luke 9 is that the true disciple must be prepared, if called upon, to abandon everything for Christ. The cares and concerns of the world must not interfere with our service for God. We must put first things first.
Their accomplishments.
Luke tells us in verse 6, “So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.” We don’t know how long this initial ministry trip lasted, but our best guess is that it may have been three or four months. In verse 10 we find that when they return, they report to Jesus what they had done. It is show and tell time.
I can imagine this was a time of great encouragement as they shared the various victories they had experienced in the previous weeks and months in their preaching and healing. Each one probably had a more amazing story than the previous one concerning conversions, healings and exorcisms God performed through them.
As we move from being mere Christians to being true disciples, we too must get our feet wet in ministry. We must never be satisfied to merely attend worship or even Bible study. We must take what we have learned and pass it on to others in practical ways.
Now that the Twelve have gotten their feet wet, Jesus knows secondly that …
Disciples must have their faith challenged.
The way Jesus does this is to seize upon a situation in which they will be called upon to recognize their own lack of resources and to trust Him in a unique way. So, beginning in verse 10 we have the account of the feeding of the five thousand, the only miracle (other than the resurrection of Christ) that is recorded in all four gospels.
The setting finds Jesus taking the disciples and withdrawing with them to an isolated area near Bethsaida. This place is chosen so they can experience a little R & R, rest and relaxation. In fact, in Mark 6:31 Jesus specifically tells them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Their first furlough! Their first sabbatical! They’re pumped.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long, for someone sees their boat leave the dock and spreads the word that they are heading in the direction of Bethsaida, just north and east of the Sea of Galilee. The crowd starts running around the north end of the lake, eager to get there by the time the boat docks. The result is the vacation plans are interrupted. Has that ever happened to you? I’ll bet we could share some very interesting stories along that line.
I imagine the disciples have a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the crowds they see rounding the bend of the lake. They have had it with people for a while. They would like to do a little fishing and a lot of sleeping. But Jesus welcomes the crowd and begins to preach and to heal. The other gospel writers tell us that Jesus’ welcome is based upon his compassion. He sees them as sheep not having a shepherd. They have no spiritual leadership, for the shepherds of Israel are feeding themselves, not the flock.
Late in the afternoon the Twelve come to Jesus and say, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging.” While the disciples couch their words as concern for the people, I have a sneaking suspicion they are more concerned for themselves. The only way this crowd is going to leave them alone is if Jesus tells them to go.
Instead, Jesus replies, “You give them something to eat.” The word “you” is in the emphatic position in the sentence, and it in effect means, “Don’t send them away to get something to eat. You feed them.” The suggestion is shocking to the disciples. We learn in the other gospel accounts that one of them objects, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
To put it in a more modern context, if Taco Bell were to cater this meal (that’s about the cheapest place I know to eat) and were only to charge $3 per person, you’d be talking about a cost of $45,000! You see, the count of 5,000 includes only the men. If you add women and children, the audience could easily have been 15,000 or more. The disciples have calculated correctly; this is an impossible situation, unless, of course, you take into consideration the Incalculable Christ.
Jesus simply asks, “How many loaves do you have?” You know, Jesus never asks us to do what we cannot do or to use what we do not have. But He is not averse to asking for all that we have so that he can multiply it by His power. The answer is “Five. We have five loaves and two fish.” John tells us these were obtained from a little boy.
You know the story of the actual miracle, how Jesus directs the disciples to have the people recline on the grass in groups of 50. He wants to put them at ease. There is to be no sensationalism surrounding this deed. Had there been television then, Jesus would not have permitted the cameras to zoom in on Him. Taking the five loaves and two fish, He looks up to heaven and gives thanks. He breaks the loaves and then begins to hand them to His disciples to distribute to the people. Likewise the fish.
We don’t know the exact nature of this miracle—whether it happened under the hands of Jesus or during the process of distribution. William Barclay, true to form, suggests that the miracle may have been that as people saw the little boy give up his lunch, they all brought out their own brown bags which they were hiding. So the miracle was that one act of selflessness generated a great deal of generosity.[i] If anything it’s a miracle how far human ingenuity will go to eliminate the supernatural from a Bible story.
But we do know the results: all eat and are fully satisfied. Not only that, but leftovers are collected. In fact, twelve baskets full are collected – perhaps one for each disciple. The waiters have received their tips. In addition, their interrupted furlough can now be enjoyed more fully than otherwise – they won’t have to spend any time looking for or preparing food.
The impact is profound. In John 6:14 we read, “After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” How is it that this particular miracle would cause them to conclude that Jesus is the expected Prophet, the Messiah? Well, multiplying food was something that many of the great Old Testament prophets had done. Moses gave the people manna and quail. Elijah filled the widow’s jar with grain and her jug with oil. Elisha fed 100 men with just 20 cakes and had leftovers. Now Jesus does something more astounding that all of these miracles. Surely he must be the One they have been looking for!
If we are committed to becoming true disciples, we too will have our faith challenged. God will bring us to the end of ourselves so we learn to trust only in Him. This may come through a health crisis, or a time of rejection by others, or a point where we just feel totally inadequate. I have experienced all three, and most of you have as well. But as unpleasant as these experiences are, they do lead to a new level of discipleship.
The third principle we find on discipleship in this chapter is this:
Disciples must learn to personalize their faith.
Luke goes directly from the feeding of the 5,000 to the story of Peter’s confession, though the other gospel writers inform us that a good bit of time passed and quite a few key events occurred in between. Luke is being selective in order to focus attention on the development of the disciples’ faith.
You know, it is one thing to be a member of a Christian family or a Christian church or a Christian youth group. It is not that difficult to go with the flow and assume that the faith of your friends is your faith also. But Jesus wants us to know that second-hand faith is not enough. He wants us to make it our own. To help the disciples personalize their faith Jesus first asks, “Who do the crowds say I am?” The answers are varied: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”
But then Jesus asks the really important question: “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Friends, this is the most important question in the world for any would-be disciple to answer. There are many in our culture who admire Jesus. They consider him to be a member of the Religious Hall of Fame. People like Norm Mailer write books about him. But they do not see him as the unique Son of God, as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
“Who do you say I am?” God will not judge you on the basis of what your church believes about Jesus. He will not judge you on the basis of what your parents or your friends believe about Jesus. You will be judged on the basis of what you believe about Jesus.
Peter, always the spokesperson for the Apostles, responds, “You are the Christ of God. You are Messiah, the anointed One whom God has sent to be the Savior of the World.” Only Matthew gives us Jesus’ full response to Peter’s confession. He tells us, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 16:16).
Peter is right, but Luke goes directly to the warning that they should tell no one because Jesus’ purpose at this time is not the crown but the cross. If the disciples proclaim him Messiah the common people will interpret that in political terms and a great uprising could occur that would interfere with His primary purpose, which is to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin. Here’s how He puts it to the disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Let me come back to this issue of the importance of being able to personalize our faith. The knowledge of Christ is always a personal discovery, not the passing on of a report learned from others. Paul did not say, “I know what I have believed.” He said, “I know whom I have believed” (2 Timothy 1:12). Christianity does not mean reciting a creed; it means knowing a person.
The final principle on discipleship offered in our text today is that …
Disciples must meet certain prerequisites.
Having a faith that is one’s own – independent of the crowd or of one’s family or of one’s group—is essential, but it is not sufficient. There are a lot of Christians who have a personal faith, but they are not true disciples. And it is to this subject that Jesus turns in verse 23: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
I do not have time this morning to do justice to these three requirements for true discipleship, but we will come back to this theme later in chapter 14, and at that time I will preach an entire message on the cost of discipleship. Let me share briefly the essence of these requirements.
Disciples must practice self-denial. We live in a day and time when self-denial is almost unheard of; in fact, it is viewed almost as a disorder. I have known parents who went ballistic when their child chose the teaching profession rather than a career in which they could make some serious money. Friends, the pursuit of power, independence, and financial security are probably the biggest obstacles to anyone’s spiritual advancement. Everything in our culture screams at us to seek our own agenda, but Jesus is calling his followers to deny their own and to seek his.
Disciples must take up their cross daily. The disciples had probably seen more than one man take up his cross, and they knew what it meant. When a man from one of their villages took up a cross and went off with a band of Roman soldiers, he had a one-way ticket. He wasn’t coming back. Taking up the cross meant the utmost in self-denial. Likewise, the true disciple of Jesus has died to a whole way of life. He is prepared to walk against the grain of cultural values so that his own expectations and needs take a back seat to God’s call.
Elizabeth Elliot has written perceptively,
“I think there is a great deal of nonsense taught about this business of bearing one’s cross. For example, when people shrug their shoulders and say, ‘Well, I suppose that’s meant to be my cross,’ they suggest that the cross is some inevitable circumstance which cannot be avoided. But the cross can be avoided. So I think that what Jesus is getting at here is the voluntary, positive acceptance of what he is asking of us, whatever it may be. This should be the dominant theme of our lives, ‘Yes, Lord, what do you want me to do?’”[ii]
By the way, bearing one’s cross is not something you can do once and get out of the way. It must be done daily.
Disciples must follow Jesus. They must go where he leads them, do what he asks of them, speak what he tells them. Why are there such stark prerequisites for true discipleship? Because discipleship is serious business. We’re not talking here about choosing a philosophy of life or a group to join. We’re talking about life and death. Jesus goes on in verses 24-26 to offer three good reasons why His disciples must meet these prerequisites.
First, there is a law God has written into His universe that goes against all human notions. It is this: “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:24). The person Jesus describes as wanting to save his life is the one whose whole emphasis is on getting the best out of life for himself. That way means certain loss. To quote Barclay, approvingly this time,
“A man must spend his life, not hoard it. The whole gamut of the world’s standards must be changed. The questions are not, ‘How much can I get?’ but, ‘How much can I give?’ Not, ‘What is the safe thing to do?’ but, ‘What is the right thing to do?’ …. The Christian must realize that he is given life, not to keep it for himself, but to spend it for others; not to husband its flame, but to burn himself out for Christ and for men.”[iii]
Jim Elliot put it even better: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to get what he cannot lose.” [iv]
The second reason why these prerequisites must be met comes in the form of a rhetorical question: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (verse 25). I think of a man like Howard Hughes. He had everything a man could possibly want – unlimited money, the most beautiful of women, penthouses galore, fame, power, and influence. But in his relentless pursuit of the world, he lost his soul, in fact he lost his very self. He died a shadow of a human being. Nothing material can compensate for the loss of a soul.
The third reason is a simple fact that we must come to grips with: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words,” Jesus says, “the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (verse 26). We will get what we have chosen. If we are true to Him in time, He will be true to us in eternity. If we seek to follow Him in this world, He will acknowledge us as His own in the next. But if by our lives we disown Him, even though with our lips we confess Him, the day must come when He cannot do other than disown us.
Conclusion: In conclusion, may I share with you this profound truth: Jesus saved us for discipleship. His goal was never to give us a ticket to heaven; that is at best a byproduct. Rather his goal is that we become His disciples. This is a full-time job, not a weekend hobby. Listen, as I close, to the words of 1 Peter 2:9-11:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you might declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Tags:
Disciple
Self-denial
[i]. William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, 118.
[ii]. Elizabeth Elliot, https://www.daringdaughters.org/elisabeth-elliot/.
[iii]. Barclay, 122.
[iv]. Jim Elliot, written in his journal on October 28, 1949.