Everett Henes: The ups and downs of discipleship

There are bound to be ups and downs in life. This past week I was teaching Taekwondo to a bunch of school children. I had to vacuum the floor, before we started, and I noted that it only had two settings: regular suction or high suction. Jokingly, I mentioned to my students that life is a lot like the vacuum. There are only two settings: high suck or regular suck. Most of them got the joke and some thought I was using inappropriate language, which reminded me that I was working with homeschoolers and needed to watch my language. But the lesson stuck!

The truth of the matter is life has ups and downs. Being a Christian doesn’t change this reality. In fact, Jesus says that he comes to bring us life more abundantly, which means the ups and downs will be felt even more! Why is that? We’ll feel them more because we know both how we are called to live in holiness as well as the hope that we have of glory. Our expectations are greater, and so the highs and lows will be felt more acutely, especially the lows.

Luke 9 teaches us something about this great truth. In fact, if you read the whole chapter, you feel like you’re on a bit of a roller coaster ride. First, Jesus commissions his disciples and tells them how they will do the things he does! What a joy! Then the chapter cuts to a threat on Jesus’ life as Herod complains that he had already killed John the Baptist and now had to do something about Jesus. Imagine being his followers and knowing that your master is enemy number one!

After this, Jesus feeds 5000 people, and the disciples are there to take up the leftovers! But immediately after this, Jesus tells the disciples that “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” If this weren’t enough, he goes on to say, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The disciple of Christ is called to follow their master through the ups and downs even to death and the hope of the resurrection!

What is amazing about this chapter is that the highs seem to keep going up! Right after this interaction comes what is called the Transfiguration. This was the moment when Jesus was praying, and his disciples saw him transfigured before their eyes! He wasn’t changed in form so much as the glory that shone. So dazzlingly bright was his figure that they struggled to see him. Jesus spoke in that moment with two other men, Moses and Elijah. When Peter realizes what is going on he says, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents.” Peter wants to stay there, on the mountain, in the glory of Christ and who can blame him?

Immediately after this encounter with glory, they follow Jesus down from the mountain and encounter several instances of demon possession. As one commentator put it, they went from the edges of heaven to the edges of hell! Through it all, Luke tells us that Jesus’ face was set toward Jerusalem. Jesus came to die, and he would fulfill his Father’s will. This would be the lowest moment that he or his disciples would face.

The chapter ends with various people being called to follow Jesus, but they come up with excuse after excuse. Sometimes I understand why people don’t want to follow Jesus. It’s not comfortable and it’s not easy. If you follow a Jesus who conforms to the various delights and desires of the world, I promise you are not following Jesus. You are following yourself. Jesus makes it clear, “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” Following Jesus is about eternity, and this is what grounds us through the ups and downs. Maybe it’s not about always having a regular suck or a high suck day, but those days will come too. We will get glimpses of glory and we will come to the edges of hell. We will follow Jesus as he brings us nearer to himself and as we face suffering and discouragement. Through it all, we follow and trust him to bring us safely to where he is.

— Everett Henes, pastor of Hillsdale Orthodox Presbyterian Church, may be reached at pastorhenes@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Everett Henes: The ups and downs of discipleship