Whose flag are you flying? When it comes to the authority for our life, there is room for only one flag on the flagpole. The second trait of a disciple of Christ is sacrificial allegiance: lowering our flag of “ego” and replacing it with the flag of Christ and His kingdom. The flagpole over our castle cannot stand being empty. Something or someone will always be the final authority, the only question is what or who?
The first trait of a certified disciple we identified was comprehensive alignment dealing with our Identity and destiny. The second on our list of five traits deals with priority and authority. All four Gospel writers record Jesus teaching on this essential indicator of discipleship. While all the other traits are given with a single statement, this one takes multiple statements to explain.
Its importance is stressed not only by the amount of material but by its logical clarity. This is the only discipleship indicator where Jesus states the truth with both a positive and negative statement. When the Scripture wants to make a truth particularly clear, it will state the truth of both the thesis and antithesis (the positive statement and the negative statement).
For example, the apostle John uses this logic in explaining the source of eternal life (1 John 5:11-12).
- Statement: He who has the Son has life (true)
- Negative statement: He who does not have the Son of God does not have the life (also true)
In describing the discipleship trait of sacrificial authority, Jesus said:
- Statement: A disciple takes up his cross and follows Me (true) (Luke 9:23)
- Negative statement: If you do not take up your cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple (also true) (Matt. 10:38).
This type of explanation leaves no wiggle room. It is clear, concise, and exclusive: a binary explanation.
From the passages where Jesus explains sacrificial allegiance (Matt 10:34-39, Matt 16:24-28, Mark 8:34-38, Luke 9:23-27, Luke 14:25-33, John 12:24), we can make several observations:
1. Discipleship is costly and is not to be entered into lightly (Luke 14).
Jesus warned not to follow if we don’t plan on finishing. Discipleship is not casual or cheap.
Notice that Jesus was not marketing discipleship to make it popular. It seems that authenticity was more important than popularity. If He were after increased market share, He would have just said, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life”. But His challenge to take up your cross daily in order to follow Him, thinned the crowds significantly then as it does now.
2. Discipleship is demanding and involves an exchange. The required exchange is stated in several different ways:
- Take up your cross daily and follow Me (Luke 9:23)
- Love Me more than your natural family (Luke 14:26; Matt 10:37)
- Gain by giving up (Matt 16:27; Mark 8:35)
- Lose your life to find it (John 12:24-25)
What Jesus referred to in taking up our cross daily, Paul captures in Romans 12:2 when he said we are to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. The critical dynamic behind these statements is the great exchange paradox. Discipleship is built on the principle of exchanging our ordinary lives for something extraordinary, letting go in order to receive. God cannot fill our hand when it is closed.
John records Jesus expressing the principle in agrarian terms.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal” (John 12:24-25 NASB).
Peter experienced the principle of exchange when he let go of the boat in the fury of the storm. He learned that you’ve got to get out of the boat if you want to walk on water. You can’t walk on water and sit in the boat at the same time; there must be an exchange.
Financial bankruptcy provides a picture of the principle of the exchanged life. When a business is in financial trouble for a long period of time, the owners usually file Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Then when Chapter 13 doesn’t work, they file Chapter 7 bankruptcy. A simplified comparison:
Chapter 13: Reorganization
- I am in trouble
- I have the means to get out of debt
- I need time to reorganize
- I retain control of my assets and keep going
Chapter 7 Liquidation
- I am in trouble
- I do not have the resources to succeed
- I give up
- I surrender my assets and start over
I think discipleship is like filing Chapter 7. Overwhelmed by our debt, we surrender our meager assets and receive His assets in exchange. We let the CEO of the Bank of the Kingdom give us a new start using His resources.
Both Matthew and Mark tell the story of a rich, young businessman who illustrates this exchange. He came to Jesus having tried everything (religion, politics, wealth, morality), but the result was disappointing: the thrill didn’t last. His question was, “How can I experience a life of fulfillment that does not diminish with time? How can I experience eternal life?”
Jesus quickly goes to the heart of the issue: the flag of authority. He tells the rich young man to let go of his stuff, give it away, claim chapter 7, and follow Him. Sadly he chose his addiction rather than life.
The first discipleship trait of comprehensive alignment deals with our identity and destiny. The second trait of sacrificial allegiance deals with priority and authority. There is only room for one flag on our castle flagpole. In order to put His up, we have to bring ours down.
Sacrificial allegiance (Luke 14:26)
A disciple consistently submits to the priority and authority of Christ, choosing daily to raise the flag of His leadership over his/her life.
Questions for reflection:
- What does Romans 12:1-2 add to the concept of sacrificial allegiance?
- How does our view of God affect our willingness to yield to His leadership?
Well, Bennett, you did it again. Caused me to pause and think. I think I’m constantly taking one flag down and raising another. Seems like its daily! But I never thought of mine being white!