In looking through the four gospels we’ll find that there were at least six or seven instances where people either volunteered to follow the Lord, or, He directly called them to follow Him in the path of discipleship. As I’ve been saying, everyone that takes the path of following the Lord is going to be tested as to the reality of their faith. And that’s exactly what we find with those people whom the Lord called. The circumstances surrounding each call were different, but each call presented a unique individual test as to whether the called one would give the Lord the first claim in his life or not. The things that they were tested with are the same things that we will be tested with as His disciples. Let’s look at a few of them in the gospel of Luke.
Peter & Andrew: Tests in the Realm of Business.
Let’s turn to Luke 5:1-61And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. (Luke 5:1‑6), “And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, He stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And He sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto Him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net break.” Then in verse 10, “Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” He said to them, “Follow Me” (Matt. 4:1919And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19)).
The sphere of business (our employment) is a very practical concern for all of us because we all have to make a living in this world. The Lord tested Peter and Andrew in this sphere to see whether His claims over them would have the priority—even in this important area of their lives.
I have often thought that if the Lord had called Peter after they had fished all night and had taken nothing, that he probably would have been glad to let go of his fishing business and follow Him. But the Lord didn’t call them then. Peter and Andrew had been having a hard time in business, and it wouldn’t have tested the reality of their commitment to follow Him when they left things while they weren’t going well. No, the Lord waited until Peter and Andrew had had the biggest day ever in business. He waited until their business was booming, and then called them to discipleship!
I’ve read you the story; the Lord allowed them to get the biggest catch of fish that they ever had. Think of the money they could have made down at the fish market that day with the haul that they had taken in! But it was right at that time that the Lord called them to follow Him! What were Peter and Andrew going to do? Would they stay and make more money than they ever had, or were they going to “forsake all” and follow the Lord? The test was definitely on! And it was quite a test; because, as we were saying, prior to this they were really struggling in business. But it says, “When they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed Him” (Luke 5:1111And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. (Luke 5:11)). People must have thought they were crazy! Why would anybody want to leave his business then! But the grace of God had worked in their hearts, and they let it all go to follow the Lord.
Now this is not teaching us that we have to leave our employment to be true disciples of the Lord Jesus. Some may be called to that, but the point is whether we will give the claims of Christ priority over our business? Am I willing to put the Lord Jesus and His claims before my job and making money in this world? We are going to be tested on this very point!
There are many that allow their business or job to get the upper hand in their life, and they become captive to it! The enemy of your soul is not interested in you following the Lord, and he is going to do all he can to make sure that this happens to you. It reminds me of what happened to some of the children of Israel in the wilderness. It says that the Canaanites that dwelled in the wilderness took some of them captive (Num. 21:1-31And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. 2And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. 3And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah. (Numbers 21:1‑3)). The word Canaanite, means “the trafficker,” or, “the merchantman.” In the land, the Canaanite would speak of trafficking in divine things, but in the wilderness it would answer to trafficking in material things. Whatever the case, the Canaanite was an enemy, and some of the children of Israel were taken captive by that enemy. And friends, we have to look out for the merchantman too! Our adversary, the devil, is trying to get us so wrapped up in our business or job that we are of no practical use in the kingdom of God. He uses the plausible argument that we, after all, have to work in this world to provide for our families. In fact, it says that if we don’t provide for our families, we are worse than an infidel (1 Tim. 5:88But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (1 Timothy 5:8)). But Christ must come first!
Levi (Matthew): Tests in Regard to Having a Position in This World.
Let’s turn a little further on in this chapter to verse 27. “And after these things He went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow Me. And he left all, rose up, and followed Him.” (Luke 5:27-2827And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 28And he left all, rose up, and followed him. (Luke 5:27‑28)) Here we have another disciple called, and again, connected with this call is a test. Levi had a high position in this world. It was a position that the Jews hated, but nevertheless, it was a position that provided Levi wealth and distinction. The test here, was whether he would give up such a station in life to be a disciple of the lowly Jesus. Most of us are not in that place to ever be faced with such a challenge, but there are some that do have such a place in life—and to them it would be quite a test. Fame and distinction are very hard things to give up for those who have it. Nevertheless, if they are going to be disciples of the Lord Jesus, such aspirations will have to give way to the claims of Christ.
Now again, the Lord is not teaching us that if we have a good paying job that we must give it up, but that if we occupy a place of distinction in this world—a place among men in some way—be it socially, or politically, or in the commercial world, or whatever, we must not let it interfere with our following the Lord. As I say, to most people, this would be quite a challenge.
When the Lord called Levi, the test was on. Would he give up that high position that he had in the world? Would he leave it to follow the Lord? It says, “He left all, rose up and followed Him.” Again, God gave him the grace to answer the call.
A Certain Unnamed Man: Tests to Do With Rejection.
Let’s turn to Luke 9:57-5857And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (Luke 9:57‑58). “And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto Him, Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” At the end of this 9th chapter we have three applicants, so to speak, for discipleship. First, we have a man that promised to follow the Lord in the path of discipleship, and it sounded very good on the surface. But the Lord saw that he hadn’t counted the cost involved. Therefore, the Lord indicated to him that the Jews did not want Him—that He was rejected. “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:1111He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (John 1:11)). Apart from a few places, He was not received in people’s homes, and consequently, had no place to lay His head! It’s inconceivable, but true. It says at the end of the 8th chapter of John’s gospel, “And every man went to his own house. Jesus went unto the mount of Olives” (John 7:5353And every man went unto his own house. (John 7:53) – 8:1). It was as if the Lord was saying to that man, “Do you really know what it means to follow Me?”
To follow Him involves more than just not having the comforts and conveniences of life; it means we will be rejected by the world. It seems that this man hadn’t considered that. It appears to have been a thing of impulse with him; he hadn’t really weighed the cost. The fact that we do not hear of this person any more after this incident, suggests that he was not willing for the hardships and rejection involved with such a path. If so, he clearly was not a disciple indeed.
Now, we are going to be faced with this test too. But God will give us the grace to walk in that path anyway. There is a joy of following Christ in discipleship that is known only to those who walk in it.
Another Unnamed Man: Tests in Regard to the Lord’s Priority Over Everything Else in Our Life.
Then in verses 59-60 it says: “And He said unto another, Follow Me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.” Here we have another man who was called to discipleship. But he comes forward and puts a condition upon his following the Lord. He said; Let me bury my father first. This does not mean that this man’s father was dead, and that he needed to go and bury him. What he was meaning was that he had to take care of his father until he died. After that he would be free to be a disciple of Jesus. It was a noble thing to do for his father, but it would hinder him from following the Lord. The problem with this man is that he wanted to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus on his own terms. He was putting his own life before the Lord’s call. Note the words, “ ... me first,” which is a contradiction of the whole thought of discipleship. The test for him was whether he would put the Lord’s claims first over his own life and responsibilities. It is perfectly right and proper to show respect for a dying father, but even that must not rival Christ.
When the Lord said, “Let the dead bury the dead,” He was indicating that the spiritually dead could bury the physically dead, but only a true believer can serve God in His kingdom.
The point here, is that other claims that may be on our lives—however noble—must take second place to the claims of Christ. We must not allow anything to take precedence over the Lord’s call to follow Him.
Another Unnamed Person: Tests in Regard to Family & Friends.
Then in verses 61-62, “And another also said, Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Here we have a man who volunteered to be Jesus’ disciple, but he also placed a condition on it. He wanted to first go and say goodbye to his family and friends. On the surface, this doesn’t look so bad, but it was a double-minded thing. True disciples are not half-hearted followers who are controlled by sentimentality.
Now someone might say, “But it was only common courtesy!” Yes, but the point here is that even the common civilities of life are wrong if they are placed before prompt obedience to the Lord. All other loves and loyalties must be secondary. Moreover, the fact that his family and friends had that kind of a pull on him indicated that he was probably not whole-heartedly committed. He didn’t seem to have the kind of commitment that would go the distance. The Lord saw it as being double-minded, so, He told him that if a person puts his hand to the plough of discipleship, he can’t look back, for in doing so he might get drawn back. “Truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned” (Heb. 11:1515And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. (Hebrews 11:15)). (The expression about not being “fit for the kingdom of God” does not refer to the salvation of our souls, but to discipleship. It is not a question of entrance into the kingdom, but of service in it.)
Now, we’re going to be tested on this too. There have been many who have been stumbled by their family and friends. The expression goes, “Blood is thicker than water,” but the Lord will be sure to test that in His disciples. We’ve seen people hindered because of family activities that conflicted with the Lord’s things. We’ve seen people go off into divisions among brethren because of their family. If others in their family are going that way they don’t want to be left out; and so they follow their family—even into paths of unrighteousness. The decisions that people make are often affected by what their family thinks; but Jesus’ disciples must be governed by Him alone! May God give us the grace to do His will, and not to let family and friends affect our judgment and our commitment to the Lord.
The Rich Young Ruler: Tests in Regard to Our Possessions.
Let’s turn on to chapter 18:18-23. “And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? None is good, save One, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, He said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.” This rich young man was called to follow the Lord, but his love for his possessions and riches hindered him.
He came to the Lord looking for “eternal life” in the millennial sense of it. He wanted to live on earth forever with all his riches. He, apparently, was having a good time with all that he had, and he wanted it to continue forever. He had no thought of having eternal life in the Christian sense—to have and enjoy a relationship with the Father and the Son (John 17:33And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)). The Lord tested him by quoting the second table of commandments—that which pertained to man’s responsibility toward his fellow man. But note, the Lord broke off quoting the commandments before the last (10th) one—“Thou shalt not covet.” He left it for the man’s conscience to be exercised about, for it was exactly his problem. He thought that he had kept them all, but this last one he surely hadn’t! He lacked love for his neighbour. And the Lord exposed it by telling him to go and sell what he had and give it to the poor. But it was something that he couldn’t do, because he loved his possessions more than his neighbour. He had great possessions, but really, his possessions had him! They had a hold on him, and he couldn’t get free.
This does not mean that we have to get rid of everything we own to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus. It may mean to literally part with things—things that we have that might be a hindrance to us, but more particularly, it’s referring to the giving of those things that we possess over to the Lordship of Christ. We “sell” it in the sense of turning it all over to Him. There is a transfer of the ownership of our possessions to the Lord to direct as He pleases. Being Lord over it, He puts it in our hands to manage for Him as His stewards. In that sense, we “leave all,” but we still have it in our hands to direct for Him. All our possessions in this world should be looked upon in that way. So I don’t believe that the Lord is teaching us that we have to get rid of everything we own to follow Him as a true disciple. There is, rather, a transfer of ownership of those things to Him. Mr. Gevedan expressed it perfectly when I asked him where he lived. He said, “The Lord has a house in Kentucky, and I’m living in it!”
The challenge for us is whether we are going to retain what we have for ourselves to direct for our own interests, or are we going to turn it over to Him to be used for His glory. You can be sure that we are going to be tested on it. Our possessions—many of them are creature comforts—nice cars and houses, appliances, etc., must be used for Him. If those things become objects to us, and the focus of our life is to use those things for our own interests, then we will definitely be hindered from going after the Lord as His disciples.