The Lord Jesus never changed the requirement for anyone who wants to be His disciple or follower: to deny himself and take up his cross daily. In Luke 9:23, He said to them all, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” This condition, standard, or requirement did not suddenly appear in the middle of being discipled. The Lord Jesus had stated it from the beginning for anyone who desired to become His disciple and follower. The Lord Jesus never forced, pushed, enticed, or lured anyone to become His disciple with promises of various benefits they would receive. Someone who does something because of pressure or coercion will end up unfaithful. He does it out of compulsion, and that can become a distressing mental burden for himself.
Therefore, becoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus or becoming His follower must arise from full self-awareness and an accounting of everything from the start of that discipleship. There is a question that must be answered decisively by Christians or believers who decide to become His disciples: “What underlies or is the reason someone becomes His disciple and follows the Lord Jesus?” The answer to this question will become a firm or fragile foundation in a person’s journey of discipleship. We need to understand what attracts someone to become a disciple and follow the Lord Jesus from the beginning.
The Synoptic Gospels tell us that the Lord Jesus called His twelve disciples. This call was not coercive, pressured, threatening, or intimidating. The Lord Jesus’ call to His twelve was an invitation. Each disciple He called had the prerogative to refuse His invitation. The Gospel accounts note that when the Lord Jesus called the disciples, they immediately left their nets, boats, and families and followed Him. Most likely the disciples had already heard reports about the Lord Jesus. So when they accepted the offer to become His disciples, it was a very rare and limited opportunity.
How was it rare and limited? We read that the Lord Jesus had healed many people of various diseases and even raised some from the dead. Some who had been delivered from demonic power asked the Lord Jesus to be their Lord and follow Him. But the Lord Jesus said, “Go home…” (Luke 8:38–39). Thus, becoming a disciple or follower of the Lord Jesus at that time carried a status to be proud of. They had an extraordinarily wise Teacher with the power to heal and perform various miracles and signs. The disciples surely had their own reasons for wanting to become His disciples then. Yet the Lord Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Likewise, each of us has our own background when deciding to become a disciple and follower of the Lord Jesus. Some decide after experiencing healing or receiving help while facing various problems. Afterward, a person may make a grand promise with burning enthusiasm to become a Christian, a believer, even to serve His work. Yet through various events and the passage of time, that promise will be tested for its truth or falsehood. Some continue to hold that promise, some grow weary, and not a few eventually withdraw, retracting that promise.
For example, a young person who attends a retreat for the first time and is deeply moved then says, “I will serve the Lord all my life, wherever He leads me.” This is the experience of falling in love with the Lord for the first time, which certainly must be guarded and nurtured so it does not last only briefly. But otherwise, this can happen. When, several months later, the ministry begins to demand sacrifice of time, finances, and emotions, the course of ministry may pause as one wonders, “Why has it become like this?” First love can shift, change, and not infrequently fade.