How much of a race would you run if you didn’t know where the finish line was? How far would you go? Would you even start? If somebody tells you to start running a
race and then offers no end point or reward, how likely are you to start running? Now, I personally hate running if there is no goal in mind. I will not run for cardio’s sake,
and I certainly won’t run if there’s no goal to pursue. I’ll run for a sport, like basketball or ultimate frisbee because there is a clearly defined “why” for the effort. Obeying
God’s Word with no hope of resurrection is like running for no reason. Sure there might be some short-term benefits to doing it, but the end result is the same if you
never run at all.
The Apostle Paul made this appeal to the Corinthians regarding the necessity of the resurrection for the Christian faith.
“17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 (NIV)
Christianity began with the resurrection of Jesus.
The apostles and early Christians sacrificed a great deal to follow Jesus. If the hope of new life with Him was misplaced, then they would truly have been a pitiful sort. For
the Christian today, the resurrection of Jesus holds the same value it always has - the value of an imperishable hope. Had the resurrection of Christ not happened, the
disciples would have stayed in the scattered state they were in following Jesus’ crucifixion. But because the resurrection of Jesus is true, we can truly follow Him into
eternal life. This is why we can truly follow Jesus for our entire lives on earth and into eternity.
“20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 (NIV)
We can completely follow Jesus.
Following Jesus is not a part-time job, and it isn’t something that will lead us to uncharted ground. We can trust and follow Jesus completely, because He has truly and fully
prepared the whole way for us. There isn’t a single part of our lives that we can’t trust Jesus with. There is no situation that He can’t lead us through. Whatever we face,
we can face it with confidence by following Jesus through it.
The Christian life is one of following Jesus. That’s really it. He lived the perfect life to set the perfect example for us to follow. His goal was to show us the way to the
Father and eternal life, and it is to abandon our sin in pursuit of Him. We follow Jesus - period. How closely do you follow? How closely do I follow Him? Do I follow Him with
everything? And do I follow Jesus closely enough to go through the things He went through? This thought has been on my heart and mind for the past few weeks,
especially through this series, “Arguing with Jesus.” Am I following Jesus closely enough to hear the insults and arguments that were thrown at Him? I believe that it’s
necessary.
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” John 15:18-19 (NIV)
It’s a trap that is so easy to fall into, “To reach the world I need to be like the world.” Even a well meaning follower of Jesus can be swayed away from following Jesus as
closely as we are called to. We can’t compromise on the Word of God to dodge persecution or hate from the world - Jesus promised that we would face what He faced as
a product of following Him. The good news is that we can completely follow Jesus, through His sufferings, yes, and also into His glory in eternity.
Let Jesus lead you the full distance.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It gives me a perspective about what following Jesus is like. It is a race to run, with obstacles to overcome and weights to
cast aside. It is not comfortable, and it will require perseverance. But let us fix our eyes on Jesus. He went ahead of us to that finish line of eternal life to prepare a place
for us. The joy of us being with Him again is why He endured the cross. Let us consider Him and follow Him so that even in the hardest parts of the race we run, we will
not grow weary or lose heart. The great and Living Hope of the Christian faith is Jesus. He is at the right hand of God, and as I follow Him, I’m on my way there.
