[b]Forsaking All[/b]
[i]“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).[/i]
To be a disciple of the Lord Jesus, one must forsake all. This is the unmistakable meaning of the words of the Savior. No matter how much we might object to such an “extreme” demand, no matter how much we might rebel against such an “impossible” and “unwise” policy, the fact remains that this is the Word of the Lord, and He means what He says.
At the outset, we should face these unbending truths:
1. Jesus did not make this demand of a certain, select class of Christian workers. He said, [i]“Whosoever he be of you…”[/i]
2. He did not say that we must simply be willing to forsake all. He said, [i]“Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not…”[/i]
3. He did not say that we must forsake only a part of our wealth. He said, [i]“Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath…”[/i]
4. He did not say that a diluted form of discipleship would be possible for the man who holds on to his treasures. Jesus said, [i]“…he cannot be my disciple.”[/i]
Actually, we should not be surprised at this absolute demand, as if it were the only such suggestion in the Bible.
Did Jesus not say:
[i]“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matthew 6:19, 20)[/i]?
As Wesley justly said, “To lay up treasure on earth is as plainly forbidden by our Master as adultery and murder.”
Did Jesus not say:
[i]“Sell that ye have, and give alms…” (Luke 12:33)?[/i]
Did He not instruct the rich young ruler:
[i]“…sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22)?[/i]
If He did not mean exactly what He said, what then did He mean?
Was it not true of the believers in the early church that they [i]“sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need” (Acts 2:45)?[/i]
And has it not been true of many of God’s saints down through the years that they literally forsook all to follow Jesus?
Anthony Norris Groves and his wife, early missionaries to Baghdad, became convinced that “they must cease to lay up treasure on earth, and that they should devote the whole of a very substantial income…to the Lord’s service.”1 Groves’ convictions on this subject are set forth in his booklet, CHRISTIAN DEVOTEDNESS.2
C. T. Studd “decided to give his entire fortune to Christ, and to take the golden opportunity offered him of doing what the rich young man had failed to do….It was simple obedience to the black and white statements of God’s Word.”3 After distributing thousands to the work of the Lord, he reserved the equivalent of $9,588 for his new bride. She was not to be outdone by her husband. “Charlie,” she asked, “what did the Lord tell the rich young man to do?”
“Sell all,” he replied.
“Well then, we will start clear with the Lord at our wedding.” And off went the money to Christian missions.
The same spirit of devotedness animated Jim Elliot. He wrote in his diary:
“ ‘Father, let me be weak that I might lose my clutch on everything temporal. My life, my reputation, my possessions, Lord, let me loose the tension of the grasping hand. Even, Father, would I lose the love of fondling. How often I have released a grasp only to retain what I prized by “harmless” longing, the fondling touch. Rather, open my hand to receive the nail of Calvary, as Christ’s was opened—that I, releasing all, might be released, unleashed from all that binds me now. He thought Heaven, yea, equality with God, not a thing to be clutched at. So let me release my grasp.’ “4
Our infidel hearts tell us that it would be impossible to take he words of the Lord literally. If we forsook all, we would starve. After all, we must make provision for our own future and the future of our loved ones. If every Christian forsook all, then who would finance the work of the Lord? And if there were not some Christians who were wealthy, then how could the higher class of people ever be reached with the gospel? And so the arguments come pouring forth in quick succession—all to prove that the Lord Jesus could not have meant what He said.
The fact of the matter is that obedience to the Lord’s command is the most sane and reasonable life and the one that yields the greatest joy. The witness of Scripture and of experience testifies that no one who lives sacrificially for Christ will ever suffer want. When a man obeys God, the Lord takes care of him.
The man who forsakes all to follow Christ is not a shiftless pauper who expects to be supported by his fellow Christians.
1. He is industrious. He works diligently for the supply of his current necessities and those of his family.
2. He is frugal. He lives as economically as possible so that everything above immediate needs can be put into the Lord’s work.
3. He is foresighted. Instead of accumulating wealth on earth, he lays up his treasures in heaven.
4. He trusts God for the future. Instead of giving the best of his life to the building up of vast reserves for old-age security, he gives his best to the service of Christ and trusts Him for the future. He believes that if he seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, he will never lack food and clothing (Matthew 6:33).
-William MacDonald (True Discipleship)
