Matthew 8:18-22
Bandwagons. It's so easy to jump on bandwagons; to rally around what seems to be the newest or the hippest or the coolest or the most promising. Whatever seems to be the most popular, that's the bandwagon many will jump on.
It's so easy to jump into some cause or some fad simply because of all the attention it's getting. Remember the bandwagon when The Passion of the Christ was released? Didn't many expect us to have a nationwide revival? I remember the Cabbage Patch Kids bandwagon when I was a kid. Now that's the one doll my daughter does NOT want. It's easy to get caught up in the buzz of bandwagons; the thing about bandwagons, however, is that they don't last. The reason is because we who jump on them do so without geniune cause and passion. Instead, it's just...a bandwagon. It's catching on to whatever is hot at the moment.
Christianity is no bandwagon. It's not something that you can just catch on to for a season. Becoming a Christ-follower is all encompassing. That's what Jesus has been teaching us in the Sermon on the Mount. The Kingdom of Christ must touch every part of our life. There's no time off. There's no dichotomy. There's no compartmentalizing.
Chapter 8 begins with, "When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him." They followed Jesus up the mountain and now they followed him down. Many watch Jesus work his miracles--cleansing a leper (vs. 2-4), healing the centurion's servant (5-13), healing Peter's mother-in-law (14-15), healing many that came to her house (16-17). Talk about a bandwagon. Everyone wanted on this one. Jesus was the coolest, hippest thing around.
Jesus didn't seem so eager to allow people to follow him. His invitation in vs. 18-22 is much different than the ease with which we place people on church membership rolls. Jesus will not allow the Kingdom to be a bumper-sticker bandwagon. It's life-transformation: "Follow me, and I'll change your life" (Matthew 4:19). You can't follow Jesus and unless you give up your kingdom for His. It takes faith like a child, and yet few will find the narrow path (Matthew 7:14).
Why do we leave the hard part out of the "plan of salvation"?
Why do we make church membership so easy?
Why do we allow the hoards of "inactive members" to remain unaccountable?
Maybe it's because we would rather remain unaccountable to the cost of following Jesus.(?)
It's easy to point the finger at others, but we all must admit that every day for us is a battle for the Kingdom life. Have you given up your kingdom for His Kingdom?
