Jesus never promised his followers it would be easy. Consider this: Paul’s ministry ended with him being beheaded; Peter was crucified upside down on a cross; Andrew was crucified; Thomas was stabbed to death by soldiers’ spears; Philip was cruelly put to death; Bartholomew was martyred; James was stoned and clubbed to death; Simon was killed; and Matthias was burned to death. To follow Jesus was to put one’s life at great risk . . .
. . . and Jesus warned them!
Jesus warns us all. Warns us all that there is great risk at being a follower of him and his ways. Great risks at being faithful. Throughout the history of Christianity there is a long list of those who have died for their faith . . . a long list of those who have been martyred for following Jesus and his teachings.
Since the birth of Christianity there has not been a generation that has not had their martyrs. Even our own period of history has its martyrs . . . Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Oscar Romero to name a few. But there have been many, many more who have died for following Jesus.
One of the most impactful on my journey of faith has been Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran minister/theologian who publicly spoke out against Adolf Hitler and the rise of Nazism in his homeland. Unlike many of his peers he did not leave Germany as more of those who protested against Hitler and Nazism rose in power. He had the opportunity, but he chose to stay knowing the cost of what could happen to him. Eventually he was arrested. He died a prisoner by execution a few days before the prison he was in was liberated.
While in captivity he continued to be speak out by having notes snuck out of the prison. The result of that was the classic Christian apologetic book, The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer argues in his book that there is a “cost” to be a disciple of Jesus . . . that it is not a “free ride”. That “cost” is often more than many are willing to pay; thus they fall into a category of “cheap grace”. I like to think of “cheap grace” as that insurance policy we all receive upon baptism that we believe give us carte blanche on anything we want to do because God’s grace will cover it all. Its that “free get out of jail” card we all seem to think that we have.
Bonhoeffer had this to say about “cheap grace”:
“Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks' wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church's inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing. Since the cost was infinite, the possibilities of using and spending it are infinite. What would grace be if it were not cheap?...
Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
Bonhoeffer writes that following Jesus comes at a cost . . . “costly grace”. On “costly grace” or the “cost of discipleship” he had this to say:
“Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.
Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”
Even the prophet Isaiah understood that there was a “cost” that comes with following the will of God . . . a cost to believing . . . a cost to discipleship. In our reading this morning the prophet is speaking about the “one who is to come”—the messiah. In the words that he offers, he offers the words of the messiah. They are not flowery words . . . poetic words, but words of violence and anguish. They are words that speak of beatings, mocking, being spit upon, grabbed and hit. Actions that come upon the messiah because the messiah choses to speak that which God has place within the heart that cannot be ignored. These are the words that demonstrate the cost of believing . . . the cost of being faithful.
Following Jesus and his teachings . . . doing God’s will . . . is not easy. It comes at a cost . . . a cost that often gets overlooked in the fanfare of today—Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday is the day the church celebrates the grand entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. A day of celebration . . . shouting and singing of “hosanna!” Great joy and laughter. The waving of palms. The time has come, and deliverance is upon the people . . . the Messiah has arrived. It is a great time of celebration; people are happy, and they are expectant. Lost in all of that fanfare and celebrating is the rest of the story that has to be played out . . . the trial, the beatings, and finally the crucifixion. Too often we are quick to jump over all of that and leap right into the victory of the resurrected Jesus.
To do that is to ignore the warning of Jesus that it is not easy to follow him or his teachings. To do that is to buy heartily into the idea of “cheap grace” and ignore the fact that grace is not cheap . . . it comes at a cost. Ask God . . . it was God’s child that was sacrificed for us.
As we contemplate Palm Sunday and all that it means and represents, let us not fall into that trap. Let us consider the whole story as it is played out and what that means as the followers of Jesus. Lets us consider and discern the grace that we base our own journey of faith . . . is it “cheap” or is it coming at a price?
Consider the words and actions of Jesus as he reached out to build God’s kingdom. Consider the risk he took to speak out for those of God’s children who were persecuted, ignored, and even put to death because they were considered unworthy of the popular society and religious of his day. Consider how he spoke up for those who were weak . . . those who were poor . . . those who were disabled. Consider how he sought out peace and justice . . . inclusion . . . and love for all. Consider how he reached out not to kill his enemies, but instead tried to understand them and work with them to fulfill God’s plans of a kingdom. Consider how his radical love and grace ruffled the feathers of those who were in power to the point that it ended up getting him kill.
Jesus never said it would be easy. Ask those who have died for the faith since then. Ask those who follow Jesus into the fray today and put their lives on the line because they believe in Jesus and what he taught. There is a cost that comes with following Jesus. As always, Jesus leaves the choice up to us . . . Amen.
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