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The Inclusive Jesus
The public ministry of Jesus was one of seemingly ceaseless travel, preaching, healing, and serving. Along the way, he offered hope and peace to all who would follow him. This is probably best summed up in the following verses.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28–30(ESV)
For those who don’t know, a yoke is like a collar fitted over the neck of oxen or other beasts of burden. Yokes typically paired two animals together side by side so they could pull together. This is the picture Jesus is painting here. We have all struggled alone and found the burden overwhelming. Jesus invites us to join him in his yoke, for working alongside him is an easy burden.
The invitation goes out to all, and it is an invitation to join in the work of Jesus, pulling side-by-side with him. It’s an easy yoke because he is pulling with us. This offer is welcomed by those who have tried and failed or are simply exhausted by trying to carry the overwhelming load alone. Jesus famously made broad and open offers like this when he went out to preach. The invitation was genuine and open to all. But what was he offering, and how was that offer accepted? That is what we will examine next.
The Cost of Discipleship
And behold, a man came up to him, saying,
“Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
And he said to him,
“Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.
If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
He said to him,
“Which ones?”
And Jesus said,
“You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal,
You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him,
“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful,
for he had great possessions.
And Jesus said to his disciples,
“Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty
will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matt 19:16-23 ESV
The young man walked away because the price was just too high in his estimation. He did not go home healed, and he did not follow Jesus as a disciple. The crucial point for our discussion today is that Jesus did not chase him or try to soften his message. Jesus spoke the truth, and people either followed him or went home.
This brings me to the point I am trying to make. Jesus was not inclusive in the modern sense. He was open, inviting, and loving. But the invitation was not to come and be affirmed — it was to follow and be transformed. The way of Jesus excludes all other paths, and we are all asked to walk it. There are not many ways of Jesus. The path is narrow and straight, by his own description. We either abandon our own ways and walk the way of Jesus, or we do not. There is no third option. Love can not sacrifice truth because there is no love in a lie. We have all believed lies and still do to various degrees, even if unknowingly. The way of Jesus requires the same thing of all of us: to abandon our former way and walk the way of Jesus. We can’t follow our desires and walk the way of Jesus.
And he said to all,
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world
and loses or forfeits himself?
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words,
of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes
in his glory and the glory of the Father
and of the holy angels.
Luke 9:23-26 ESV
The Reward of Following Jesus
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
who, on finding one pearl of great value,
went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matt 13:45-46 ESV
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
God proved His love for us all by His incarnation, teaching, and faithfulness until death. He gave us all the hope of eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And life is a gift beyond price.
The example Jesus gave us in the previous passage is one of many that follow the same theme. The reward of life in Jesus is worth everything we have and everything we are. To follow Jesus is to leave our old lives behind to find eternal life in Him.
This week, let’s forget about the “cost” and instead focus on the reward. Let’s leave our old desires behind and allow his life to become our life. Let’s encourage each other into love and good works inviting others to join us on the way.
Have a great week!
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Tom PossinThe public ministry of Jesus was one of seemingly ceaseless travel, preaching, healing, and serving. Along the way, he offered hope and peace to all who would follow him. This is probably best summed up in the following verses.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28–30(ESV)
For those who don’t know, a yoke is like a collar fitted over the neck of oxen or other beasts of burden. Yokes typically paired two animals together side by side so they could pull together. This is the picture Jesus is painting here. We have all struggled alone and found the burden overwhelming. Jesus invites us to join him in his yoke, for working alongside him is an easy burden.
The invitation goes out to all, and it is an invitation to join in the work of Jesus, pulling side-by-side with him. It’s an easy yoke because he is pulling with us. This offer is welcomed by those who have tried and failed or are simply exhausted by trying to carry the overwhelming load alone. Jesus famously made broad and open offers like this when he went out to preach. The invitation was genuine and open to all. But what was he offering, and how was that offer accepted? That is what we will examine next.
The Cost of Discipleship
And behold, a man came up to him, saying,
“Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
And he said to him,
“Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.
If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
He said to him,
“Which ones?”
And Jesus said,
“You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal,
You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him,
“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful,
for he had great possessions.
And Jesus said to his disciples,
“Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty
will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matt 19:16-23 ESV
The young man walked away because the price was just too high in his estimation. He did not go home healed, and he did not follow Jesus as a disciple. The crucial point for our discussion today is that Jesus did not chase him or try to soften his message. Jesus spoke the truth, and people either followed him or went home.
This brings me to the point I am trying to make. Jesus was not inclusive in the modern sense. He was open, inviting, and loving. But the invitation was not to come and be affirmed — it was to follow and be transformed. The way of Jesus excludes all other paths, and we are all asked to walk it. There are not many ways of Jesus. The path is narrow and straight, by his own description. We either abandon our own ways and walk the way of Jesus, or we do not. There is no third option. Love can not sacrifice truth because there is no love in a lie. We have all believed lies and still do to various degrees, even if unknowingly. The way of Jesus requires the same thing of all of us: to abandon our former way and walk the way of Jesus. We can’t follow our desires and walk the way of Jesus.
And he said to all,
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world
and loses or forfeits himself?
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words,
of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes
in his glory and the glory of the Father
and of the holy angels.
Luke 9:23-26 ESV
The Reward of Following Jesus
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
who, on finding one pearl of great value,
went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matt 13:45-46 ESV
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
God proved His love for us all by His incarnation, teaching, and faithfulness until death. He gave us all the hope of eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And life is a gift beyond price.
The example Jesus gave us in the previous passage is one of many that follow the same theme. The reward of life in Jesus is worth everything we have and everything we are. To follow Jesus is to leave our old lives behind to find eternal life in Him.
This week, let’s forget about the “cost” and instead focus on the reward. Let’s leave our old desires behind and allow his life to become our life. Let’s encourage each other into love and good works inviting others to join us on the way.
Have a great week!
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe