Invest In Disciples Even When You See Little Return
Being like Jesus and casting to disciples is where our Christian faith starts to come alive.
Unlike the preacher in Ecclesiastes who spent his life investing in things, Jesus lived a very different existence. Instead of asserting his power over others, he came in the form of a servant. Rather than invest in buildings, Jesus invested in the lives of disciples. And this investment continues to impact the lives of people 2,000 years later.
Jesus cast his bread to twelve apprentices called his disciples. The word disciple is one that permeates the pages of scripture, leaving Dallas Willard to state, “The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ.”
In fact, the word disciple can be found 269 times in the New Testament, whereas the word Christian is found only three times. And it’s in some of the closing words of Jesus that he tells his followers in Matthew 28:19 to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” This was a challenge that held global implications.
This discipleship relationship Jesus had with his followers was not an equal dynamic. In fact, it was grossly lopsided.
For three years, Jesus walked and talked with this group of men, invested as much information and knowledge as they could handle, and showed them what it meant to live a life in union with God. And at the end of this time, they repaid this investment by forsaking Jesus in his darkest hour.
