Radical is as radical does

Radical is as radical does
By Mark Tabb

"Another disciple said to him, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' But Jesus told him, 'Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'" (Matthew 8:21-22, NIV)

When the disciple asked the question that brought this reply he wasn't trying to be cute. "I'll follow you," he said to the teacher, "but first let me go and bury my father." Let the dead bury the dead was all he heard in response, so he left. No sense staying where you aren't wanted.

The teacher was like that. He offended people. To his critics he appeared to go out of his way to question conventional thinking. He was always breaking the rules, doing what people assumed shouldn't be allowed. And he never offered apologies to those who were offended by his message.

"Don't you know you offended the religious leaders with what you said?" his closest friends asked him one day. "Leave them," he replied, "they are blind guides leading their followers into a pit." So much for diplomacy. So much for tact. If you didn't like what he had to say you were cordially invited to leave.

And people did leave, by the droves. They couldn't take his message. The man was a radical. Nothing about him was associated with safety and stability. "I didn't come to bring peace, but conflict. I came to set a man against his family and a brother against a brother." Everyone who came in contact with him faced a choice. They could accept his message and give up their lives to follow him, or they could walk away. Radical. Revolutionary. Dangerous. His life, his words, his demands on those who would be his disciples, all pushed societal norms to the edge.

The question is still the same today, and it’s posed to you: will you accept his message, or walk away?

Point to ponder: Jesus was not safe, tame or diplomatic. He was a radical who changed the world.

Verse: "Another disciple said to him, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' But Jesus told him, 'Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'" (Matthew 8:21, NIV)

What will you do about it: The next time you’re faced with a choice between speaking out for truth or walking away in silent diplomacy, speak out! Let God turn you into a radical.

Prayer: Tell God you’re ready to dig deeper into discipleship, and ask him for both boldness and wisdom.