His Terms And Conditions: 2 – Deny Who?

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Matthew 16:24 (ESVUK)

Let him deny himself. The first two words never occurred to me before, because I was all about the two that follow. But “let him”. Allow him to follow these things. Don’t hinder him. Don’t stop him. Give him the space and time to do these things. Isn’t that fascinating? Especially considering what we’ll allow. It’s like Jesus is a gentleman and suggesting that following Him is on a basis that He’s very keen for people to enter voluntarily and without duress. Such courtesy for such an enormous undertaking.

In that same vibe, let us consider those next two words – deny himself.

Hold on a minute, am I not supposed to love others like I love myself? Wait, what? Am I not supposed to pay attention to myself and give myself some space to breathe so I can be my best self? Isn’t that the real script of life.

From the time of man’s initial rebellion against God, man has worshipped a variety of alternatives. The main thrust of the idolatry has been man’s underlying desire to reject God and appoint himself as the ultimate judge and the only one capable of ruling. When God was no longer acknowledged for who He is, it felt only fitting that man should take His place. Ever since then, the desires of the flesh and the quest to please self has been a prevailing narrative of human history.

We see it in the fateful decision-making that turned the first woman from God. She always knew the fruit looked good – and there was nothing wrong with that. She could have guessed that it would taste good – and there was nothing wrong with that. It was that element that she could be like God – all with the taste of this fruit. And the man that was with her did nothing to stop it but went right along with it. And since then John informs us that we face in the world is the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of this life. All self-centred.

We see it repeated again with the temptations of Jesus where the devil looks to appeal to Jesus through self-satisfaction, self-gratification and self-glorification. The wicked one thought it would be sufficient to shift Jesus from His God-given mission by suggesting there were short cuts. Jesus’ responses highlighted how He was not in it for self-centredness – it was all about doing and being what was pleasing to the Father. It was about being faithful to what He was called to do because of His love for His Father.

That’s not quite the case in our world, though. We present lives to children that it’s all about self-satisfaction, self-gratification and self-glorification. Children aspire to that state of independence where they no longer have to be shackled to their parents and hope to get their own thing in their own way whenever they want. The being able to stand on their own two feet is also a defiant declaration of independence on everyone especially God.

Such is the barrier of the flesh, such is the hindrance of the ego, so highly exalted and vaunted against the rulership of God is the self that Jesus addresses that right up front if we really want to come to Him. We have to stare the self in the face and deny it. Starve it from the source and keep on developing a resistance to indulging in the fleshly, self-centred approach that dominates the world we live in through various guises.

That level of being counter to the way of the world is only possible through focusing on the one who calls us. Recognising He is not calling us to something that He has not overcome Himself. We recall even before He says these words, Jesus has reprimanded Peter for looking to bring everything back to the way humans think. Peter had told Jesus that the way of the cross and rejection was not the way of the Messiah. Jesus, however, was not fixated on self. His eyes were always on what would be pleasing to His Father. To the degree that He could recognise another effort of the wicked one to try to dissuade Him even through one of those He regarded most closely.

That awareness of the will of the Father. That desire to be pleasing to Him. The ability to discern what helps that and what hinders that is a model that can help us today. As we acknowledge the character we take on when we allow the Holy Spirit to genuinely take up residence in us, so we’ll be mindful to please God and recognise that necessarily means denying self.

To deny self is to reject that which centres on the self-satisfaction, gratification and glorification as the central rhythm of life. To deny self is to see that there’s something of far greater worth that should be pursued at all costs. To deny self is not done in isolation. It’s not a matter of will-power to keep a good attitude up on the surface. To deny self is a part of the process that enables discipleship to flourish and it is an expression of faith to rely more on the One who created us than on the one created.

In case you thought that this was all there was to it, though, Jesus then adds something else that should carry with it today the same shock value as it would have at the time. Take up your what?

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden