And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him –Matthew 4:18-22.
Little did they know where this journey would lead them. They received the call, they responded to the call, and now they were on a journey that would forever change their lives. Little do we know when we choose to follow Jesus where that journey will lead us. That is why it is considered a journey of faith.
One thing is certain, walking with Jesus will lead you into a life of holiness. What exactly do we mean by holiness? Holiness is the full sum of the righteousness of Jesus manifested in our lives by the work of regeneration and the inner renewing of the Holy Ghost.
John the Baptist said of Jesus: I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire –Matthew 3:11-12.
This speaks of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, and of the thorough purging that Jesus would bring. Jesus did not come with violence and yet His righteous presence swept through Palestine like a winnowing breeze. Those who rejected Him were blown away and disappeared from the narrative. Those who loved Him were set forth as the chosen ones who became the founders of a new kingdom established on principles not known before.
The principles of this new kingdom are demonstrated in the life of Christ and explained in His teachings. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus set forth teaching that challenged the most pious Pharisee and disturbed the apathy of the sinner. Jesus’ teachings were such that they could not be lightly ignored for they stirred a deep longing in the human heart for the love and peace that they offered while at the same time exposing the innate selfishness that prevented it.
It was this promise and hope of a new humanity that drew crowds of people after Him. They followed Jesus, some hoping for a miracle, some for bread, but many were drawn to Him by a deep inner longing for deliverance from the stranglehold of sin. Those who truly sought deliverance, found it.
One such disciple was Mary Magdalene. The Scripture gives us only cursory glances of her life. She appears to have been one of several women of whom the Scriptures make mention that followed Jesus. Doctor Luke tells us that Jesus healed her of evil spirits and infirmities. Apparently, she was not only possessed of evil spirits, but also physically infirmed.
And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance –Luke 8:1-3.
Mary became a faithful follower of Jesus. Her presence is especially noted in the Scriptures after the death of Christ. She was first to the sepulcher early on the resurrection morning and she lingered there when the others had gone away. Her diligent pursuit of Christ was rewarded when Jesus appeared first to her.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master –John 20:15-16.
Mary knew Jesus the moment He spoke her name. This intimacy was born of a passion for Christ that was the fruit of her deliverance. Mary’s love for Jesus was the result of having been delivered from seven devils.
Jesus’ primary mission in coming to earth was to deliver us from the power of sin. In Luke 5, Doctor Luke records an account of a man who was paralyzed. He could not walk. His friends brought him for healing, but they could not reach Jesus because of the crowd. So, they went up onto the roof and removed enough of roof tiles to let their friend through and lowered him into the presence of Jesus. How ingenious! How desperate they were to help their friend to find healing.
And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee –Luke 5:20. They sought healing, but Jesus saw the deeper need of this man’s soul, so He offered forgiveness. This, of course, raised the ire of the Pharisees who …began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? –Luke 5:21. They were right, only God can forgive sins, but what they did not want to believe was that Jesus was God’s Son and that thus He had did have the power to forgive sins. So, Jesus went on to say: …What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house –Luke 5:22-24.
To follow Jesus is to leave your sins. We would be greatly mistaken to suggest that holiness is a product of human effort. Our journey to holiness must be a journey to Calvary. Many “holy men” and “holy women” down through the ages have sought to live a holy life in their own strength. What always happens is that we settle for a form of godliness that falls short of Christ’s righteousness. We settle for a religion that is doable.
The apostle Paul, when writing about his Jewish brethren said: For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God –Romans 10:3.
This “righteousness of God” is an inner righteousness of the heart that can only come about through the work of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. It is for this reason that our journey with Jesus must lead us to Calvary for it is there that we behold our dying Lord—bleeding, dying for our sins—for my sins—for your sins.
The blood of Jesus is the only means to the “righteousness of God”. The “righteousness of God” is imputed through forgiveness, and it is the fruit of our lives after being empowered through the Holy Spirit. Either way, the “righteousness of God” is attributed to the work of Christ on the cross. There is no other means to holiness.
In Mathew 22, Jesus told the story of a king who planned a wedding for his son. When the invited guests (the Jewish people) refused his invitation, the invitation then went out to all those who had not been invited, and the wedding was furnished with guests.
When the king came in to observe the wedding, he was pleased with what he saw until he spotted a man who was not wearing a wedding garment. (A wedding garment was a white linen garment that was provided by the master of the feast.)
I quote Adam Clark: “Among the Orientals, long white robes were worn at public festivals; and those who appeared on such occasions with any other garments were esteemed, not only highly culpable, but worthy of punishment. The person who invited the guests prepared such a garment for each, for the time being; and with which he was furnished on his application to the ruler of the feast. It was this which made the conduct of the person mentioned in the text inexcusable; he might have had a proper marriage garment, if he had applied for it”.
“Not wearing a wedding garment” was to insult the master of the feast, who provided everything, (including the wedding garment) so that all the guests would be equally suited for the occasion. No one needs to be excluded for lack of proper clothing or any other amenity. The king provided the invitation and all necessary amenities, and the guest need only to accept the invitation and receive the gracious provision of the king.
What a beautiful analogy of the Kingdom of Heaven. The King has invited us to His heavenly feast. He wants us to come and enjoy the feast with Him. He wants us to come no matter who we are or where we come from—some from the gutters of sin, some from the depth of ignorance, and some from the temples of self-righteousness. All are invited to come on equal terms—All must accept the invitation, and all must wear the wedding garment.
We are not told the exact condition of this man who refused the wedding garment, but a general understanding of human nature would indicate that he was probably a well-dressed gentleman. Those who came shabbily dressed would have welcomed the wedding garment to disguise their true condition. Most likely this man wanted to display his finery. He did not feel inclined to cover his fine clothing with a simple white cloak.
This is the condition of all who trust in their own righteousness. The best that we can bring to God falls short of the righteousness that God requires. Isaiah wrote: But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away –Isaiah 64:6.
In this desperate situation we find ourselves in need of a redeemer. God has provided us with a Redeemer in His Son, Jesus. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace –Ephesians 1:7. God has invited us to His feast, and He has provided us with everything that is needed that we can be made righteous.
One attribute of a person who has been cleansed from sin through the blood of Christ, is worship. Luke tells the story of a woman who “was a sinner” who came to worship Jesus: And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner –Luke 7:37-39.
We do not know her name, only that she “was a sinner”. That was her reputation—she was ‘not good’. But she apparently had had a previous encounter with Jesus. She came to Simon’s house to offer her sacrifice of thanksgiving. She brought the best that she had. An alabaster box of ointment said to have been worth a year’s wages. She anointed Jesus’ feet and washed them with her tears—tears of repentance, tears of joy, tears of relief.
Simon observed her worship. He despised her in his heart. He considered her offering a great waste. Jesus challenged him. He said to Simon: …Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little –Luke 7:44-47.
He said to the woman …Thy sins are forgiven –Luke 7:48. Forgiveness, and freedom from sin, awaken the heart to worship. When a man or woman is set free from the guilt and bondage of sin, praise flows freely. Simon was a Pharisee who was relying on his own righteousness. Yet Jesus brought him to the awareness that he was greatly lacking in love and worship.
Following Jesus will lead us to holiness of heart and life. Following Jesus brings us face to face with the cause and the cure of the sin problem. The cause of sin is our fallen carnal nature, and our fallen nature is revealed in the light of His holiness. Along with Mary Magdalene and the other disciples, as we journey with Jesus, we become aware of our need and our need cries out for His grace. The cure for our sin is Jesus—…thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins –Matthew 1:21.
In Augustus Toplady’s famous hymn, Rock of Ages we find this line–
Be of sin the double cure; save me from its guilt (through forgiveness) and power (through sanctification).
