How to be a Christian without Following Jesus

Jesus once said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”

Jesus, of course, was speaking metaphorically of his sacrificial death and resurrection. Yet, on hearing this, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”

Consequently, according to John 6, “many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”

In fact, much of what Jesus taught—including his parables—was difficult,to hear. It remains true today. This is a good thing. The inherent difficulty in Jesus’ teaching was a deliberate feature of his public ministry—difficult in that he wanted his followers to think. Thinking requires meditating, praying about, discussing, and practicing.

It also signals a red flag any time we, as followers, are tempted to explain his sayings in such a way as to make them less difficult. After all, the last thing we need is a set of shallow interpretations that reduce the business of following Jesus to low-maintenance formulas that require little thought or effort.

Among the most brilliant New Testament scholars of my formative years was F.F. Bruce, who warned against simplistic, less challenging interpretations of Jesus’ sayings. On the contrary, Professor Bruce observed, “The better we understand them, the harder they are to take.”

One of Professor Bruce’s chief mentors was a scholar named T.W. Manson, who famously wrote, “It will simplify the discussion if we admit the truth at the outset: that the teaching of Jesus is difficult and unacceptable because it runs counter to the elements in human nature which [our] century has in common with the first — such things as laziness, greed, the love of pleasure, the instinct to hit back and the like.”

Therein lies the tension within me. The old me is at war with the new. I find it easy to be a Christian on the outside but difficult to follow Jesus on the inside. And I’m not alone in this struggle.

In the US, it is still quite common for people to label themselves Christian. Many of us grew up believing America was a Christian nation. Today, the legacy of the first century is a reduction of Jesus’ life and public ministry to a cultural cutout. We have Christian politics, Christian books and magazines, Christian music, Christian dating, and a wealth of Christian churches. We even have a Christian vernacular. And while much of this is good, the modern use of the word Christian means a lot of things to a lot of different people. As a result, people can be Christians – using the modern sense of the word – without ever actually following Jesus.

For me, it’s as a lifelong struggle. If I don’t stay on top of it – that is, wake up every morning consciously praying for God to keep me focused throughout the day on Jesus’ priorities of how to treat other people – then I slip into that dreaded condition of being a follower in name only. If I carry on setting goals for my own purposes, producing nothing fruitful in my life that would evidence a follower of Jesus, then I risk looking back at the end of my life only to learn I was nothing more than a member of the Christian “club,” all the while alien to Jesus’ kingdom.

Evidently, Jesus foresaw this dilemma, reserving one of his most difficult sayings to describe imposters – those who would remain permanent followers in name only. “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you…’”

And so I have to at least try. I can’t do it without asking for the Holy Spirit’s help – every day. His offer of daily help and strength is essential if I’m going to even attempt to do what seems impossible.

“Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you.” A follower of Jesus cannot seek revenge, but loves and prays for opponents.

“Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Followers of Jesus know what this means and strive to overcome the sensuality of the culture by mindfully resisting impulse, holding “every thought captive” to his will.

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” A follower of Jesus values the rewards of heaven more than the riches and ambition of this world.

“These are hard!” I complain. “These are impossible!” I protest. He continues.

“Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.” A follower of Jesus is continually praying to and depending on God, the way he did.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” A follower of Jesus rises above the arena of judgment and comparison, knowing judgment is a two-edged sword that cuts both ways.

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.” A follower of Jesus knows “this is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

“I’m not wired for this!” I rationalize. But in time, I realize what is difficult is not impossible. He can rewire me, but it will take a lifetime of prayer and practice.

In fact, the ability to do the impossible is what Jesus had in mind when he promised, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

The choice is clear. I can be a Christian without following Jesus, identifying myself within the Christian cultural cutout. Or I can worry less about being called a Christian and instead focus on following Jesus.

Here, Jesus’ sobering words come to mind. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Now the choice is an obvious one.