Looking at Abraham, one can gain insight into the deep world of discipleship. Disciple is defined as a learner, a pupil and one who comes to be taught. The relationship between the disciple and his teacher is not that of only listening to a lecturer or a passively interested listener. A disciple drinks in every word of his teacher, marking every inflection of voice with an intense desire to apply what has been learned.
There are two instances in the life of Abraham; one was that he had to leave his country and his father’s household in Genesis 12:1, the other was to sacrifice his son Isaac. Similar situation can be seen when Jesus called his first four disciples in Mathew 4:18-22, where they left their nets and their father. Leaving the net symbolizes leaving the very thing their livelihood depends on.
In order to establish an intimate relationship with Christ, disciples just like Abraham left their blood related father in order to connect with heavenly father. Just like Abraham disciples were not analytical, they were absolute and innocent in nature. The disciples immediately left with faith and that is how they became the disciples of Jesus.
There was a reason why God made Abraham leaves their family. Once one overcomes the blood related family, an immense spiritual family awaits. If we think that only our blood related family is important, then we cannot form heaven. We can form heaven when we leave our family and love one another just as much. We’ll receive a greater spiritual family. The disciples of Jesus also walked this path. If we hanging onto something small then God cannot give us something bigger. God, who loves us so much, whom he loves, to let go of these small things so that God may give us something much greater, because he love us.
Jesus wants to test our hearts. He wants to be sure that we love him more than anyone or anything else in this world. Just as God wanted to be the center of Abraham’s life, Jesus also wants to be the center of his disciple’s life. Although Abraham left with great faith his country, now an instance appeared where God is asking him to sacrifice Isaac, the one whom Abraham must have loved more than his own life. If Abraham wanted he could have put a barrier and not involved God in his relationship with Isaac. Isaac is something or someone more precious to us than our own life. We as an individual may live our life because of this. It is something that we cannot live without.
The world which God created was that of absolute relationship of love and faith between God and man, a world of absolute union with no separation. However as man fell the relationship became that which separates and divides saying this is yours and that is mine. In this world of creation, there was a union that everything that belonged to father belonged to us and everything that belonged to us belonged to father as well. But through the fall there was division, separating between what is God’s and what is ours. Now God tells us to do something that doesn’t make sense to us and we don’t follow because it does not seem sound in logic. In fact all God wants from us is absolute belief and faith in him. God does not want us to dwell in a place of intelligence and knowledge. This is something that we do not understand. Fallen men tend to think that things can be recovered with their knowledge. God loved Adam very much, and Adam just simply abandoned Him. This does not make sense. This is a story of belief and not knowledge. Abraham with faith crossed this river. What God really wanted was not Isaac, but Abraham’s faith. Abraham knew the heart of God. He understood and knew that God’s heart was more pained as he watched this situation of sacrificing Isaac. In order to recover the road of absolute faith and absolute love, God had to put Abraham in this road of test to recover this world of creation. To a person of faith, there is no such thing as a test, but only a confirmation of their faith and love, that is to have recovered faith.
In similar sense, Jesus is looking for men and women who will shake their world, men and women who will be his disciples with the heart of Abraham. Once a great evangelist John Wesley said “Give me a hundred men who love God with all of their hearts and fear nothing but sin, and I will move the world.”
It is a call for disciple who can dedicate his Isaac to the Lord. It could be a family member or friend that we love more than God. It may be a relationship that we may be in at the moment. It may be some sort of pursuit we are afraid to give up. It is call to step out of the multitudes of listeners; Jesus is called us to be true disciple, loving him more than anyone or anything else in order to recover the fallen relationship between man and God.
This call is, no matter when or what time of our life, when the call of the highest earthly love and the cross of Christ are in conflict, the call of Christ must win over the earthly love. Simply speaking, a disciple is someone who loves God more than anyone else, even more than his family or friends.
There are two instances in the life of Abraham; one was that he had to leave his country and his father’s household in Genesis 12:1, the other was to sacrifice his son Isaac. Similar situation can be seen when Jesus called his first four disciples in Mathew 4:18-22, where they left their nets and their father. Leaving the net symbolizes leaving the very thing their livelihood depends on.
In order to establish an intimate relationship with Christ, disciples just like Abraham left their blood related father in order to connect with heavenly father. Just like Abraham disciples were not analytical, they were absolute and innocent in nature. The disciples immediately left with faith and that is how they became the disciples of Jesus.
There was a reason why God made Abraham leaves their family. Once one overcomes the blood related family, an immense spiritual family awaits. If we think that only our blood related family is important, then we cannot form heaven. We can form heaven when we leave our family and love one another just as much. We’ll receive a greater spiritual family. The disciples of Jesus also walked this path. If we hanging onto something small then God cannot give us something bigger. God, who loves us so much, whom he loves, to let go of these small things so that God may give us something much greater, because he love us.
Jesus wants to test our hearts. He wants to be sure that we love him more than anyone or anything else in this world. Just as God wanted to be the center of Abraham’s life, Jesus also wants to be the center of his disciple’s life. Although Abraham left with great faith his country, now an instance appeared where God is asking him to sacrifice Isaac, the one whom Abraham must have loved more than his own life. If Abraham wanted he could have put a barrier and not involved God in his relationship with Isaac. Isaac is something or someone more precious to us than our own life. We as an individual may live our life because of this. It is something that we cannot live without.
The world which God created was that of absolute relationship of love and faith between God and man, a world of absolute union with no separation. However as man fell the relationship became that which separates and divides saying this is yours and that is mine. In this world of creation, there was a union that everything that belonged to father belonged to us and everything that belonged to us belonged to father as well. But through the fall there was division, separating between what is God’s and what is ours. Now God tells us to do something that doesn’t make sense to us and we don’t follow because it does not seem sound in logic. In fact all God wants from us is absolute belief and faith in him. God does not want us to dwell in a place of intelligence and knowledge. This is something that we do not understand. Fallen men tend to think that things can be recovered with their knowledge. God loved Adam very much, and Adam just simply abandoned Him. This does not make sense. This is a story of belief and not knowledge. Abraham with faith crossed this river. What God really wanted was not Isaac, but Abraham’s faith. Abraham knew the heart of God. He understood and knew that God’s heart was more pained as he watched this situation of sacrificing Isaac. In order to recover the road of absolute faith and absolute love, God had to put Abraham in this road of test to recover this world of creation. To a person of faith, there is no such thing as a test, but only a confirmation of their faith and love, that is to have recovered faith.
In similar sense, Jesus is looking for men and women who will shake their world, men and women who will be his disciples with the heart of Abraham. Once a great evangelist John Wesley said “Give me a hundred men who love God with all of their hearts and fear nothing but sin, and I will move the world.”
It is a call for disciple who can dedicate his Isaac to the Lord. It could be a family member or friend that we love more than God. It may be a relationship that we may be in at the moment. It may be some sort of pursuit we are afraid to give up. It is call to step out of the multitudes of listeners; Jesus is called us to be true disciple, loving him more than anyone or anything else in order to recover the fallen relationship between man and God.
This call is, no matter when or what time of our life, when the call of the highest earthly love and the cross of Christ are in conflict, the call of Christ must win over the earthly love. Simply speaking, a disciple is someone who loves God more than anyone else, even more than his family or friends.
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