Holy Boldness

just offer forgiveness but to change mankind at the deepest level, into a new race of men. For His disciples to be able to carry on with his radical purpose, Jesus had to change their default orientation from self-pres ervation to an utter commitment to the will of God. Jesus’ training of the twelve would involve a renovation of their personal understanding of what was good and right. It would require a willingness to see things completely differently than what they had always thought. Along with their privilege of being His close associates, the dis ciples were also subject to the intensity of Jesus’ personality that was not afraid to engage in uncomfortable conversations. Being with Jesus meant the disciples were subject to the scrutiny of Jesus’ daily presence. Living with a person is different than enjoying someone’s teaching. To live with Jesus would have been a challenging assignment all by itself. At times the Gospels reveal that being with Jesus was uncomfortable as He would ask His disciples probing questions about what they were discussing which exposed their motivations. He was quick to affirm but also just as quick to rebuke. Walking with Jesus was both a privilege and also a baptism of fire. Isaiah asked a question the disciples might have asked, “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with the contin ual burning”. (Isaiah 33:14b) What Jesus taught He lived. There was no relaxed standard when the crowds departed. Jesus was true to Himself and His teaching at all times. The disciples were trained to live in both humility and boldness at the same time. That’s not an easy task. One of the most important attributes of a disciple of Jesus was that he would have to be teachable. This becomes evident from the Gospel texts as Jesus repeatedly challenged and corrected His disciples sometimes for being too timid and sometimes for being overzealous. Have you ever felt like you would like to have a little vacation from God’s presence? Do you ever wish to have a little time to yourself where you can let your hair down and not have to worry about what any one else thinks, including God? That simply was not an option for Jesus. Neither would it be for His disciples. The problem with most believers is that they are so strong-willed. We wants whats we wants. That was not an option for the disciples and that is why Jesus said, “If any man wants to be my disciple, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

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