Have you ever heard the expression that someone is “sitting on the fence”? 

It’s about being neutral, or perhaps being slow to make a decision about something. 

With that in mind, let me say this: You can’t follow Jesus if you’re sitting on the fence. 

The exact expression “follow me” occurs twenty times in the Gospels. For example, in Mark 1:17 Jesus says: “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Imagine the following scenario. You are sitting on an actual fence. Jesus comes along and says “follow me.” 

You reply, “Yes! But I’m sitting on this fence.” 

“Why,” Jesus asks. 

“Well, it’s comfortable, convenient, and not very controversial.” 

Jesus responds: “So how are you going to follow me if I’m going this way but you’re going to stay over there?” 

As you think about your response, Jesus proceeds to walk into the distance to change the world with his radical grace and radical truth.

One might argue that complacency is the opposite of discipleship. 

Where in your life are you sitting on the fence? 

Is it in response to something Jesus says? Is it in response to something he tells us to do? Is it how you engage—or don’t engage—a contemporary social or political issue? Is it a choice you need to make but you don’t want to let God in to the process? 

If we only follow Jesus when it’s convenient, we’re not really following, are we?

Jesus is God come to us full of grace and truth (John 1:14). His grace is radical. So is his truth. And he calls men, women and children to follow him. 

You can’t follow Jesus if you’re sitting on the fence. 

Notes:

-“You can’t follow Jesus if you’re sitting on the fence.” Click here. Sermon. 

-Bible quotes are from the ESV.