Every business needs a market; and when people express interest in the products or services they need to be satisfied. Good traders do not turn business away and or advertise the disadvantages of their products. But Jesus was not running that kind of business. The gospel He came to deliver was not a consumer service to make people feel better (it was to tell people that they are sinners who need to repent and be saved). On this occasion, when the crowds came, Jesus ordered the disciples into a boat so that they could leave the people and go some five miles across the water to an uninhabited area.

A rabbi was so impressed with what Jesus was teaching that he volunteered to give up his work in the synagogue to follow Jesus. But Jesus told him that the gospel lifestyle would not be so comfortable, there would be no settled salary or home. Another disciple was keen to follow Jesus but pointed out that he had family responsibilities, a duty to care for his elderly parents until they died. Jesus was abrupt, telling him to get a grip on gospel priorities; the training opportunity of being with Jesus would soon be over; the young man had a choice to make.

Biographies of gospel hearted people often tell of the hardship, poverty, opposition and the need to take tough decisions - even at the cost of providing comfortably for their families. Of course, using the gospel as an excuse to refuse to care for family is wrong (Mark 7:9-13, 1 Timothy 5:8), as is ignoring the vulnerable (James 1:27). But Jesus never promised comfort, wealth or an easy child-focussed family life (as some in the West seem to think, today). Jesus said that gospel priorities demanded personal and family sacrifice, often without the applause of the crowd.

The kind of life we live is often conditioned by our upbringing and the values our parents taught us; our personal ego and desire for approval by others; our personal and family financial ambitions; the level of comfort we think we deserve; and the people, money and things which we think will make us more powerful. The question to ask, in the light of our limited lifespan (when we will leave this world with nothing), is: "How should I shape my lifestyle with gospel priorities, so that when I meet the Lord, He will be pleased?" That is a big question which few dare to ask. But we have to ask it and live out the Christ-like answers if we are to be His disciples.