In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Of all the Apostles that suffered things for the Gospel, it’s hard to image anything worse than what supposedly happened to Saint Bartholomew. According to Church tradition, Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, was that disciple of Jesus Christ who got put to death by being flayed alive. That’s why when you see Saint Bartholomew’s emblem, often times it will have a picture of knife on the front of it to symbolize the way in which he lost his life. Even though the account of Saint Bartholomew’s martyrdom is not found anywhere in the Bible, so we shouldn’t speculate about it too much, there is still a Biblical truth at the center of it which we do well to pay attention to. And that truth is that there is always a cost to being a Christian. So, what I’d like to do in this morning’s sermon as we remember and give thanks to God for the witness of this incredible and faithful man, is talk a little bit more about what that cost is and why it’s worth it.

In the first place, I think it would be worthwhile for us to simply spend some time reflecting on the fact that, no matter what, every one of us should expect to suffer something if we are going to be a Christian. We live in a time where the message of Christianity has often been diluted down to vapid cliches and happy feelings. The most explicit example of this comes from those prosperity Gospel preachers who attract thousands of people to their pulpits by telling them that when they become a real follower of Christ it will automatically result in material blessing. But there are other representations of this error too. What about all of those congregations that have turned their church services into something that looks closer to a rock concert than anything resembling historic worship? How many people complain about being bored in church nowadays as if the goal of going to church is the same thing as going to a football game? Are we here to be entertained, or are we here to have our souls fed with God’s Word and Sacraments? Have you ever noticed how it seems like every new church that pops up these days picks a name as if they are trying to compete with each other for who is going to sound the most upbeat and positive? It’s always something like “Victory Life Church” or “Abundant Praise Church.” But you don’t hear of too many places being named after Saint Bartholomew. Apparently, nobody wants to be associated with the guy who got flayed alive. But that’s a shame.

Because when the impression is given that the Christian life is always easy, all that it does is make people more likely to stop being Christians whenever they encounter something that isn’t. But sometimes being a Christian isn’t easy. Sometimes it’s actually hard. Sometimes following after Christ and being faithful to Him and His Word is difficult and requires sacrifices. In some instances, it can lead to real physical and emotional pain. Just ask Saint Bartholomew. And if you aren’t convinced by his story, then listen to what God Himself says in the Bible.

Consider for example, our Epistle lesson today from 2 Corinthians chapter 4. There Saint Paul talks about how even though we have a great treasure in the promise of the Gospel, for now, we still carry that treasure in jars of clay. What he means is that our lives don’t always look as outwardly impressive as the hope that we have within us. As Saint Paul writes, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; stuck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” That’s the real depiction of the Christian life. That’s the one that you don’t often hear advertised on TV or portrayed in the movies. But that’s the one that in some way or another all Christians should expect to face. Remember what we read in Acts chapter 14. When the Christians of Antioch and Iconium were being persecuted for their faith, Paul strengthened their souls by reminding them that it is through “many tribulations that we must enter the Kingdom of God.”

Being a Christian always costs us something. It always comes with carry a cross. That’s exactly what Jesus tells us in Luke chapter 14. He says “nobody builds a tower without first counting the cost” and “whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple.”

Maybe being a Christian will cost you money. Doesn’t Christ also tell us that a person cannot have two masters and that “you cannot serve God and money.” Is it possible that you might have to quit your job and look for another one if your boss asks you to do things that you know are against God’s Word? Perhaps you won’t even be able to take a certain job to being with because that job doesn’t ever allow you to come to Church or there isn’t even a good Lutheran Church that teaches pure doctrine nearby.  Or here’s a tough one. What if following Jesus costs you strained relationships with your family or the inability to even interact with some of them at all. What does Jesus say to us in Matthew chapter 10? He says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own house.” Sometimes confessing what God says in the Bible makes other people mad at you. Sometimes it makes them not want to talk to you anymore. Sometimes it makes them hate you. In the worst possible cases, it may even make some people want to kill you. But again, what does Jesus say? He says in Matthew chapter 16, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

These are but a few of the things that we might have to deal with if want to live as Christians in a world that is hostile to God’s Word. Only the Lord knows what kinds of trials we might have to face and we can rest assured that He also knows what they are and how long they will last. But there is no getting around the fact that each and every one of us, in some way or another, will have to face something. All of us will have to take up our own on cross and follow Jesus, because being His disciple always comes at a cost.

And yet, even though following Jesus always comes at a cost, what is equally true is that no matter what that cost is, in the end, God promises that it will be worth it. Again, what does Saint Paul say in our Epistle lesson today from 2 Corinthians chapter 4? How does he describe for us the thing that we have, which is the reason why we suffer? He calls it treasure. He says, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay.” The treasure that Saint Paul is referring to in our text is nothing other than the free gift of salvation in Jesus. He is talking about the Gospel.

There is nothing in the whole world that is worth more than the Gospel. There is nothing that is more valuable than message of forgiveness in Christ. What other thing can save us from our sins? What other thing can assure us that we have a place in heaven and that even if we die, we will not stay dead, but we will be raised to new and eternal life? What other thing can give us a clean conscience and take away the fear that regardless of whether or not everyone else stands against us, including our own sinful flesh, God is still by our side? The only thing that can do that is the Gospel. As Saint Paul also tells us in Romans chapter 1, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

The reason why we carry in our bodies the death of Jesus, meaning we suffer things for being Christians, is so that the life of Jesus would be manifested in our bodies too. It’s so that other people would come to know the hope that we have in Christ. We don’t endure hardship and persecution in order to earn God’s grace and favor, we do it to show others that in Jesus, we already have God’s grace and favor. We take up our cross, because Christ took up His. And it was on His cross that the real price was paid. It was there that Jesus made atonement not only for our sin but for the sins of the whole world. Every debt that we owe to God, every transgression against His Holy Law that cries out to the heavens for justice, all of our lust, all of our greed, all of our anger, cowardice, and pride, our Lord made up for and suffered for when He willing endured the death of sinner even though He wasn’t one Himself.

Yes, it’s true that being a Christian is not always easy. Sometimes it comes with a cost and sometimes that cost can be very great. It’s hard to image going through something as terrible as what Saint Bartholomew went through. Where does a man get the courage to confess Jesus as his Lord even when other people are holding you down and cutting off your skin? How on earth did he have the strength to do that? There is only one explanation. He didn’t. The power to follow Christ even unto death doesn’t come from us, it comes from God. It comes by a gift of the Holy Spirit who works faith in our hearts through the preaching of the Gospel. Again, what does Saint Paul say in our reading? He writes “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

Bartholomew was able to endure in the face of immense suffering only because he knew about who suffered in His place. And, not only that, he knew about how his suffering came to an end. Bartholomew knew that besides dying for our sins on the cross, Jesus also rose from the dead three days later never to die again. And as the Bible tells us, “For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like His.” If we have been joined to the death of Christ in our Baptism, and been made members of His body through faith in His blood, then one day we will share in all of His resurrected glory.

The other day I was talking about Saint Bartholomew with my little kids at the dinner table and I asked them what God was going to do for Bartholomew when Jesus came back on the Last Day. Without any hesitation, one of them said, “Jesus is going to put his skin back on his body.” “That’s right,” I said, “Jesus will make things new.” He’ll do it for Bartholomew, and He’ll do it for you too. So don’t give up. Cling to Christ. Forsake the world. Guard the treasure that is yours by faith. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.