Luke 14: 25 – 33 (NIV): Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
Please understand that Jesus is not telling us to hate our families. We know that Scripture teaches just the opposite. This was a common teaching tactic in this culture. It was designed to shock you and get your attention. Jesus was saying we must place him above our families and, yes, our own lives. He must be first place. He must be the Lord of our lives if we are to call ourselves his disciples.
Notice the context of this story. Luke says “large crowds were traveling with Jesus...” Jesus was separating the onlookers from the disciples. A disciple is a learner and a follower. In the game of life, too many Christians are sitting in the stands watching; Jesus is inviting us to follow him onto the field and get in the game.
My game metaphor is inadequate, of course. It might be more accurate to call the Christian life a war instead of a game. Lives are at stake. Eternal lives. To be a true disciple, a person must first count the cost, then throw himself completely into the faith. Half-hearted commitments will not work.
To carry one's cross has only one true meaning. A person carrying his cross was marching to his death. The Romans used this method of execution on slaves and traitors. Jesus' hearers knew exactly what it meant. We use it to refer to carrying some burden, but that is not what Jesus meant.
So, if we are to be disciples of Christ, we put him first in all areas of our lives. No one and no thing is more important to us, not even our families. We must die to ourselves. This means we desire what God wants even more than our own wants and needs. We lay down our own lives and allow Jesus to live through us (Galatians 2:20). So many people are interested in the “show” of Christianity. They love the blessings and the fellowship, the redemption and healing, but when it comes to making a sacrifice for Christ, their faith comes up a little short. Are you an onlooker or a disciple?
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