God's Gospel Truths
Luke 14:25-33
The Cost of Being a Disciple
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 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. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
~ Jesus,
from Luke 14:33
Pondering Point
Jesus spoke these hard-hitting words to the crowds of people following Him. It is no wonder He had such crowds following Him given the healings, the wise teachings and the food He had miraculously provided. But that was not what made a follower of Jesus in His eyes. There was a cost beyond the time commitment involved in the physical pursuit occurring that day among those following Him. These are questions brought up by Jesus to be answered:
- Am I willing to put God above my family?
- Am I willing to put God above my own personal wishes?
- Am I willing to stay the course when it gets difficult?
- Am I willing to accept God's terms?
I don’t know about you, but when I consider the ramifications of being a disciple of Jesus, I don’t see much wiggle room here.
But as you ponder this way of life under Jesus, remember that there is a cost to not following Jesus as well. And by the way, trying to follow Jesus on your own terms is equivalent to not following Him at all.
As He said, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples (Luke 14:33). But whoever does come to Him (and follow) will never hunger nor thirst (John 6:37). Whoever does give up his or her life finds it anew (Matthew 10:39).
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You gave Your life for me, a significant act of love and unification. As I am reminded that following You costs something significant on my end, remind me also of the joys and blessings of following You. I want to lose my life, giving it up to follow You, and find a new life in You. Grant it Jesus for the glory of God our Father. Amen.