LUKE 14:25-33 – “Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE COST OF BEING A DISCIPLE OF JESUS. The theme of the nugget is exactly what Jesus is doing in today’s scripture. He is telling would-be disciples don’t be impulsive, think it through what is necessary if you are going to follow Me. The requirements He puts forth are demanding, uncomfortable, and non-negotiable. But don’t let them hinder or cause us to be hesitant. What we gain in meeting the demands of Jesus to be His followers is so far greater than anything we may obtain in this world. It is also the most rewarding and soul-satisfying experience known to a human being. Yes, weigh the cost so as not to bring shame upon His Name and damage our profession of faith by falling short or compromising. Yet don’t refuse Him. It will be the worst decision one will ever make.
So, what is the cost? Let’s identify it, and as I mentioned, it is uncomfortable because of its non-negotiable nature. Jesus uses the word cannot to leave no room for compromise or misunderstanding. And remember, this is the cost not only in becoming His follower but the daily cost to be a faithful follower. It applies to the Christian all the days of his or her life.
Now to identify the cost Jesus instructs us to pay to follow Him, we will look at the repeated statement He makes “cannot be My disciple.” It appears three times.
First, we cannot be the Lord’s disciple if we place any human relationship above Him in our affections or priorities. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” He is not telling us to hate loved ones. No, He is showing comparison. Our affection for Him must be so deep and uncompromising that when compared with human relationships, our love for them seems like hate.
Next, we cannot be the Lord’s disciple if we are unwilling to suffer for Him and to intentionally obey His commands – “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” The cross is an instrument of suffering and death, and that is what we are called to for all of life. And to come after Christ is to walk a life of obedience to His commands, not perfectly, but consistently and progressively.
Finally, Jesus says we cannot be His disciple unless we give up everything we are, everything we own, and everything about us – “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” Our Lord is telling us, “You are My bought possession. You are not your own, and your entire life is now Mine.” This is called daily surrender of our lives to the will, desire, and purposes of Jesus.
The cost is high, but the cost is nothing compared to what Jesus paid for us. All the demands He places on us take us to the joy-filled life, and when we experience that, the cost we pay will prove so so so small!
PRAYER: Father, may I realize the cost of following Your Son and then fully and joyfully embrace the demands.
REFLECTION: To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, one must know what it cost and unquestionably pay it.