Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them,“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the 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 to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:25-31)
Here, The Lord Jesus explicitly lays down the terms of discipleship (and salvation). Without mincing words, or sugar-coating anything, He clearly instructs this crowd of people (and us) on what it truly means to be His disciples. He would have everyone count the cost, and give an honest calculation of their intent. He would, with full disclosure, lay out the blueprint for a life of devotion to Him: what it would look like; what it would entail; what it would require; what would be gained; what would be lost.
He makes it known that to be His disciple is to have such a new life, that we follow Him with our whole heart, regardless of any one else's opinion. Not even our dearest and closest relations in this life (parents, spouse, children, self) have any say so in the matter. He is the One who must have our heart; our obedience; our primary allegiance. Compared to the Savior of our souls, everyone else is insignificant. In fact, the only way to truly love them, is to live how God tells us to live, despite their input.
The word hate, used in verse 26, has nothing to do with any malevolent mistreatment of them. God's word instructs us to honor our parents, cherish our families, provide for our households and show ourselves friendly unto our friends. We are called to love everybody - even our enemies. But to hate, as indicated here, is to follow Christ discriminately, with an utter disregard for anyone's contrary ideas (even our own).
Gideon loved his father so much that he smashed his father's false gods. His love for the glory of the true God was preeminent (Judges 6). Paul loved his Jewish countrymen so much that he openly testified that their zeal was not according to knowledge. And yet, his affection for them was as strong as it could be (Romans 10). Job disregarded his wife's advice to "curse God and die." In love, he reproved her foolish speaking (Job 2). Asa, king of Judah, removed his grandmother from her position as queen mother, because of her idolatry (1 Kings 15). The Scriptures are full of additional examples of faithful men and women, who refused to elevate their loved ones above God. Likewise, to hate our loved ones is to despise their false ways, and seek to help them, by refuting their lies with the honest truth.
The best thing that I can do for my loved ones (and my own self) is to follow Christ whole-heartedly. For me to have a fruitful life of obedience to the Gospel, is in the best interest of everybody I know. Moreover, for me to forsake my own self, in order to follow Christ, is the healthiest thing that I could ever do for myself. It's not possible to have a more meaningful ambition. With everything subordinate to God's will, I can trust His power in my life, and experience the peace that only He can give. This will, in turn, make me more helpful to this world, than if I lived my own way, for my own self. To forsake all, and pursue Christ, is the all-around best option.
In this text, we see that The Lord Jesus loved His disciples enough to be truthful with them. He is utterly honest with them, so that they'd be utterly honest with themselves. As a disciple of His, I'm thankful that He deals with me in such a way. I have several reasons to be glad about His candor.
First, in this world of "buffet line" religion, where people basically pick & choose what's suitable to their tastes, it's refreshing to know that my God speaks so "matter of factly." He clearly establishes truth, and authoritatively dictates reality, with no regard for anyone's opinion or interpretation.
Secondly, it's refreshing that in this world of religious "salesmanship," where people are told what they want to hear, and coaxed into buying into a particular brand of preference-tailored doctrine, my Lord speaks very plainly. He makes it absolutely clear, so that all of His would-be disciples are made fully aware of exactly what they're getting into. He has us do a cost/benefits analysis, so that we know what the deal is.
Thirdly, in this world of "dumbed down" religion, where people "feel their way around," placing inordinate emphasis on emotions, and too much confidence in leaders, it's refreshing to know that Christ calls us to use our minds. Rather than "playing spirituality" to entertain ourselves, He would have us to substantiate our rationale, exercising discernment, with clear thought and sound reasoning. Most religious people are content to be led in the way of ignorance and foolish simplicity, when it comes to their eternal souls! But how remarkable is the fact that The Lord Jesus Christ has no blind followers! He opens people's eyes to the truth of His word, and moves our hearts with His mercy. And our commitment to Him is based upon what He did for us, in the laying down of His own life. We're thankful to be forgiven of our sin! For that reason, we willingly lay down our lives to Him, whom we see as our rightful Master.
Before I decide to surrender my life, He convinces me that He's absolutely worthy of it. He's no salesman, pitching a spiel about a deal, among other comparable deals. He's the giver of eternal life, to whoever must have it. He's not begging for any type of validation from me. He doesn't need my approval, but I do need His. And His approval of me is directly related to how I respond to His Lordship. I'm thankful that He shows me that I'm responsible to make a determinate judgment, weighing everything in the balance......not to simply make a flippant decision, without sober consideration of the outcome.
Christianity is not whimsical, but deliberate. The Lord is in full control of all things - including my life, but He shows me how I must relinquish my own perceived control of my life. Otherwise, I cannot be His disciple. His terms of discipleship are very clear.
A Christian is a follower of Christ alone. Considering the magnitude of who that Person is, shouldn't a profession of discipleship to Him be carefully pondered? Eternal life in Him is the most free of gifts. It's also the costliest of endeavors, and not to be taken lightly. It involves bearing one's own cross, and going in the footsteps of Him, who was the despised and rejected Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53).
Who has sufficient material for such a tower to be built? If God, Himself, is our supplier, we will have the grace to see it through, to completion. In fact, it's by the triumph of Christ's Cross that we can expect to be sustained through, and rewarded for, our own crosses. How can we know that we indeed have what it takes to finish what we start, and live out our profession, to the end? It's by "looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). It's by being confident that He who has begun a good work in us, will complete it (Philippians 1:6).
No comments:
Post a Comment