Luke 14:25-33
Jesus made it plain in this passage that discipleship with Him is not a matter to be taken lightly. It will cost you something.
Some have misunderstood this passage and concluded that Jesus contradicted the law (honor and obey your parents) and gave permission to harbor hatred and disrespect their parents. However, He makes his statement about “hating” family in the context of discipleship and goes on to mention both wars and building projects. He also refers to “hating” the life that you have deliberately chosen to make for yourself (not just hating the difficult circumstances of your life).
So, what is Jesus’ point? What is He really getting at? Does He really want us to hold hard feelings for our families? Is He encouraging bad attitudes and disrespect? No. He’s asking for commitment. True commitment. Lasting commitment. He’s issuing a real caution because following Him is not to be confused with following popular characters in the culture or the world. He’s saying, “Don’t make a rash decision!”
Jesus is telling us that there are decisions to be made that flow out of the decision to walk with Him. There will be times when your family will disagree with you and possibly reject you because of your commitment to Jesus. Your decision to follow Him may actually militate against all the plans you have made for your personal happiness in life.
Jesus illustrates His point with two things: completing a building project and prosecuting a war. An interesting choice of illustrations. Both of these things require careful thought and planning. Both will carry a tremendous price tag. Either would be embarrassing to begin and then not be able to finish because you hadn’t given sufficient thought to the cost.
What is Jesus NOT saying? He’s not saying that the price is too high. He’s not saying to turn around and go home, abandoning Him. He hasn’t suggested not building new buildings or not doing battle with your enemies. He’s just saying to think about your commitment before jumping in. Count the cost to see if you have what it takes to finish.
So, what is the cost of being a disciple of Jesus? It differs in some ways for each of us who chooses to follow Him. When going to war, it’s a foregone conclusion that some will die on the battlefield and never return to their homes and families. But not all. Some will be forever changed and possibly incapacitated by their wounds. But not all. Some will be haunted by memories and visions of the battlefield. But not all. Think about it.
The people Jesus spoke to in Luke 14 were familiar with both building projects and wars. They knew the realities of each. They also knew that they would be watched by those around them whenever they took on any major endeavor and would be humiliated if they then found that they couldn’t finish. Jesus wasn’t trying to set anyone up for failure He just asked for careful consideration before making a decision. Think about it!
He’s calling you to an intimate relationship with Him. He wants you to be His disciple. However, He’s not inviting you to failure. But He’s also not inviting you to a life of ease. There will be great accomplishments and great joys along the way but not without a price. Are you willing to pay the price for the relationship that He offers?
If you would like to know more about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, we have a process called “The Journey” that introduces you to this concept. Please contact us and someone will reach out to you with more information.
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