Luke 14:25-35
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.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Jesus took sin and how we prioritize God and Him in our lives very seriously and sometimes said some shocking things, which refer to sin and God and Him...In His Teachings and comments He told us that we should follow Him and put Him first...He said if anyone comes to Jesus and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be His disciple...He told us that we should love our enemies...You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’...But He told us, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven...God causes Hs sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous...So we learn He and God are first in our lives, above ourselves, our family, and let us make room in our lives for our enemies...This Teaching is a metaphor for putting Him and His Father first in our lives...
One of His Teachings which I have a great problem with is His Teaching on worry...I naturally worry and have anxiety...Jesus teaches us, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear...Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?...
One day Jesus called a Canaanite woman a dog, when she asked Him to heal her daughter...Jesus said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”...“Yes it is, LORD,” she said...“Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”...Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith!...Your request is granted.”...And her daughter was healed at that moment...He calls us to a commitment that transcends cultural norms and expectations of the different countries and societies of the world, challenging us to love each other and God deeply, prioritize God at all times, and see the entire world through the lens of God's Universal Grace...
Some of the shocking things grab our attention and give us sort of a Jesus Shock...We normally think about and read about Him being a LOVING, forgiving, Full of Grace and Truth Individual, which Ge is...But in these Teachings, He is telling us that He is the priority in life and should be the priority in our lives...He has Great Expectations for us...He wants us to be like Him...Jesus emphasized the seriousness of sin and our relationship with God...He didn't sugarcoat this in His Teachings; He wanted to impress upon us the importance of living faithfully and aligning our priorities with God's Will...