Luke 14:25-33
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes even this own life – he cannot be my disciple. Verses 28-32 are two parables that drive home the call for people to weigh the cost of discipleship. Verse 33 ends with “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he cannot be my disciple.”
When Jesus talks about hating our family members and ourselves, he is talking comparatively. Natural affection is to be, as compared with the Christian’s devotedness to Christ, as if it were hate. Compare these verses to Matthew 12:47-50.
Jesus starts out his ministry in the Sermon on the Mount saying “Blessed are the Poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”. Then when a rich man came to Jesus and ask, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life,” Jesus answers, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The young rich man went away sad because he had great wealth. Jesus said “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
To be a disciple of Christ, we must be able to give our ALL to Him. He should be first in our lives. All of our relationships should take second place to Christ. All of our activities should take second place to Christ. He should be central and foremost. We are to prefer him to everything and everyone and should be able to renounce all that we have for His sake and the sake of the Gospel.
I know, myself, I struggle in this area. Living in this world it is hard to NOT be worldly. There is so much to grab our attention. First, there are the relationships we have. Family conflicts and problems can sometimes take up our time and attention. Work (the love or hate of it) can take our eyes off Jesus. Our hobbies and interests can take our attention away from Christ. When you wake up each morning, you may or may not spend time with God in prayer and Bible reading. You may even end your day with prayer and Bible reading. Sundays, we go to church and worship Him.
What about the rest of every day and every week? Hebrews 12: 2 says “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”. Colossians 3:2 says “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Today, we need to begin putting Christ first in our lives, minds, and heart. The Kingdom of God will be ours.
Yes to follow Jesus you should be ready to give up, not just your parent, wife or children but your life