Luke Chapter 14. Verses 25 to 34. The cost of being a disciple.
I need to understand properly this that Jesus is teaching and how to apply it to my life in practice please.
I can see the basis but not the deeper meanings of what our Lord is saying.
Beloved one, let me share what I learned from the Lord.
For we heard:
“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. -Luke 14:26
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. -Luke 14:27
When we kept silent, do you think that make us right?
Or do we just say we are Follower of Christ not His disciples? Do that make us right before Jesus when eventually we meet Him?
For we have also heard in the bible :
It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. -Proverbs 25:2
If Jesus Christ, Son of God, have spoken to us and conceal THIS,
He must speak to us who search what He means by what He have said.
Is Jesus concerned about us hating our own father and mother? It cannot be!
Jesus would not contradict with God’s commandments to revere our parents.
As Jesus have spoken Himself:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. -Matthew 5:17
Jesus are not telling us that it is right to hate brothers and sisters!
For Jesus have strongly spoken:
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;
whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council;
and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. -Matthew 5:22
Does Jesus talk only of His disciples when He first come to earth? No !!!
As it is written:
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, HAVING LOVED HIS OWN WHO WERE IN THE WORLD, He loved them to the end. -John 13:1
Yes, we were once in the world but we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord, Savior and also Teacher !
For Jesus have said :
You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. -John 13:13
How do we understand what Jesus have spoken:
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate wife and children,.... he cannot be My disciple. -Luke 14:26
As we have also known what Jesus have spoken:
And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. -Matthew 10:36
Does it mean right to hate your own wives and children and make them their enemies? No !!! Why for Jesus have also spoken:
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, -Matthew 5:44
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.-Matthew 5:45
Then what does Jesus mean :
“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. -Luke 14:26
Likewise, Jesus has also spoken:
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. -Matthew 10:37
What Jesus is strongly concerned those who come to Him who LOVE THEMSELVES OR OTHERS MORE THAN HIM is not worthy of Him.
It is THIS “SELF LOVE” that cause much sinning !
It is that those who have this
SELF LOVE is that hinder many to come to Jesus and cannot become His disciples!!!
It is this “SELF LOVE” that make many unworthy of Jesus.
Then what it takes to be worthy of Jesus?
Let us first try to understand when Jesus have said:
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. -Luke 14:27
Why Jesus is so concerned about us bearing the cross and come after Him?
Why Jesus is so concerned about us becoming His disciples?
Likewise, Jesus have also spoken:
And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not WORTHY of ME. -Matthew 10:38
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. -Matthew 10:39
Why by not taking the cross that we are unworthy of Jesus?
Why by just following and not taking the cross that mean we are unworthy of Jesus?
Why Jesus is so concerned that we lose our life for His sake ?
Jesus is so SERIOUS about THIS!!!
Have we not noticed and take heed ? How do we face Him when He comes the second time to earth?
Remember the Lord’s Prayer that He taught us:
and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us." -Luke 11:4
Taking the cross Jesus speak is about bearing the sins that others have done to us ; just like Jesus bore our sins:
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. -1 Peter 2:24
When we bore the cross, we bore the sins of others in our body on the tree, just like Jesus.
How are we able to bear this cross ?
That is why Jesus tell us to come after Him:
But I will sing of Your strength; I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. -Psalms 59:16
We need to acknowledge God is our strength by singing and praising His steadfast love everyday and trusting that God is our fortress and a refuge in the day of our distress.
When we bear the cross and follow Jesus, we come to be worthy of Him.
When other hurt us, offend us, trespass against us, sinned against us ; when we are suffering for what is right, we suffer for Christ’s sake.
That is what Jesus means by losing our life for His sake; when we lose our life for His sake, we find this ABUNDANT life - life that is rooted and grounded in Christ’s love.
This NEW LIFE that is worthy of Christ’s love for eternity.
That is why the church is reminded:
Hear, O daughter ( the church), and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father's house, -Psalms 45:10
and the King ( Jesus Christ) will desire your beauty ( beauty of holiness ). Since He is your lord, bow to Him. -Psalms 45:11
That is why apostle Paul have said:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. -Romans 8:18
That is why David, the son of Jesse, who run after the heart of God have said:
Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. -Psalms 63:3
When Jesus come the second time, may He find us that have put off SELF LOVE and to be renewed in the spirit of our minds and put on the NEW LIFE of LOVE IN CHRIST , which created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. -Ephesians 4:21-24
Let us look forward to the day when it is announced:
"Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. -Revelation 19:6
Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and His Bride has made herself ready; -Revelation 19:7
Hallelujah
Amen
