Luke 14:25-35
25 Now large crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them,
26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?
29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who are watching it will begin to ridicule him,
30 saying, ‘This person began to build, and was not able to finish!’
31 Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to face the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 Otherwise, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and requests terms of peace.
33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
34 “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?
35 It is useless either for the soil or the manure pile, so it is thrown out. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Joy becoming True Disciple
Carry your own cross
Jesus speaks a stern word to the crowd: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (v 26). To “hate” here does not mean to literally hate someone. Jesus, who taught us to love even our enemies, would never approve of an act of hatred. These words are a question of whom we love and value the most. To be a disciple of Jesus means loving Him more deeply than our closest family members and more than ourselves. It is true that becoming a disciple of Jesus is a serious and costly calling. But Jesus is not making such demands to burden us. Becoming a true disciple is the path to experiencing freedom and joy. We cannot put our ego to death by our own efforts. We need the grace of God. If there is any part of you that you have not fully surrendered to God, then pray and seek His grace. To “carry the cross” means, “choosing to bear something that you are not obligated to carry – because of love.” What is your personal cross? Is there something you are choosing to bear out of love?
Calculating the cost
Jesus told two parables. The first is about a man who wants to build a tower and the second is about a king preparing to face an enemy. Though the two stories are similar in content, there is a clear distinction between them. The first parable asks, “Consider carefully whether you can become a disciple.” The person building the tower can still choose to abandon the project. The second parable asks, “Consider carefully if you can afford not to become a disciple.” Since the enemy is coming with twenty thousand soldiers, the king has no choice but to seek terms of peace. The same is true for us. Trying to stand before God on the basis of our own righteousness is like attempting to face an army of twenty thousand with only ten thousand troops. The only path left for us is to accept the terms of peace that God offers. Those terms are the cross of Jesus Christ. In order to become a disciple, we must ask ourselves the two questions taught by these parables. A true disciple knows both that discipleship is a gift received by grace and that becoming a disciple comes with a cost.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, please come to me with Your grace so that I may become a true disciple of Jesus. Show me what my cross is. Transform me into one who gladly bears my own cross. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.