Choosing and Risking – Luke 14:25-33

A text – Luke 14:25-33

²⁵ Now large crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹ Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he cannot, then while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. ³³ So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

A reflection:

In this passage of Luke, Jesus is speaking to a large crowd, many of whom may have been thinking about becoming followers. Jesus wants them to consider what it has already taken for the 12 to follow him. All but Peter were single, and they had had to turn their backs on their families’ businesses and perhaps their own potential wedding plans. If anything in life comes at great cost, you have to plan for it, prepare for it. Buying a house or a car, even, requires that we not enter into the decision lightly. And choosing to do it means that we will have to say an automatic “no” to other things we might have done instead.

One commentary I read on this passage said that Jesus’s use of the word hate here probably does not mean to actively feel hatred for our family members. It may mean that, when you leave them and join the ministry, they may believe you hate them enough to leave your place in their family and of course the family business, which leaves them short-handed. They may really hate that aspect of your choice. You will incur their hate and the shame they heap upon you for deciding in favor of following Jesus.

No matter how we interpret the use of the word hate in this passage, we know that Jesus is telling people that committing to God, loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength will cost us in terms of relationships. Putting God first (putting anything first) means everything else becomes second or third or less. Jesus likens the deciding process to planning for a building or a battle. Think about it. Plan for it. Don’t be caught off guard. Take time to discern your calling and costs. And be willing to discern them for years to come. For us, this means we need to look at how important a relationship with the Triune God is to us, and how important it has or hasn’t been to us in our lives. What would we give up or risk losing? What is God’s love worth? An hour a week in church? 15 minutes a day in prayer? A deeper, longer walk with God whenever we can?

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for providing everything we need. Help us to understand and also risk something for following you. Help our relationship with you grow so that we are willing to get uncomfortable and still choose you over our own soft life. Help us to always cling to you. Amen.