Luke 14:25-33
The Cost of Being a Disciple
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If 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. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
We easily accept some of Jesus' teachings. Even those who seldom attend church know the story of the Good Samaritan, and readily accept its principles. We all easily ascribe to practicing love for one another, and offering forgiveness. However, some of Jesus' words don't go down quite as easily. They stick in our throats and make us wonder about what He really may have meant. This is one such passage. Did He literally mean for us to "hate" our families? Are we to literally carry a cross? What does it mean to count the cost?
In short, no, He doesn't want you to hate your family. To believe that is to not understand the colorful nature of the language of His day. What Christ is indeed driving at is the ever relevant issue of priorities. Christ had many followers, or spectators, but He was interested in disciples. He was interested in those that wouldn't just listen, but would put His words into action. He wasn't and isn't interested in being a priority in a long list of priorities. He wants to be, and deserves to be, the priority. This is not a suggestion, but a command.
Yes, we are to carry a cross, in the meaning that phrase had in Jesus' day. To carry your cross was to walk to your death, to be a marked man (or woman). Jesus expects us to live each day as if it might be our last on earth. He expects us to not waste time with that which should not be priority, but to be focused disciples of His, to be effectual. The amazing part of this is that we all carry a cross already. We all have worries, doubts, problems, which hamstring us from becoming who God intended us to be. Jesus offers His cross of service, and acheiving divine potential, instead of our own of self-interest, and personal failure. The truly fantastic part of His cross, is that we don't have to carry it alone. He indeed bears the cross with us, as do our Christian brothers and sisters.
Finally, what does it mean to count the cost? Simply put, think about it. Don't blindly say that you are a Christian, consider that statement first. It literally means to profess or follow Christ, and His statements of faith. This is not a light thing to lay claim on. How often do we profess our faith? How closely do we follow Jesus' footsteps? In this passage He invites us to follow Him, and throughout the Gospel promises that He is with us in the task.
