Genesis 34-35; Luke 14

At the end of Luke 14 Jesus makes a statement that has been bewildering the casual Bible reader for centuries. 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” What is bewildering about the statement is Jesus has always taught us to love everyone. He even told us to love our enemies, and now we are to love the ones who are the closest to us. It doesn’t make sense, and it is designed to stop us in our tracks. The next statement starts to put it in perspective as he tells us that we must count the cost of being a disciple. A house builder or a king going to war must count the cost before the begin to see if they have what it takes to finish the job. But it is the last phrase that brings real clarity. 33 “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” I want you to see that Jesus is not saying that if you do not forsake all I won’t accept you as my disciple. He is saying that if you don’t forsake all, which by the way is the cost to be counted, you won’t be able to finish as a disciple. Jesus has to be first, last and everything in between and if a disciple surrenders to anything less, they will most likely quit and not be able to finish the rigors of being a disciple. So the statement to hate ones family is a comparative statement. In comparison to your love for God, your family is even second fiddle. Recently I was talking to a pastor friend of mine who was going through a tough time. It seemed like the devil has been hitting him on all sides. Most people under this kind of attack would quit, but not my friend. He said, I love God to much to quit now. You see discipleship is about a love relationship with your Lord. Count the cost, not the price it will take but the price he already paid for you. “Do you love him more than these?”

Pastor Rick,

Next reading: Genesis 36-37; Luke 15