I will be the first one to admit that on that special day some 45 years ago, when I uttered the words “till death do us part”, I did not fully grasp the commitment I was making. I am not saying I was making an insincere commitment or that I did not mean what I said. What I am saying is that time and circumstances often test the resolve of our commitments. For instance, do you believe Peter meant what He said to Jesus just before Christ’s arrest, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny you!” (Matthew 26:33)? Peter, unaware of the events that would soon unfold, confidently proclaimed his allegiance to Christ. There was much for him to learn about commitment and learn he would! Some thirty or so years later tradition holds that during emperor Nero’s persecution of Christians, Peter was put to death on an upside down cross.
One of the things I appreciate about discipleship is that Jesus doesn’t sugar coat the commitment in any way. Consider these words from our Lord, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). There are also the words of the apostle Paul as he exhorts the young evangelist Timothy, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2nd Timothy 3:12). What a sales pitch, right! But that is the point, discipleship is not some product to sell; but rather, it is an invitation to follow Christ. A decision that is challenging to the core, for it promises the joy of salvation along with the conflict that it brings living in a dark physical world. The lesson today centers on something Jesus taught during His ministry on earth. Great multitudes were following Jesus, so He turn s and says…
“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.” (Luke 14:26)
Much has been said concerning these words from Jesus. Hate? That is so un-Christlike! Consider what the Lord taught in Matthew 10:37, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” Many of us have heard that the Greek word translated “hate” can mean to love less. But did you know it can also mean to esteem less? To esteem something means to have deep respect and admiration for something or someone. So, what does He mean? If you genuinely want to be My disciple, God needs to come first! What is the greatest command? Jesus taught, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39). When we begin with God, esteeming Him and His ways above all others, then we are able to learn what true love is and is not. Through the transformation process, we can grasp more fully what is means to follow Jesus. I like how John puts it in 1st John 2:6, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” This is no easy task! All of us bring baggage of personal failures, unresolved hurts, and preconceived ideas of what it means to be a disciple. So, what Jesus says next makes sense…
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:27)
Letting go of self. Jesus taught this very thing just a short time before, saying, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross DAILY [my emphasis], and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). I think of Jesus and how resolved He was to please God the Father, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). Even when faced with the actions of evil men, He was determined. “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus would carry that cross! He would do what was needed to pay the penalty for out sins (1st Peter 2:24), even endure an agonizing death on a cross. So, He invites those willing to follow Him, metaphorically, to carry their cross. Be willing to die to our worldly life and commit ourselves to serving Him above all others, including ourselves (2nd Corinthians 5:15). The apostle Paul said it this way, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5).
That is what the commitment of discipleship looks like. Esteeming Christ and His ways above all the noise that seeks to distract us. It is an awareness that such a commitment will take a willingness to die to self. It is not EASY! But it is completely worth it. As I close this article, I think of these words from Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Help us Lord and be patient with us Lord as we learn to prioritize You in our lives.
Biddeford Church of Christ 