#96 Luke 14:25-35 Counting the Cost and Forsaking All Others
On November 3, 2022 by Amy BurginJoy:
Episode #96 Luke 14:25-35
Welcome
Amy:
Welcome to The Christgazing Podcast. We are so glad you could make it. I’m Amy Burgin.
Joy: I’m Joy Burgin.
Amy:
Christgazing, kind of like stargazing, is the act of looking steadily and intently at Jesus. This podcast makes room for just that. Amid a world of many words, we make space for the God-breathed Words, the best words, the ones that rightly comfort, correct, and lead us. This is the kind of podcast I am in dire need of. Each week Joy reads a portion of scripture several times and creates stillness after each reading so we might also be still and know God more.
We are in a series that takes us through the book of Luke, focusing on the red-lettered words of Christ.
Pour Out Your Heart to God
Amy:
Before Joy reads today, take time to share your heart with God. We do this each week; we pour out our hearts to God, exposing the darkness and chaos inside us. We make room for him to push back the darkness and to bring good order to our chaos. So bring your nightmares, your daydreams, your grief, joy, anger, excitement, exhaustion, and thanksgiving to God in this next minute.
What Does This Passage Say About God?
Joy:
I’m going to read today’s text two times. As I read, consider the question, what does this tell us about God?
Luke 14:25-35 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If 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. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Again?
Luke 14:25-35 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If 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. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Take a minute to be still and know what this says about God.
[Pause and know]What Does This Passage Say About People?
Joy:
As I reread the passage, consider a different question. What does this tell us about people?
Luke 14:25-35 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If 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. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Take the next few moments to answer the question, what does this passage tell you about people?
[Pause and know]Lord, What Would You Have Me Know Or Do Today?
Joy:
As I read for the last time, ask God, “Lord, what would you have me know or do today in response to this passage?
Luke 14:25-35 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If 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. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Take the next minute to ask God, “Lord, what would you have me know or do today in response to this passage?”
[Pause and listen]Blessing
Joy:
Christgazer, the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. And may you turn your face toward Jesus today and know him more.
One Response
Amy:
Verse 26 can trip us up for a second. In it, Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”
We must be careful to take this in context and we must be careful to know and remember the loving heart of Jesus.
Does Jesus really want us to hate our fathers and mothers?
We remember his command to honor our fathers and mothers. In Matthew 15:4-6, he reprimanded religious leaders saying, ” 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
Does Jesus really want husbands to hate their wives?
We remember his command for husbands to love their wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25)
Does Jesus really want us to hate our children?
We remember his command to fathers to not exasperate their children, so that they will not lose heart. (Colossians 3:21)
Does Jesus really want us to hate our brothers and sisters?
We remember the words of 1 John 4:19-21 which say, “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”
Does Jesus call us to hate?
We remember how Jesus responded when asked which is the greatest commandment of God. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus replied to the question, saying “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
So what does Jesus mean? When we look at the context of this passage, we find large crowds traveling with him. It is to these he is speaking. These crowds follow him now, but will they keep Jesus first in their lives long term, to the end?
When their mother or father ridicules their choice to follow Jesus, will they turn away?
When life gets hard and their wife leads them to doubt the caring love of Jesus and bow down to another god, will they do it?
Will any in this crowd be the ones yelling “Crucify him! Crucify him!” a few weeks down the road when he stands trial under the pressures of worldly leaders?
To follow Jesus for a week or a month and then turn away is like salt losing its saltiness, becoming fit for nothing.
Let us pray.
Lord, make us a people who
count the cost and know that you are worth it all,
Lord, make us a people who
obey, serve, love, cherish, and honor you, when ridiculed or praised, when sick or healthy, when rich or poor,
Lord, make us people who
forsaking all others, belong to you forever and ever,
Amen.
Closing
Amy:
You can find a transcript of this episode and all our episodes at amyburgin.com. Joy and I will be back again next week to go Christgazing together. Until then, don’t forget, when you put your trust in Christ, you are one in whom he dwells and delights, a dearly loved child of God. You are royalty in his strong and unshakeable kingdom. Though trouble abounds, Christ prevails, and so do you.
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