Text: Luke 14: 25-33
It’s career day at the local high school. The speakers each take their turn. A speaker gets up to talk about a career in medicine. He explains how medicine is a helping profession and gives some touching examples. He tells them how such a career can provide a nice income and good opportunities.
Yet he wisely paints a fuller picture. He wants them to consider what’s involved. He speaks of demanding years of training, long hours away from family. He speaks of phone calls any time day or night to come to the hospital. He speaks of sacrifice.
That’s what Jesus does here in our text. People were coming to him saying, I want to be your follower, your disciple. And when you first read this it might sound like he’s trying to discourage them –and us today. But that’s not the case. Jesus wants us to follow, but with full disclosure. That’s why we say this morning:
FOLLOW CHRIST – But consider what it means
I. Count the cost
II. Check your resources
Sometimes people step up to follow without giving it much thought. People saw Jesus feed thousands with just a few fish and loaves of bread or at least heard of it. They witnessed him give sight to the blind. Some saw him stop a funeral procession and raise a mother’s son back to life. And so many people were ready to follow Jesus—or so they thought.
Today people do the same. Some churches today design their ministry to in a way sweep you off your feet. Give people a great experience. Or maybe they like the pastor or they like the love in the congregation. So they join. They promise to follow Jesus maybe on nothing more than a wave of emotion.
But then they begin to see what’s involved. Perhaps there is a Bible teaching they won’t accept. One time when Jesus was teaching his disciples, many said: This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it? Many walked away offended as some do today. They turn away from Jesus or they find another church which lets them ignore what Jesus asks us to believe or do.
Or maybe there comes the realization that following Jesus requires some change in me, a change I don’t want to make. A sin, I don’t want to be reminded of. And then there comes the stress and strain on relationships. People may distance themselves, look at you differently. So people sometimes avoid those complications by avoiding the Savior.
Here Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. And because it was the Passover, large crowds were on the road. And perhaps they had this picture in mind. No doubt some did. They pictured him being crowned as their king and leading them to a glorious victory over their oppressive Roman conqueror.
But little did they know what the Son of God had come to do. When Jesus got to Jerusalem, the only crown he would wear would be a crown of thorns. For He was going to suffer for the sins of us all, offenses against God that they and we would rather not own up to. He was going there to suffer a death, that was not his but ours. But the people on the road had other ideas.
So they came. They came wanting to be his disciples, to jump on the Jesus bandwagon and get in on the good times to come. But before they did, Jesus wanted them to consider. He wanted them to know what it means. He wanted them to count the cost of following him.
He starts off with a real shocker: 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. This is one of those verses that grabs my attention every time I read it. I’m sure it grabbed the attention of these folks who were taught from early on to honor mother and father. What is Jesus’ saying here?! Well I’ve heard teachers diminish Jesus’ words by saying hate means to love Jesus more than the rest. But thatskirts around what Jesus says is necessary to follow him. What is required?
Well first understand. God’s Word tells us this is a given. We are to love our neighbor and that certainly means my brother and sister. We are to honor our parents and love our spouse. But here’s the point. When I see things in those around me or in my own life that are evil. When I see things that stand in my way of following our Savior, I can’t just go along to get along. I must hate that aspect of them or me and not let it bring me down. So count the cost.
Jesus speaks of another cost. A cross to bear. This too must have been a shocker. They were thinking of glory and Jesus speaks of a cross? You see, the cross to them was not some pretty piece of jewelry. It was a Roman instrument of torture and death.
Here I think of those churches that tell people how their life will be so wonderful when they follow Jesus. If you’re faithful the blessings will just fall into your lap. All roses, no thorns. Your business will prosper. Your health will be good. I wonder what they do with this word of Jesus. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
You see following Jesus, knowing his love, brings peace. It brings God’s forgiveness and awesome hope where there once was none. It super glues us to God’s precious promises.
But when we follow Jesus, the world will lay crosses on us. For the Christian in Nigeria, it may mean a Muslim militant may stop a bus and insist that the Christians identify themselves. Then they killed them. For the Christian in our land it may mean that people label us or avoid us or mock our faith. In fact, the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, everyone who wants to lead a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2Tim 3:12). So count the cost. There’s a cross to be carried through this life.
And finally Jesus totals the cost and comes up with this figure. …any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. (33) Do you understand what Jesus is telling us? Jesus is not interested in just one hour of your time on Sunday morning when you can spare it. He doesn’t want just a token of our affection in the offering plate. He doesn’t want just a few hours every now and then to clean the church or cut the lawn. Jesus is not interested in a part time, half hearted commitment to follow. He wants not part of us, but all of us. Otherwise what does he tell us? We cannot follow. So count the cost. Count the cost and then CHECK YOUR RESOURCES.
Our Lord puts it two ways. Suppose you want to build a big, impressive tower. Wouldn’t you first sit down and figure: Do I have the skill, the bricks and mortar, and the time to finish the job. Or suppose one king wanted to defeat another. Before he sends his army into battle, wouldn’t he first see if he had sufficient troop strength to prevail? Well in the same way, Jesus wants us to consider if we have what it takes to follow him.
What do we find? Do we have what we need to build that tower of a faithful Christian life that will stand no matter what? Do we have what we need to fight and win that battle against that prince called Satan who is twice our size? Look at some who thought they did. Take the apostle Peter who all but thumped his chest and promised to stand by Jesus no matter what. What happened in his time of testing? Or look at me. Every time I try to stand on my own two feet by my own strength I find my knees are weak and my feet are flat. Or listen to the apostle Paul when he checked his own resources: I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Rom 7: 18ff)
So what do we find? We find that our love and devotion to Jesus can be pretty shallow. We find that we often let people and things come between us and our Lord. We find that we are not very strong. We give into temptation. In other words, when we check our resources we find, what Jesus requires, we sadly lack.
Now let me ask you. Was Jesus trying to discourage these people? Is he trying to discourage you and me? Nothing could be further from the truth. He wants us to follow him in faith and obedience. He wants us to be his disciples. But he wants us first to realize. I can’t build that tower. I can’t defeat that enemy. Lord, help me. Help me.
And he does. He comes to us in his Word and Sacrament where he gives us what we need. For in his Word and his Supper, we are brought to Jesus cross. And what do we find?
Good news. Great news. Powerful news. For in the gospel I can know: My Lord Jesus, God’s Son, hung on that cross because God loves me and wants me to be his own. MY Lord Jesus hung on that cross to break my slavery to sin and death and set me free to live as God’s child. And then he rose from the grave and ascended back to heaven. So any time, any day. Jesus has given me the right come to God in freedom and confidence. And this I can know. When I close my eyes to this life, I will open them again in the place he has prepared for you and me.
Well there in that gospel message straight from God’s own heart, we find what we need. We find what we need each day to rise up from our sinful failures. We find what we need to start building that tower and keep building it. We find what we need to fight that enemy each day and follow Jesus.
So friends, don’t try to explain away what Jesus says here. Rather count the cost and see. We don’t have what it takes to follow. But then go to Jesus. Go to him each day of your life. Hear his comforting words. Stand before his cross and witness his bleeding dying love for you. Then follow him. Follow him all the way till you hear his welcome in the kingdom of heaven. Amen.