Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. Turning to them, he said, “Whoever comes to me and doesn’t hate father and mother, spouse and children, and brothers and sisters—yes, even one’s own life—cannot be my disciple. Whoever doesn’t carry their own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “If one of you wanted to build a tower, wouldn’t you first sit down and calculate the cost, to determine whether you have enough money to complete it? Otherwise, when you have laid the foundation but couldn’t finish the tower, all who see it will begin to belittle you. They will say, ‘Here’s the person who began construction and couldn’t complete it!’ Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand soldiers could go up against the twenty thousand coming against him? And if he didn’t think he could win, he would send a representative to discuss terms of peace while his enemy was still a long way off. In the same way, none of you who are unwilling to give up all of your possessions can be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-33, CEB)
“None of you who are unwilling to give up all of your possessions can be my disciple.” What are you willing to give up for Jesus?
These passages always get me asking, did Jesus really mean we have to hate? Everywhere else, we are told to love. Love your enemies, love everyone, but then we hear if you do not hate father, mother, everyone else, you are not worthy to be called my disciple. Is not love the thing that shows we are disciples of Jesus?
The Matthew version of this text says, if you love them more than me, you are not worthy of me. So is it more than Jesus, or do we have to hate?
The question still stands: what are you willing to give up for Jesus?
aSacredRebel 