Great crowds were following him. He turned around and addressed them as follows:
‘Anyone who wants to be my follower must love me far more than he does his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters – yes, more than his own life – otherwise he cannot be my disciple. And no one can be my disciple who does not carry his own cross and follow me.
But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if he has enough money to pay the bills? Otherwise he might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh!
‘See that fellow there?’ they would mock. ‘He started that building and then ran out of money before it was finished!’
Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counsellors and discussing whether his army of 10,000 is strong enough to defeat the 20,000 men who are marching against him?
If the decision is negative, then while the enemy troops are still far away, he will send a truce team to discuss terms of peace. So no one can become my disciple unless he first sits down and counts his blessings – and then renounces them all for me.
What good is salt that has lost its saltiness? Flavorless salt is good for nothing – not even for fertilizer. It is worthless and must be thrown out. Listen well, if you would understand my meaning.
- Luke 14:25-34 (The Living Bible)
Great crowds were following Jesus. They went where he went; were awed by his miracles; admired his wisdom; hung on to his every word.
He is just as popular today. But what of it? The great mega-churches, the Christian magazines and concerts and faith-based governmental initiatives – what are they to him?
He knows that disciples are not simply those who follow – rather, they are people who have thought, considered, looked hard at life, and made a conscious decision.
Jesus never says, “Come with me, it’s gonna be great. We’ll have lots of fellowship, and we can sing great worship songs together as we go…”
Instead, he says, “You wanna follow me? Here’s what it’s going to cost: everything.”
Oh, to so discipline myself that when my life hangs on the line, I will be able to stay the urge to seek rescue from political forces and human constructs! Oh, to have so exercised my spirit that I will be empowered to quietly gather up the trappings of my life, along with national rights and privileges, to lay upon the altar of Love! God grant that I may turn my back on all that is mine; that I may remain unmoved by the shrieks and groans of squirming self when the sword is held to my throat; that, in the face of the Enemy of souls, there may for me be no resorting to any lesser refuge than the Everlasting Arms.
This is where I count the cost; where I lay out and come to terms with what it means for me to say that Jesus Christ is the Eternal God, the Creator, the Beginning and the End. This is where I face the dividing that must come if I embrace his Cross.
