In Luke 14, Jesus spoke of the commitment of being His disciple. Using illustrations such as counting the cost before building a tower (verses 28-30), Jesus pointed out the need to “count the cost” (i.e., the commitment required) of following Him (verses 26-27,33).
In Luke 14:26, Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
Jesus’ point in this verse is not to encourage hatred, but to teach that we must not allow anyone to come between us and pleasing God (cf. Matt. 10:37).
Being an obedient Christian often involves going against what someone we are close to desires of us. It may involve angering a family member or close friend. Jesus does not want us to seek conflict for the sake of conflict (Rom. 12:18), but He desires us to follow Him, regardless of what conflicts may result (cf. Matt. 10:34-37). Facing rejection is an unfortunate but real part of following Christ (cf. 2 Tim. 4:16). Jesus went on to say in Luke 14:33, “whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple.”
Jesus’ point here is not that we must make ourselves miserable while on earth, but that we must not allow anything to come between us and pleasing God.
Developing the mindset Jesus is calling for requires us to see Christianity the way it is described in the New Testament.
Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” This is a lifestyle of commitment to God.
When Paul was in prison and uncertain about his future, he said “For to me live is Christ, but to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
Notice the phrase “for me to live is Christ.” Christ was not just a part of Paul’s life. He was the center of it.
Because of Paul’s dedication to the Lord, he was willing to make drastic changes. Imagine how uncomfortable it would have been for him to turn from zealously opposing Christ to zealously working for Christ. Making uncomfortable changes is part of the commitment of following Christ. Much of what makes changing for Christ difficult is the reaction we receive from others. Friends who we once joined with in sinful activities may think we’re strange, and speak badly of us (1 Pet. 4:4). We must accept this to follow Christ.
Being spoken evil of because of our stand for the truth is an example of persecution. Persecution for Christ’s sake is part of the “cost” of following Him. Paul told Timothy “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). For Paul, this included physical persecution.
In our time and place, persecution may be mental. We might be treated harshly even if we are not physically harmed for our stand for truth (cf. Matt 5:10-12). We might be taken advantage of for doing what’s right (cf. Rev. 13:17).
The point of all of this is that following Christ is not just about sacrificing a fishing trip on Sunday morning to assemble with saints. This could be included, but it just scratches the surface of the commitment of following Christ.
We must develop the character of Christ (2 Pet. 1:5-8), study diligently (Acts 17:11), and pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17), among other things. If anything stands in the way of any part of God’s will for our lives, we must separate ourselves from it. This is the message of Luke 14:26-33.
– Michael Hickox