“Then he said to them all: If anyone would come after me,
he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 9:23
Last week in our bulletin message it was stated that, “in three of the four the gospels, there are five verses that tell us Jesus spoke of the cross five times prior to His crucifixion, (Matthew 10:37-39, Matthew 16:24-26, Mark 8:34-38, Luke 9:23-27, Luke 14:25-35). However, it is important to understand that not in any of these five occasions was He referring to his forth coming crucifixion. If Jesus was not referring to His fourth coming crucifixion, then what was He referring to and how does it apply to our daily relationship and commitment with Him?”
To better help us to answer this question we need to understand the context of one of the five references. Luke 14:25-27 (28-35), 25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 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. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Please also read verses 28 to 35.
When reading Luke 14:25-27 and asking some key questions, it will help us understand how Jesus’ statement applies to our commitment and daily relationship with Him. Who was Jesus talking to when He said this? What was the end result or purpose that Jesus wanted to achieve with those who were listening to Him?
Verse 25, “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and turning to them he said…”.
We see that Jesus had a large number of people following Him. These verses do not tell us why they were following Jesus but reading the previous chapters of the gospel of Luke we see by this time Jesus had healed many physical illnesses, delivered and healed many from demons, He had raised from the dead a widow’s son, he had fed five thousand and Jesus had taught multitudes through Galilee and Judea.
Verse 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.
In verse 26 Jesus makes a clear distinction among those following and those who want to be a disciple. There were many following Jesus but not all were willing to make the commitment that Jesus talks about to be His disciple. The words of Jesus might seem harsh and even offensive to those who were following Him but Jesus had a clear purpose behind what He said. Jesus did not want large crowds or just followers, He wanted disciples. But to achieve this Jesus tells them what He expects, what is required, what His terms are of being His disciple.
What Jesus told the large crowds of people who were following Him then has not changed and also applies to us today. Just as there are those who are followers of Jesus in the church today, among them there will be some who will not make the kind of commitment Jesus requires to be His disciple.However, there will always be others who are willing to make the commitment that Jesus talks about in verses 26 through 35 to be His disciple.
In verse 26 Jesus uses the word “hate” in reference to our relationships and even to ourselves. The word hate has an additional meaning in the Greek language than what we use in English. The word “hate” in Luke 14:26, in the Greek and in this context means to “love less”. To help us understand what Jesus meant by “hate” or to “love less”, read, Matthew 10:37-42, “37 “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
If Jesus is telling us He does not just want followers but He wants disciples, then what is a disciple?First of all, it is important to note that in the NIV New Testament only three of the four gospels containthe term disciple, Mark does not use this term. Also, in some verses disciple is used synonymously as a follower of Jesus. Wuest states that, “We must be careful to note that the Greek word for “disciple” does not carry with it the idea that that person who is named a disciple is necessarily a saved person. The word does not contain any implications of salvation. A person may learn something from someone else and yet not put that knowledge into practice or make it a part of his life. See John 6:66 in its context for an example of an unsaved disciple. After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. John 6:66” Wuest also says that a disciple is, “a learner, a pupil, one who follows the teaching of someone else…“. In today’s terms a disciple is an apprentice.
Returning back to Luke 14:26, the first qualification and distinctive characteristic that Jesus gives of what He says a disciple is, is determined by the priority we give Jesus in our lives in contrast to our family relationships.
The second qualification and distinctive characteristic of being a disciple that Jesus gives us is in verse twenty-seven, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
First to help us understand what Jesus meant by what he said in verse 27 we need to read verses 28-35. Jesus gives us three allegories or parables to explain what He meant.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not 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, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
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.
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
In addition, Warren Wiersbe gives us a very clear explanation of what Jesus meant in verse 27 and the following parables about being His disciple. “There is never any compulsion; Jesus does not coerce us. There is only one way of being a disciple, and that is by being devoted to Jesus. If we tell Jesus that we want to take up our cross and follow Him as His disciples, then He wants us to know exactly what we are getting into. He wants no false expectancy, no illusions, no bargains.”
To be a disciple of Jesus is to be a person who comprehends and is willing to make the commitment that Jesus requires to be considered by Him as one of His disciples. It can be easy for me to think that I am a disciple of Jesus, which simply can mean, being a disciple of Jesus is on my terms. But when I read (Luke 14:25-35) what Jesus requires of me to be His disciple, I clearly see in my personal relationship with Him, that Jesus is more important to me than my relationships with my family and even with myself. It is being fully, and sincerely committed to Him and His Word.
Pastor John
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” John 8:31
