In today's reading, many of the "Kingdom of God" parables are repeated with slight variations from Matthew and Mark. In chapter 14, Jesus is speaking to a large crowd (v. 25) telling them that being His disciple involves more that just following Him. We know from 13:14 that "all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did." But this does not address the question of what they thought about all the wonderful things He taught.
To be His disciple meant to forsake all. Jesus states in verse 26, "If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison - your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, even your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciple." This is straight-forward and unequivocal. Jesus is not advocating hatred but he is stating that nothing, including familial love, must compete with your devotion to Christ.
For some, this is a tough pill to swallow. Others accede to this mentally, but their actions show they believe differently than what Jesus taught. Jesus admonishes in verse 28, "...don't begin [following Him] until you count the cost." This means, to me, that Jesus is not interested in half-hearted disciples. He wants followers who are totally sold out to him, followers who are willing to burn every bridge to the past and forsake every ambition, friendship, and relationship for Him.
If we think about it, that is what He did for us. He did nothing to secure His place in the Jewish religious hierarchy, even though the Bible states numerous times that the leaders where amazed and astounded at His doctrine. He did not seek fame even among the people, telling them to keep quiet about the miracles He performed. When he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He even relinquished His will to the Father's will. On the cross, He gave His all (literally) so that we could be saved. He counted the cost and deemed it worthy, should we do anything less?
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