Scripture "And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 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. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." -- Luke 14:25-33, KJV Reflection Jesus was surrounded by crowds, and he turned to them and said these hard words. He did not soften the message to increase his following. He demanded everything. The word "hate" here is Semitic hyperbole -- Jesus is not commanding literal hatred of family, which would violate the fifth commandment. He is saying that love for him must be so supreme that all other loves, by comparison, look like hatred. He must be first. He must be all. "Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." The cross was not a piece of jewelry in the first century. It was an instrument of torture and death. To bear the cross meant to walk the path of suffering and self-denial. Jesus does not promise his disciples comfort, prosperity, or ease. He promises himself. The two parables that follow are about counting the cost. The man building a tower and the king going to war both sit down first to calculate whether they can finish what they start. Jesus is saying: do not begin this journey lightly. Discipleship is not a hobby or a weekend activity. It is a total commitment that will cost you everything you have. But here is the gospel: the one who demands everything has already given everything. Jesus left the glory of heaven, took on flesh, bore the cross himself, and died the death we deserved. He does not ask us to do what he has not already done for us. And he does not leave us to pay a debt he has already cancelled. The cost of discipleship is high -- but the cost of our salvation was infinitely higher, and he paid it in full. "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." All that we have -- our possessions, our reputation, our plans, our very lives -- must be laid at his feet. Not because he needs them, but because we need to be free from them. The chains we cling to are the chains that keep us from following him. Closing Prayer Lord Jesus, you demand everything -- and you deserve everything. Forgive us for treating discipleship as a cheap addition to our comfortable lives. We confess that we often want the benefits of following you without the cost. But today we lay it all at your feet: our families, our ambitions, our possessions, our very lives. We do not offer them as payment, for you have already paid our debt. We offer them as worship, because you are worth more than all we surrender. Give us grace to count the cost and then, by your Spirit, to pay it gladly. In your precious name we pray. Amen. Application Questions: 1. What is the "all" that you are most reluctant to forsake for Christ -- and what does that reluctance reveal about your heart? 2. How does knowing that Jesus has already borne the ultimate cost for you change the way you view the cost of your own discipleship?