Someone Worth Losing Everything For

When Jesus spoke these verses in Luke 14 He was on the road to Jerusalem. The context immediately preceding this passage finds Him in attendance at a dinner party held by a prominent Pharisee where He told a parable of a great feast for which the invited guests were too enthralled in their own lives to attend.

Jesus knew He was on His way to His death. He was going to the place where He would make the ultimate sacrifice to pay the penalty for the sin of all humankind. Many of His followers, however, continued to look to Jesus to be a deliverer in a military sense, one who would free them from Roman oppression. The crowd following Him only continued to grow.

Since Jesus understood what He was going to face, He also knew the trials through which His followers would have to persevere. He needed them to understand the level of commitment that was required in order to truly follow after Him where He was leading.

This passage teaches that Jesus is God and Savior. This passage of Scripture is important because it leads learners to consider the cost of following Jesus. It makes it clear that in order for a person to be a true disciple of Christ, one must devote himself or herself to Him above anything and everyone.

This passage also points to the truth that Salvation is by Faith Alone.

Luke 14:25-26 Jesus could never be accused of appealing to popular opinion. Though it appears He was garnering mass appeal, He was more interested in developing true disciples as opposed to crowds of adoring fans.

The difficulty in understanding His teaching to the crowd obviously stems from the harshness of the language He uses. The tendency is to try to rationalize verses like these by thinking that Jesus was only using hyperbole and did not really mean what He was saying. However, Jesus used the word “hate” for a very specific and purposeful reason. The Greek word miseo is not an absolute but a relative term. It could mean to “love less” (Mt 10:37). However, here Jesus’ point was that a true disciple’s devotion to Him should make all other relationships appear to be characterized by hate in comparison.

This certainly doesn’t lessen the impact of Jesus’ words, especially in a society where honor of one’s parents was viewed as the highest of life’s callings. He still meant that our love for Him takes first priority above all others in our lives. Teachers regularly demanded great respect and affection, but in Jewish tradition only God openly demanded such wholesale devotion as Jesus claims here (Deut 6:4-5).

Luke 14:27 When a criminal was condemned to death by crucifixion he would have to literally carry his cross, usually the horizontal beam, to the site of the upright stake where he would be put to death. This was the same fate to which Jesus was journeying. No one would choose to suffer this indignity and torture, yet this is precisely the path Jesus calls His disciples to choose.

The picture here is one of death and sacrifice. In order for a person to truly follow Jesus, one must continually die to oneself, letting go completely of all that he or she has desired and pursued in life in order to fully embrace all that Jesus desires for him or her.

Luke 14:28-30 The failings of inadequate or half-finished structures were well known. However, the point here is the shame the builder would suffer in a society obsessed with honor if he was unable to finish what he set out to accomplish. No builder of any reputation would allow himself to be caught in such a situation.

The same should be true for the disciple of Jesus. He or she should consider, before he or she ever commits, the persistence and perseverance he or she will need in order to follow Jesus wherever He leads.

Luke 14:31-32 Whereas it would be a great embarrassment for a builder to be unable to finish his project, no shame could outmatch that of a king waging a foolhardy war. Contrasted with the previous three verses, the cost considered here is whether or not the disciple is willing to follow Jesus in the midst of great adversity that threatens to possibly overwhelm him or her.

Luke 14:33 Only the person who has considered the cost of following Jesus and committed to pay whatever it may be can truly be Jesus’ disciple. The calling of Jesus does not necessarily involve the complete abandonment of one’s possessions and relationships, though it might. Rather the life of a disciple is one that most certainly requires full surrender to Jesus as his or her Lord. His or her commitment to Him must be without any reservation.

These verses contain what is considered one of the most difficult of Jesus’ teachings. However, the difficulty does not excuse us from taking very seriously what Jesus teaches here. The call to be a disciple is not one to be taken lightly. It is not easy. It is demanding. It requires great sacrifice and commitment.

In our culture that seeks to always appeal to one’s own selfish interests and comforts, Jesus calls us to put Him first, a priority so above everything else in our life that they pale in comparison. Perhaps the most daunting conclusion we can draw is the unspoken questions Jesus leaves us with at the end of these verses: “Now that I have been clear about what it will cost, will you follow me?”