True Discipleship

Read: Luke 14: 25-33

To be founded on the Rock that is Christ is to be an authentic disciple. It is to have the mind and heart of Jesus. It is to look to him as the Master who is to be obeyed in everything. It is to strive to be another Christ. Now obviously that is a great challenge. And indeed, the call to becoming a disciple of Jesus is a great challenge. Consider what Jesus himself says.

• “If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (v.26).
• “Everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” (v.33).
  But these are areas that touch on the most important aspect of our lives. Family is basic; we live our lives for our families. Possessions are important; how can we feed our family without basic finances?

But this is precisely the point. What are important to us might be the things that will keep us from fully serving Jesus. Family and livelihood take up most of our time and energy. Do we have anything left over for God?

In truth, Jesus does not tell us to hate our closest relatives. In Semitic usage, to “hate” is to “love less.” We should love our families. But we must always know who is number one, and that is Jesus. If we do not love our family less than we love Jesus, then we will be out serving our family and probably neglecting serving Jesus. But the call is to discipleship. If we are to follow Jesus, we do so all the way and without holding anything back.

As to possessions, God knows what we need and will provide. And God does expect us to work for what we need in life. We work, and He provides. But our livelihood or career can quickly become our focus. And so we “renounce” our possessions, that is, know that everything belongs to God and should be used for the interests of the Kingdom. We do not pursue possessions, but we pursue the work of the Kingdom in order to possess it.

Indeed, the call to discipleship is a call to deny oneself, take up one’s cross, and follow Jesus. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (v.27). It is not about what we hold important in life, such as family and material provisions. It is about following Jesus wholeheartedly. If we do so, then everything else comes into place. We do not end up neglecting our family nor our material needs. God first, and everything else follows.

To be founded on Rock, we ought to be authentic disciples of Jesus.