Happy New Year everyone.
This is my first blog post of 2024. I have been sharing my exegesis from the book of Luke. We are in chapter 14. In Luke 14:25-34 Jesus spells out very clearly what it means to follow him and to be his disciple. There is a lot here to look at, so today we will focus on verses 25-27. Here is my translation:
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate their father and mother, spouse and children, brothers and sisters, and yes even their own life, that person is unable to be my disciple. 27 Anyone who does not carry their own cross and follow me, cannot be my disciple.
In the passage leading up to this, Jesus has been at a banquet with the Pharisees, but now, starting in verse 25, Jesus has left the banquet, and is back on his journey toward Jerusalem. As he traveled along, there were large crowds traveling with him. It wasn’t just Jesus and his apostles on this journey. Many are following he, and now he is going to tell them the cost of following him. It is a heavy cost:
Darrell Bock states that his teaching here is directed to all, not just to the converted. Jesus wants those who are contemplating following him to understand what they are committing themselves to. (Bock, 1283.) Recall the excuses offered in the most recent parable, Luke 14:15-24.) No excuse will be acceptable. We are to let nothing get in the way of serving Jesus wholeheartedly.
Disciples of Jesus must put him first. He is speaking in hyperbole, but Jesus tells them that if they want to follow him they have to ‘hate’ everyone else in their lives, father, mother, spouse, children, everyone. The Greek word μισεῖ (misei) has two definitions in my Greek-English Lexicon. 1) Hate, detest. 2) Disfavor, disregard. “Hate” is a strong word, but even if we were to substitute the not-as-strong ‘disfavor,” and disfavor our father, mother, spouse and children, the result is the same. If we are going to follow Jesus, we cannot put any relationship ahead of him. Our allegiance is to Jesus. Bock points out that there was no casual relationship with Jesus in 1st Century Israel. Coming to Christ often meant alienation from family. (Bock, 1285.)
With that, we also have to be willing to ‘hate’ or ‘disfavor’ even ourselves and put Jesus first. For me, this is a call to set aside among other things, laziness and love for comfort.
Then he says that we have to be willing to carry our own cross to follow him. Whatever the ‘cross’ might be, we have to be willing to carry it. Alan Thompson points out that Jesus is talking about death to self, as he, himself is on a journey toward his own death. (Thompson, 237.) Jesus is calling his would-be followers to a life of self-sacrifice.
It is important to note that when Jesus said this, he had not yet gone to the Cross. His statement is going to be viewed a little differently by its original audience than it will be by us. We see crosses as a symbol of spirituality. They did not. To them it was just a horrible means of execution.
Bock says this about the cost of being a disciple. “A disciple - μαθητής. (mathētēs) is a learner, a pupil, In ancient culture, a disciple sat at the feet of great teachers…the difference between Jesus and these other models of discipleship is that Jesus’ call requires more, even everything.” (Bock, 1285-1286.)
Jesus' call is to put him first, and accept a life of self-sacrifice. Then, we can follow Jesus. Following means being just like him. He put all of us first, and lived a life of self-sacrifice on our behalf and he is calling us to do what he has already done. That is what Jesus says it means to follow him.
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