STUDY NOTES on previous study
The Cost Of Discipleship (Luke 14:25-34)
The teachings of Jesus seem to get harder and harder to swallow. Death of ego is one thing, but are we really
to “hate” our precious loved ones so that we can follow Jesus? And, wouldn’t it be unhealthy to actually
hate oneself? I clearly do not want to
soften Jesus’ teachings here, but we need to understand the context in order to
discern its intent. Jesus just finished
telling of those who refused to come to the table of God because they had a
higher allegiance to people or things.
Clearly, nothing must get in the way of our coming to the table of
God. But we also need to remember all
that Jesus has said about the cost of discipleship. Over and over again, He has made it clear
that the only way to follow Him is to give Him our undivided loyalty. Jesus is walking with great resolution toward
Jesus’ statement to “hate” is a kind of Semitic exaggeration which was
not at all uncommon in Jesus’ day, or in His own teachings, for that matter. He is setting up a manner of comparison – our
willingness to follow Jesus must stand above all relationships and all things –
even our own lives. It is only in that
kind of loyalty that we can find true life, even if, ironically, such loyalty
leads to physical death.
I believe one of the biggest – if not the biggest – problem facing the church today is a
divided loyalty among believers. Perhaps
more accurately, it is a splintered loyalty.
We have so many things competing for our time and our hearts. We find ourselves trying to balance work,
family, recreation, social needs, and church responsibilities and have little
focus in our lives. Jesus came to show
us a way out of our frantic lives. Love
Him above and beyond all else, and life will once again be manageable. The truth is, if we do not love Jesus first,
we cannot love those closest to us as we should. If we love Jesus first, we die to our egos. We look to Him as the example and source of
our love. Thus, the paradox of hating
our loved ones in order to love Jesus is actually learning to love others
through the inexhaustible love of God.
The cost of discipleship is indeed great. Jesus concludes this paragraph with the
teaching, “you cannot be my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” There is no way out of this teaching. We will see examples in the coming studies of
individuals who accepted and rejected Jesus’ call based on the issue of their
possessions. Jesus has already said,
“You cannot serve God and wealth.” But
we keep on trying to do just that.
Now, understand, Jesus is not saying it is wrong to possess things. But it is dangerous. People and things are what are most likely to
keep us from entering the
To emphasize this point, Jesus provides two illustrations. One is of a man building a tower. In Jesus’ time, this would have been a very
generous thing to do. Especially
if one lived in a rural area or small village. Building a tower represented security, for
from such a tower, a watch could be posted to warn of coming dangers. But if one would begin to build a tower, to
the accolades and thanks of his neighbors, but not have the wherewithal to
finish it, he would be ridiculed for his failed promise of security. Your discipleship, if it be indeed authentic,
represents the promise of a wonderful gift to the world around you. But if you are unwilling to fully commit
yourself to dying to self and rising to new life as a servant of God and
humanity, Jesus warns us to not make the commitment.
His second example is of a king not considering the number of his army
as he prepares for battle against a greater foe. The battle motif of the disciple’s life is
unavoidable. We need to understand the
commitment needed if we will be a disciple warrior for Jesus. You can’t do it with half an
army.
At some point, brothers and sisters, we need to realize the truth of
these statements and illustrations. We
have tried and tried to be authentic disciples with one foot in the world and
one foot in the kingdom, and the chasm between the two is simply too wide. We need to stand fully in one and dismiss the
other. The materialistic world in which
we live will not allow for one to carry the cross of self-death. Unfortunately, many of us think our
commitment to God is the cross we have to carry! Again, in the great irony of the call of
Jesus, a liberated life can only be found in carrying the cross of
self-death. Only then can we respond freely
to the call of God to follow His obedient Son into the depths of the kingdom.
Salt is good! It is
powerful! But if you mix it with enough
dirt, it loses all value. Some have
suggested Luke just sort of threw this last passage into this discourse. They suggest it doesn’t fit into the flow of
Jesus’ teachings. Oh, but it does! Discipleship is like salt – if it is pure, it
is powerful. But a diluted discipleship
is absolutely useless. A secondary use
of salt in Jesus’ day was as a fertilizer for certain vegetables, or even to
speed up the decaying of manure – but there is a point when diluted salt isn’t
even good for these uses.
What does authentic discipleship look like? Sadly, I believe there are few models for us
to emulate in today’s world. We are so
embedded in our culture of self-serving materialism that it is hard to break
loose. Jesus here is calling for a
radical kind of faith. He is calling us
to see the kingdom for what it truly is.
He is calling for us to create new models of undivided faithfulness to
Him. Can we let go of our possessive
attitudes and embrace a life of open generosity? Can we cultivate a life of fruit-bearing for
God’s glory and the expansion of His kingdom?
The beauty of this challenge is that it is open to all. However, Jesus makes it clear that for the
rich, it is a much more challenging and problematic venture.
Most of us are rich. Let’s pray
that our worthless material possessions don’t dilute the salt of discipleship
to which we are called. The call of
Jesus rings in our ears, “Let anyone with
ears to hear, listen.”
The Cost Of Discipleship (Luke 14:25-34)
1. How should we deal with Jesus’
call to love Him and follow Him above all else?
2. What does Jesus’ call to “give
up all your possessions” mean to you?
What will you do specifically to heed this challenging teaching?
3. How can we, as a community of
faith, be powerful salt to the world around us?
Be as specific as possible.
Rejoice, the Lost is Found! (Luke 15)
Read Luke 15:1-2
1. Why do you think the sinners
and tax collectors were coming near and listening to Jesus?
2. Why did this so upset the
Pharisees and the scribes?
3. Are we attractive to the sinners and outcasts of our culture? Why or why not?
Read 15:3-7
1. Why is the one lost sheep so
inordinately important?
2. What caused the rejoicing?
3. What do you think Jesus wanted
those hearing this parable to understand about God?
4. Do we seek the truly
lost? Do we rejoice and throw parties
when they are found?
Read 15:8-10
1. Why would the woman spend so
much time looking for a lost coin? Why
wouldn’t she settle for having nine?
2. If the woman was worried about
losing the one coin because of its value, why would she then spend money on a
party to celebrate its being found?
3. Why did Jesus bring the angels
of God into this story?
4. Can you remember truly
rejoicing over something lost and then found?
Describe the experience.
Read 15:11-32
1. What caused the young man to
eventually value what his father offered?
2. Why did the older brother
object to the celebration of his brother’s return?
3. Which of the brothers suffered
the most from their wrongful attitude and why?
4. Describe the love of the
father for both sons, and then reflect on the love of God, our Father, for you
individually.