Intro
In the Gospel reading for today, we possibly find Jesus at the height of His success, as we measure it. Never had He enjoyed such large crowds. People flocked to Him--and the numbers just grew larger and larger as He got closer to Jerusalem. Yet, Jesus has to ruin it by preaching a bunch of hard truths the people can’t stomach.
If we were there to advise Jesus, we’d probably tell Him, “Come on, Jesus! Don’t you care about all those people following you? Soft-peddle it; tell them what they want, so they will keep following you.”
Main Body
But that’s not Jesus. He doesn’t compromise the truth, for that would be compromising Himself, the One who is Truth. Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and doesn’t hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters--and yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). “In the same way, whoever doesn’t give up everything that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).
You can almost hear the mission department of our Synod gasping.
Jesus, that’s not the way to win a following! You have to give the people something they want and like. Such talk will only cause people to rebel and leave in droves.
Jesus, we know following You involves sacrifice but, if you can, keep those demands to a minimum. Let those demands lie silent in the dust. Give the people something achievable. Give them what they like. Otherwise, they will go somewhere else and listen to some other rabbi.
But that’s not Jesus. He doesn’t want anyone to be His disciple who hasn’t “calculated the cost.”
Remember that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. He knows what awaits Him there. He knows that this crowd will grow to its greatest on Palm Sunday, as He rides triumphantly on a donkey into the city. Yet, He knows that as the week wears on, the crowds will begin to dwindle. He knows that, by Friday, those around Him will cry--not “Hosanna!”--but “Crucify Him!” He knows that, in the end, He will be alone. Before the end, His many followers will abandon Him, even His Father.
Jesus knows all that, and so He speaks the hard truths needed. Jesus wants the crowd to know what God expects of them if they are to be His disciples. Jesus is simply telling it like it is, using abrasive, Jewish speech patterns to a Jewish crowd.
Jesus is using exaggeration to make His point. Jesus is telling us to “hate,” but not in an emotional way. Jesus Christ, Love Incarnate, isn’t commanding us to “hate” as we use and understand the word. He’s not commanding us to store up resentment, bitterness, or rage against others. Jesus isn’t using “hate” in that way.
What Jesus means by “hate” is something different. For Jesus, “hate” is not so much a feeling, but a choice of the will. Even if your emotions tell you otherwise, whom will you always serve, above all others? That’s what Jesus means!
Jesus won’t let us slide. He won’t let us squirm away from His unyielding demands for an unwavering devotion to Him. He lays out the true cost. That’s because honoring your father and your mother doesn’t mean obeying them instead of God. That’s because loving your children doesn’t mean letting them rebel against their Savior. That’s because defending the life God has given you doesn’t mean denying Him to save yourself. Jesus just won’t let us flinch away from these hard truths.
What Jesus demands is not possible. The costs are too high, way more than we can pay. “Calculating the cost,” makes sense if we’re talking about renovating our church building. But with discipleship, it’s just flat-out impossible. The costs are too high. We can’t do it. Yet, that’s exactly the point Jesus is making! So we better not dance around His truths or change the meaning of what He says to us.
Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and doesn’t hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters--and yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). You can’t be Jesus’ disciple unless you fear, love, and trust in God above all else: More than father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters--and yes, even more than your own life! If you don’t do that, then you’ve made your family or a family member into your god. If so, that’s means that you can’t be Jesus’ disciple.
Now God does call you to love your neighbor, to honor your father and mother, and to love your spouse. But you are never to put anyone or anything above God! There’s no way around the hard truth that Jesus speaks. You can’t serve two masters. You will either despise one or love the other. Such absolute loyalty is too demanding--it’s way more than we can pay!
And just so you don’t think Jesus is speaking out of character, or having a lousy day, He gives it a second go-around. Jesus says, “Whoever doesn’t carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).
What’s Jesus doing? Does He have some crazy death wish? Crucifixion is a cruel and agonizing way to die. It’s excruciatingly painful. For the Romans, crucifixion was both a form of terror and crime prevention. But here, it looks like Jesus is telling us that we have to embrace this terrifying, shame-filled way of dying. That’s right; that’s exactly what’s He’s saying. If you don’t, you’re incapable of being His disciple.
Oh, the costs are too high. They are more than we can pay. It’s impossible to do.
Yet, Jesus goes on. He’s unrelenting. He uses two examples to show the impossibility of being a true disciple. The first example involves calculating the costs of building an enormous skyscraper. If you were to do that, wouldn’t you first sit down to find out how much money you have before you build? Otherwise, others may mock you for starting something you couldn’t finish. Think also of a king. He’s planning for war, but then finds out he’s outnumbered; defeat is certain. Would he not then seek terms of peace?
You see, you simply can’t afford what it costs to be Jesus’ disciple. You don’t have enough to build the building. You don’t have enough to defeat your enemy. You must admit defeat. It’s impossible. The costs are too high. You simply can’t do it.
So what are you to do? Do you throw in the towel, give up, and say, “Why even bother?” Do you give up on Jesus because you just can’t do it and the costs are too high? Are you like the rich young ruler who wanted to be a disciple? When he heard what Jesus told him to do, to sell all his possessions and give them to the poor, he gave up.
Making yourself into Jesus’ disciple IS impossible. Believe it! Get used to it! You don’t have the money, the ability, or the strength to build a skyscraper to heaven. You don’t even have enough “hate” for the belongings of this world to love God as you should. That’s what Jesus wants you to learn today. You just can’t do it. You’re not good enough. That’s the killing Law that Jesus preaches to you, all so He can make you alive and do what you cannot do!
Yes, there is someone who met such impossible demands: The God-man, Jesus Christ. In His total devotion to God the Father, He lost His brothers in the Garden of Gethsemane. On the cross, He handed over His mother to another son, to the youngest Apostle, John. For you, Jesus even hated His own life!
Your Lord Jesus even went willingly to His humiliation, suffering, and death on the cross. He carried His cross, for you. Others mocked Him when He was on the cross and ridiculed Him for starting something He couldn’t finish. They wagged their heads, saying, “You said You were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:40).
What you and I cannot do, Jesus does. From the cross, He builds His Church. You can’t do it; I can’t do it; no one can pay what it costs, except Jesus. He pays the price for you. Only He frees you, a lost and condemned creature. Only He has acquired and won you from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.
For me and you, it’s impossible. The costs are too high, way more than we can pay. You and I just can’t do it. But the Holy Spirit has called you through the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, and sanctified and kept you in the true faith. He washes you in Jesus’ blood. He feeds you with Jesus’ body. He declares, and so makes, you holy. He does what is impossible to make you God’s own dear child.
Conclusion
Yes, you have taken up your cross and followed Jesus. How did this happen? When and where did this happen? Scripture tells us. The Apostle Paul says in Romans, Chapter 6:
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were, therefore, buried with Him by baptism into death, that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may begin to live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will also be united with Him in His resurrection (Romans 6:3-5).
In baptism, you were crucified to the cross of Christ. In baptism, you died; you died in the death of Christ. That’s why it’s only in Christ that you are forgiven. And on the Last Day, because of Jesus, God the Holy Spirit will raise you and all the dead and will give you and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true. Amen.
