Jesus and Giving
Text: Luke 14:15-33
Luke 14:25-33 (NIV)
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.
27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday our minds may turn to the things we can be thankful for. This is a good mindset for us to have considering the season. But today we will turn to examine what Jesus had to say about giving. And we will ask what giving looked like to Jesus. This passage in Luke 14 is considered to be one of the “Hard Sayings” of Jesus. And, indeed it takes a bit of explanation to make sense of it.
First, when Jesus talks about hating one’s close relatives the word “hate” must be explained so we don’t miss the point Jesus is making. To hate means to “choose not to value” those in our family or even our own life over our allegiance to Jesus. You see, our discipleship to Christ is a matter of settled priorities. A real disciple of Christ is one who puts Jesus first in his life, over family, over career, over hobbies, over finances. Without such loyalty to Jesus, real discipleship will never happen.
A similar statement is found in Matthew 10:
Matthew 10:37-39 (NIV)
37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
This is another hard saying of Jesus, but, like the Luke 14 passage, it explains Christian discipleship so that we don’t make the mistake of what has been called “easy believism”. You see, “fair weather Christianity” will not bring the believer through the storms of life. And you know, we will face such storms. The point is, If you’re going to be a Christian at all, then be a whole hearted Christian or not at all.
You may not know this, but Madeleine Murray O’Hare, the famous atheist, was a Christian teenager, who changed her mind about God when her boyfriend dumped her. For the rest of her life, she hated and opposed everything about God. This is the kind of thing that happens to people with a weak, shaky, connection to Christ.
What did it cost for Jesus to save me?
Let’s begin by taking a look at what Jesus went through so that he could be our savior. In most world religions, when a deity comes to earth he arrives in a cloud of glory and goes about in grandeur and overwhelming power. I remember reading in the Bhagvad Gida about Krishna, the blue skinned Hindu god, who came to earth and rode around in a chariot with a great warrior named Arjuna who was his brother in law. Such is what is common with deities in various world religions. But how did Jesus choose to come to earth? Did he ride in a chariot of fire? Did he arrive on a lightning bolt? No! Isaiah 9:6 tells us how the savior would arrive on earth. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…”
Philippians 2 also explains to us about the form Jesus took on in coming to earth. Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Jesus was fully deity in Heaven, but gave that up to become fully human on earth. As God’s Son, he had a name that is higher than any other name, but he gave that up to take on the humble role of a servant, and he even submitted to a torturous death like a criminal on a cross. Furthermore, Jesus took our sins upon himself. 2 Cor. 5:21 says, He, who had never sinned, became the representative of sin for us so that we could be given righteousness as a gift. While Jesus hung on the cross taking our sins upon himself, God, the Father, looked away causing Jesus to say, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” What many may not realize is that these words of Jesus on the cross were prophesied by King David 950 years before in Psalm 22:1. Jesus could not take my sin on himself without experiencing, at least temporarily, what it felt like to be separated from God.
Furthermore, while Jesus lived for 33 years as a human on earth, he experienced these humbling demotions:
• He took off a crown and put on a carpenter’s tool belt (Mark 6:3)
• He left the heavenly host to dwell in Nazareth where, at one point his neighbors tried to kill him (Luke 4:16-30)
• Jesus gave up his heavenly reputation to be accused of being out of his mind, possessed of the Devil, a drunk and glutton, who ran around with tax collectors and sinners,
• His family didn’t believe him (John 7:5), they kept trying to take him home and end his traveling ministry.
• He gave up the throne room of Heaven to travel around Palestine without a home to call his own (Matt. 18:20)
• He came to earth, not to be served, but to serve as a humble Rabbi (Mk. 10:45)
• His most humiliating moment of all came as he was nailed to the cross. (Luke 23:33) However, we know he submitted to the cross knowing all that would come from his sacrifice. (Heb. 12:2) Jesus gave the ultimate gift of himself to save and sanctify me. What then, as a disciple of Christ, does he call me to give in return to submit and serve my Lord and Savior?
What are we, as Disciples of Christ, called to give in return?
Titus 2:13-14 leads us to understand the answer to that question.
Titus 2:13-14 (NIV)
13 while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior.
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
From what we see in that verse, we learn that we are Christ’s own special people, and that we are known for our eagerness to get busy doing good works. This is what we, as disciples of Christ, are known for. Is that too much to ask?
Back to Luke 14, we notice that a true disciple loves Christ even more than he or she loves their own family.
I remember a conversation I had with a fellow who was a member of the church I served as a pastor. He seemed rather upset about something as we talked, so I asked him what was going on in his world. He sighed and then explained that he was at odds with his own family over his participation in our church. His parents were Catholics and for years he had been inactive in going to any church. That didn’t seem to bother anyone in the family for him to stay home from church. But then, he and his wife started going to a non- Catholic church. And, rather than being glad they were drawing near to God again, they were upset that he wasn’t parking himself in the correct church pew. Therefore, he got nothing but grief from his family as they attempted to pull him away from his non Catholic connections. He explained that no one was upset when he stayed home from church, but his choice of a church family was unacceptable to them and their traditions.
This is an example of a situation where our allegiance to Christ can collide with our allegiance with our own families.
What, then, does Jesus expect of us as Disciples of Christ?
• Luke 14 instructs us to be willing to give up all other connections beyond our connection to Christ. That means, if necessary, to give up my family, friends, connections, finances, and even our independent lives apart from Christ.
• We are to trust in Christ alone instead or holding on to family, friends, or earthly treasures.
• As Jesus said, we are to take up our cross and follow him. The cross, as you know, is an instrument of death. Taking up our cross puts an end to our independent life. We no longer do or even think anything apart from Christ and Him crucified. This means that our treasure and our hope is in Heaven which is our real home. As for this world, we’re just a passin’ through.
Invitation:
I’ll ask again, Is this too much to ask? Chances are, you know the answer already.
Take time to consider these things:
• Do I know the totality of what Christ Jesus gave up for me?
• What is hindering me from giving up all for Jesus?
• Who or what do I trust the most?
