The Cost of a Disciple

The Cost of a Disciple

 

Luke 14:25-35

 

He tells the crowd what they must give up to become a disciple. He asks the crowd to decide whether to remain as spectators or to live as disciples.

 

The crowd cannot remain as onlookers forever. If they hesitate and cling to the possessions they have on this earth, they will not be able to pass through the door of salvation. Jesus tells us to hate our families and even our lives in order to become his disciples. He tells us to relativize even the most important things for the sake of the kingdom of God. And he tells us to take up our own cross and follow him. The reason why salvation is a narrow gate is revealed in Jesus’ words.

 

Just as a man building a tower counts the cost, and a king going to war calculates the chances of victory, so a person who wants to become a disciple must consider the cost of discipleship. That cost is self-denial and cross-taking. Jesus says that those who do not give up earthly possessions cannot be disciples, and warns that such disciples will be useless and discarded like salt that has lost its saltiness.

 

To become a disciple, you must endure opposition from your family and not give in to persecution that threatens your life (26). This extreme word will become a reality for the disciples later on. We who want to live as disciples of Christ must also listen to this word. Are the things you are currently engrossed in that are hindering you from living as a Christian? If so, let us change the priority of our lives so that the kingdom of God is the best.

 

A Christian is someone who takes up his own cross and follows Jesus (verses 27-33). It is impossible to follow Jesus by carrying both earthly possessions and the cross, and those who follow without the cross are just bystanders or hypocrites. Just as salt that has lost its flavor is useless, a Christian without his own cross and self-denial is useless to God and his neighbors.

 

I will remember that I cannot live the life of a disciple who acknowledges the Lord without denying myself.

 

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