I’ll use Psalms 8:1, 16:2, and 31:1-3a for Temple worship today.
My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Luke 14, again, again! This is unusual, but I try to follow where my Saviour leads me, as best I can and know how.
Today, after revisiting the parable of the wedding guests, where He spoke to me yet more insights into various personal applications of this principle, He directed the spirit of my mind to the concluding passage of this chapter, verses 25-35. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in the opening verses (25-27):
Luke 14:25 ¶ And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Jesus is remarkable in every way! There is nothing “normal” or “regular” about His ministry. It’s January 28, cAD 28. He is about halfway through His earthly ministry, roughly 1.5 years from His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. “Great multitudes” are following Him. “Normal” preachers would consider themselves successful. He turned around to face them, and He says: “Unless you hate your father, mother, wife, children, brethren, sisters, and his own life also, you, “cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). What an extraordinary thing to say when “great multitudes” are gathered to your ministry and message.
He did something very similar to this about six months earlier, in April, cAD 27. It’s recorded in John 6. The multitudes thronged Him, and would have taken Him and by force made Him king: “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone” (John 6:15). Later, the crowd followed Him and found Him, and among them were the Pharisees. He taught in the Synagogue in Capernaum and chastised the crowd, who sought him only because He had earlier provided lunch (John 6:2-14, 26). He presented Himself to them as the “Bread of Heaven.” The Pharisee objected to Him calling Himself the Bread sent from God in heaven (John 6:41-42). He responded by clarifying that He is the living bread from Heaven, that if any eat, they would have everlasting life (John 6:51). This really tweaked the Pharisees and the people: “How can this man give us His flesh to eat” (John 6:52). Jesus. drilled down on this and insisted that unless they ate His flesh and drank His blood, they demonstrated that they did not have “life” in them (John 6:53-58). When this message made its way through the ranks of His disciples, their faith stumbled and said, “This is an hard saying, who can hear it?” (John 6:60). Many turned away from Him and “walked no more with him” (John 6:66—hmmm. 666!).
Jesus deliberately challenged the faith of His followers to expose false believers from true ones: “For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (John 6:64-65).
How many “disciples” never really listen to Jesus’ call to discipleship? (To be a disciple is to, as it were, enroll as a student.) The challenge seems severe: you must hate your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and their own lives. Many who hear this would readily say that hating their own life is the least challenging demand on the list. But what is He saying?
First, the word translated as “hate” is the Greek μισεῖ (me-sei), which means “to despise,” “to detest,” “to love less than,” and so on. Like most English words, “hate” means something different depending on context. We can use the word to express an attitude or feeling connected to malice, or indifference, a mild expression of distaste, or an intense expression of malicious disregard. What does Jesus mean by His use of it in this statement?
The rest of his message clarifies that He is warning those who would follow Him to “count the cost.” He is warning those who would follow Him must make a choice to put Him above father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters. Ultimately, the disciple must take up his cross and follow Jesus. It’s about “Counting the cost” and being willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, like a builder embarking on a building project or a soldier preparing for war (Luke 14:28-33).
We are called to be salt, but if the salt has no savour, it is unfit for use (Luke 14:34-35; see Matthew 5:13).
In the valley, it will be no surprise at all that I heard Him say, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy followed us into the harvest.
Praying for revival! 🙏
Going live asap:
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