Jesus gives some clear pre-requisites for discipleship. He says:
26 “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple.27 Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.28 “Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it?29 If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you:30 ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’31 “Or can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other?32 And if he decides he can’t, won’t he send an emissary and work out a truce?33 “Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.” Luke 14:26-33 (Message)
Jesus knows what will be required to make this disciple thing work, so he clearly lays out the costs. There is no unspoken expectations. Unlike a badly planned building project or an army who has not considered the full picture of the battle they face, Jesus is giving us the full cost of being a disciple, so that we are fully prepared to take full consideration. I personally want to soften this, so the costs are on some kind of sliding scale. But there is no scale. It requires everything. Truth be told, I keep trying to skip the pre-requisite, but we can’t be effective with 201 until we pass 101.
Here is the simple truth: to be an apprentice of Jesus requires our WHOLE life surrendered to Him. Understanding Jesus’ discipleship 101 is not the problem, Living it out is!
This is such a simple but heavy truth that many have not considered. How do you process this? What are your thoughts around this pre-requisite?
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for reminding us this powerful truth about discipleship, Brandon!
Here Jesus seem to require and ask a lot from us, but my view is that it's not the case at all! Jesus knows that we can do nothing that produces righteous fruit to God without His grace (John 15:5). He told us what it takes to be His disciples. But only so that we can appreciate the grace he provided to us – the grace that's infinity greater and more than we can possibly need to become His disciples – through His eternal sacrifice and power of resurrection. May eternal honor and praise be to His unmerited favor and grace! Amen.
Samuel
Good input Samuel. I think that is right. We can not do anything that produces righteousness on our own. I believe that is why this is the pre-requisite. It is only through Jesus and the Spirit of God that we produces fruit of the Spirit. This is why we have to give our whole lives to Him, our relationships, and trust Him completely. Our lives seems a large price to pay until we realize that Jesus gives real life and life more abundantly.
Amen, Brandon! I completely agree!
Samuel
Amen, Samuel. Brandon, I like this passage because it whips me into shape every time I come across it. There have been a few times in my life when I just finished obeying God in something He's asked me to do and I feel good about it. Then a passage like this one causes me to remember there is infinitely more I must obey or give up – not grinding my teeth about it, of course – but so I may more deeply identify with Christ. He gave everything. Everything!
The beauty of it all is when we do obey step by step and surrender or sacrifice, we always wind up knowing God more intimately and seeing Him provide and work in ways we could not have known before surrendering. The truth is there is nothing so great He could ask of any of us that we should respond with a no. May we lay our lives – and all that they involve – on His alter every day.
Counting the cost-not something we really think about as baby Christians. While the concept and statement are simple, as is so much of what our Lord teaches, the implications and practice of this simple directive can be overwhelming as we grown in knowledge of His Word. Thankfully, we aren't alone. Jesus sent us a Holy Helper…and His abundant grace as we continue to grow. What awesome love that is!!!
I think that we often don't realize how much 100% really is. We think that we've given over everything, often at some tearful retreat or moving experience, and later we find God calling us for more – for that other thing that didn't occur to us at the time. This is part of growing our relationship with Jesus. He calls us to give more and more of ourselves on ever-deepening levels. As we continue to yield to Him, He lovingly shows us other areas that can be handed over to Him.
wow! you folks can write! I will try. Jesus has been there for me all my life.even when life was unbelievably hard.I sometimes did not realize it. several times i tried to give jesus my all. and then the price seemed to much, to surender myself and my identity,my pride and my life style, so I ran. thus prolonging great pain and suffering. my suffering. jesus has felt all of our suffering. thats unfathomable to me.just my suffering was more than i would want anyone to suffer.so in light of my own experience following jesus is the only choice I have left. His love will carry me through. IT is a great gift to be able to surrender all to jesus. he has never let me down, and has been paitient beyound belief. what is this breif worldly life anyhow compared to the love to be experienced eternaly?
You're right Scott – eternity will be worth so much more than all our lives offer us today. Thanks for sharing your testimony about having to try and try again to avoid running from His will.
Good topic Brandon,
But I disagree with you using the Message for your text example.
I personally do not agree with it.
No biggy though, brother from another mother, we got the same Father.
My favorite pastor John MacArthur even said something similar to what you said.
"No one should become a follower of Jesus Christ without first counting the high cost of doing so. Being an authentic Christian demands a willingness to pay the price. We need to encourage people to consider what Christ asks of them since it is costly."
Heres the NIV:
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. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
And here is commentary from
Oh and I forgot to say. Its true that a lot of people do not realize there is a cost at all. I have been in the chat room and was speaking with a regular member and mentioned a "cost" to discipleship and they kind of rebuked me. Here's a good book : Hard to Believe by John MacArthur
We often tend to think of giving up everything as a material thing, but could it be that Jesus is meaning that we should give up trying to be our own god, self- serving, self-centred. By being centred in Jesus, material things and prosperity ambitions begin to lose their hold on us and giving and releasing becomes a joy. Money and goods in themselves can be a great resource but are not to become the goal or an idol that is worshipped.
Indeed: "to be an apprentice of Jesus requires our WHOLE life surrendered to Him. Understanding Jesus’ discipleship 101 is not the problem, Living it out is!"
Wow! So powerful and so true!
I have been serving the Lord for about fifty years, I have grown and been places with the Lord, and there is a word I use which is frustrelated. Trying to keep up with the demand is frustrating and I find my imperfections popping their ugly heads everywhere. But then I sigh and thank God that where I am weaker, his grace covers oh so marvelously, then I’m elated. Yet, counting the cost, I keep trying and will do so with my dying breath. Even then I know I will only make it in by his unwavering grace that covers my faults by the blood he shed to cover what I could not. Effort and grace go hand in hand.