Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 or Psalm 1
Philemon 1-21
Luke 14:25-33
In Luke 14 Jesus presents the large crowd following him with a collage of somewhat challenging parables and conditions for those interested in following him. After hearing these, it would not be surprising that the large crowd thinned out a little – maybe a lot.
Did Jesus really tell us to hate our father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even life itself? Do we really have to carry the cross like he did? Does this mean we have to be crucified? Do we really have to fight in a battle? Are we going to be fighting armies when the odds are 2-to-1 against us? Must we give up all our possessions?
Jesus' words in Luke 14 may have been the inspiration of the all-familiar hymn:
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
forward into battle see his banners go!
Whoa! Whatever happened to "Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."? (Matthew 11:28)
We're already a war-weary nation. And our personal lives are filled with job struggles, family struggles, health issues, money problems, and a plethora of other worries. Who needs more trouble? The cost to be a disciple of Christ may be too high; the standards may be too demanding.
Maybe, just maybe, Jesus was talking about something else, and we need to rethink this.
This section of Luke has occasionally been labeled "the Cost of Discipleship." Actually, the title should be something like, "the Way to Become Totally Human."
The main purpose for being a "Christian soldier" is to wage war against our own false self – all the illusions, prejudices, shame, hatred, anger, arrogance, anxiety, false attachments and addictions are the real enemies of life. For us to become who God made each of us to be, for us to serve Him in the place that we've been put in life, all these false things must die. We must bring harmony to our spiritual, emotional and psychological parts.
Jesus was giving us some guidelines to help us look inward, to help us straighten out our inner self, so that we can become truly human on the outside. And when this happens, we serve Him in all matters of life, large and small, in our own unique way, using the personal gifts and talents that He gave to each of us.
Jesus did not say to hate father and mother. (Good heavens! There's a commandment that we should honor our father and mother!) The word hate is a mistranslation of the original Aramaic word which means "love less." Jesus was simply saying that it's important in life to keep things in perspective. He was trying to point out that we must love him more than our father and mother... A relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship we can have in this life. The love we have for him then becomes the basis of the relationship with have with anyone else: father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even life itself. We soon begin to see the image of Jesus in other people, realizing that they, too, are children of God.
We must "carry the cross." What does this mean? The cross has become a symbol of Jesus' death and resurrection to a new life – that of Christ. We, too, need to go through this – our old self must die so that our true self can live. It's not always easy, and can sometimes be painful. I know I'm still working on it. But we can't be truly human the way God wanted us to be, until we let some things go.
The tower parable and the warring kings parable remind us to proceed with caution and with the appropriate help. Becoming truly human is a journey best done as a team. We need to take an honest, personal inventory of where we're at right now, and then determine the best course of personal transformation. But we can't do this alone. Many of us will do this with the help of counselors, therapists, physicians, psychologists, pastors, friends, and pets. We'll be using the tools of prayer, meditation, journaling, talking, listening, walking, sleeping, and proper diets. It may take time – lots of time, but that's OK. We will learn to seek peace with ourselves instead of waging war.
And don't forget to give up all your possessions! Really? And end up standing naked on the street corner? I don't think so.
Jesus knows that attachment to things greatly interferes with personal, spiritual growth. If the only way to get rid of the attachment to the thing is to get rid of the thing, then so be it. Again, what he is trying to do is to keep things in perspective. Material goods are gifts to us to use in an appropriate manner. But they are just things, and will all corrode, rot, wear out, get dusty, and fall apart some day (which includes our own bodies).
Not so with your soul. Not so with personal relationships. Not so with God. These things are eternal, and will continue to grow in God's love forever. We use material things to help each other become fully human, to make sure as physical beings we all have sufficient food, clothing and shelter; but we also share our creative output – our stories, pictures, gardens, sculptures, music, and ideas – things that also make us fully human.
The more we find our true selves, and the more we become who God made us to be, then the more we positively impact this world as a Christian soldier. We win huge battles for God when we can lend a helping hand to someone near us, in moment by moment personal interactions, as we go through our day. To glorify God is to become who He made us to be – a unique, loving, interdependent person that reflects the love of God in all the details of each moment of life.
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