Counting the Cost
(Luke 14:25-33)
In just about anyone’s list of the hard sayings of Jesus, today’s Gospel reading would have to rank
in the top ten, I think. He not only warns of some lean times when you follow him, but says some
strange things about hating family members and even hating your own life, in order to be His
disciple. If he were running for office this wouldn’t exactly be a compelling campaign speech.
But by now I hope most of us have seen that Jesus’ stock and trade has a lot more to do with
speaking the unflinching truth than with tickling people’s ears. The reason Jesus says what he says
in today’s passage makes a lot more sense if we look at what’s going on at the time. We need to
know, for instance, that, when Jesus says these words, He’s on His way to Jerusalem for the big
showdown. This is when and where he challenges the corrupt powers there. And this is where the
wheels are set into motion for his Crucifixion.
But many of the crowd following him at this point have a very confused idea of what this is really all
about. Some surely think that their hoped for revolution is going to be a political one and not a
spiritual one, and Roman tyranny will finally be sent packing from the Holy City. And there are
probably others of the kind who impulsively follow one who leads with passion. Every charismatic
leader has them in their entourage. These are people who want to be where the action is, and
enjoy being part of the excitement. They ride the celebrity coattails until this particular movement
cools off, then they go find another one.
Then there are those who seek to use Jesus’ influence for their own gain—the calculating minds
who picture themselves strutting in their finery as Secretary of Whatever when their leader assumes
power. We’ll probably witness a bit of this ourselves as the November election approaches.
So, in addition to sincere followers, Jesus is dealing with a wide variety of people with a wide variety
of motives as he makes his way toward Jerusalem. But Jesus is making his way toward Jerusalem.
He is on his way to glory, but not in the way the multitudes think. Because his glory must come by
way of the Cross. His exaltation is to come through extreme humility, as Deacon Jane talked about
last week. And the way of the Cross is not limited to Jesus, but to those who would follow him as
well. The reality is, here Jesus’ difficult words are really an act of kindness. He feels he has to find
a way to alert these people about what they’re getting into. He needs to wake them out of their
naïve daydreams, and impress on them how high are the stakes of being on His team.
And wake them he does. First he says, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and
mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”
Does that get your attention? It gets mine. And I have to admit, my first reaction is something like,
“Are you kidding me?? Do you really advocate hating our relatives and our own lives? How does
this square with your commandment to love those around us? Is this the light burden you
promised?”
Now, there are many places in Scripture where a literal reading is imperative. There are others
where it doesn’t work. One example of the latter is when Jesus talked about gouging out one’s eyes
or hacking off one’s limbs in preference to falling into sin. I’m sure Jesus would be the first to say,
“Don’t try this at home.” Here we need to give Jesus a little credit for using oratorical tools to drive
home a point. And here Jesus is using the tool of hyperbole—of colorful, entirely legitimate
exaggeration, to get his listeners’ attention. He does the same thing when he talks about removing
the log from your own eye before inspecting your neighbor’s eye, and when he says that it’s easier
for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Please let me be clear: Jesus is not inviting us to hate our relatives. (Although some may be
disappointed to hear this.)
Rather, he’s using dramatic language to make a crucial point. And his point is this: As the Son of
God, the Savior of the world, the One who is the way, truth, and the life, the believer must put Jesus
first. If following Jesus puts you at odds with a parent who wants your total and exclusive allegiance,
or a brother or sister who thinks you’ve become a religious wacko in need of psychological
deprogramming, or even in conflict with your own baser desires, you must make a choice. If your
possessions get in the way of following Jesus, you must be willing to give them up. Jesus says, “To
be my disciple you must love me more than anything or anyone else. You must heed my words
more than those of any other.” He asks his followers for unqualified loyalty.
So if you do give him unqualified loyalty, what can you expect? Here’s where we want to hear, “Well
you can expect to live happily ever after, starting now.” But again, Jesus pulls no punches. He says,
“Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Do you remember ever
encountering a Christian who made the faith sound like one endless, happy campfire song? After
they’ve gushed on about how unfailingly blessed they are you’re kind of left standing there
wondering if you’re doing something wrong. Some of the feel-good, ‘prosperity gospel’ evangelists
make me feel that way. (Don’t their smiles kind of give you the creeps?)
Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with Christian optimism or talking about the peace in
your life since you’ve been walking with the Lord. After all, our message is Good News. His peace is
a reality. But the reality is a little deeper than just this. Following Jesus will, in all likelihood, mean
that we will have to carry a cross as we walk in his footsteps, at least at times. There are many
people here this morning who know very well what I’m talking about. Carrying the cross requires
courage. (And, by the way, I feel compelled to point out that Jesus talks about carrying our crosses,
not clobbering others with them. This is a good thing to remember when others put our faith to the
test. When we’re under fire, we need to be especially careful to respond with both truth and grace,
as we are being watched by a distrusting and cynical world.)
Now, about Jesus’ reference to carrying our cross. By the time of Jesus’ ministry the cross was a
familiar tool of Roman punishment. It was recognized as the worst of punishments, reserved for
those who were especially insidious in the eyes of the State. So, Jesus’ use of that image would
have abruptly awakened anyone entertaining Pollyannish ideas of what it means to be a disciple.
Jesus had to do this. It was kind of like an early version of truth in advertising. He knew that our
walk with him would require patience, courage, and above all, trust. To make an informed choice,
His would-be followers must count the cost.
So where’s the good news in all of this? If this path is so difficult, why do we walk it? Aren’t there
easier religions to be a part of? In the American supermarket of religions, isn’t it more tempting to
go to the candy aisle? These are questions that I’m sure could be put to many people in history.
Like, most of the disciples and many in the early church, who were martyred for the Faith. Like
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the Nazis for his opposition to Hitler. Like Christians today in
India and Nigeria who are being murdered for their faith. Like believers in some Muslim countries
living under oppressive Shari’ah Law. Like members of the underground church in China and North
Korea who’ve been put in forced labor camps. And even young Christians in our own free country
who are being mocked and ridiculed on some college campuses. We can be appalled and we can
be indignant, but the words of our Lord stress that there is one thing we should not be, and that is
surprised. In fact, St. Paul wrote to Timothy that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ
Jesus will be persecuted.”
If you ask the persecuted whether the cost was worth it, what do you suppose they’d say? The fact
of the matter is that, in many cases we do know what they said, and many last words before
martyrdom, for instance, were words of courage, triumph, and even humor. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
has many such accounts. You see, this is what defies human logic, but gives testimony to Jesus’
promises. Yes, he says to his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble.” But what does he say
next? “But take heart! Have courage! Cheer up! I have overcome the world.” I’ll walk with
you to Jerusalem and to the Cross, and I’ll be waiting for you on the other side! G. K. Chesterton
once said, “Jesus promised his disciples three things—that they would be completely fearless,
absurdly happy and in constant trouble.” And it’s the first two promises that make the third one
bearable.
Jesus promised that he would be with us until the end of the age. And he said “Blessed are those
who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” A few years
ago I read the autobiography of Terry Waite. As you may recall, he was the Anglican envoy to the
Middle East, and had been heavily involved for years in peacemaking efforts on behalf of the
Archbishop of Canterbury. He was kidnapped and taken hostage in Beirut, and spent over four
years in solitary confinement.
His account is harrowing and at times moved me to tears, like when he described his joy and hope at
simply looking through a crack in his window cover and seeing a woman hang out her laundry
across the street on her balcony each day. But Terry Waite didn’t allow himself to engage in
sentimentality or self-pity. He found that fasting increased his spiritual strength. His prayer life
deepened. He even regularly went through the communion service from the Book of Common
Prayer from memory, and took strength from the Lord’s presence in his captivity. He experienced
God’s deep peace. Had he not walked with the Lord through his ordeal, I imagine that Terry Waite
would have emerged a completely broken man. But as it is, he was able to bless many with the
encouraging words of his memoirs.
I suspect that, at one time or another, many of us have been tempted to turn away from the path, to
look for an easier way, as many of Jesus’ early followers did. In fact, at one point Jesus turned to his
disciples and asked: “You don’t want to leave too, do you?”
Do you remember Peter’s reply? “Lord, to whom should we go? You have the words of eternal life.
We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
As we at Hope-in-the-Desert increase our efforts to reach into the community, we can count on
facing some form of opposition. Satan doesn’t want healing to happen. He doesn’t want us to show
love for our neighbor. Love is repugnant to him. He doesn’t want us to spread the good news of
freedom and transformation in Christ. What will we do if people roll their eyes and sneer at us? If
some mutter their favorite label they use for Christians who are serious about their faith? Will we be
tempted to turn away? Or Like Peter, will we remind ourselves that the One who asks us to take up
our cross and follow is the Holy One of God, the One who has the words of eternal life?
In this world we will, at least from time to time, have suffering. But take heart, Jesus has overcome
the world. If we put Jesus first and follow where he leads, we can say, with St. Paul, “We share in his
sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. And I consider that the present sufferings are
not even worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” No matter what our
circumstances, may we with boldness and confidence remember that our faith comes at a cost, but
that the cost is pocket change compared with the treasure that awaits in the fullness of God’s
kingdom. Amen.
(Luke 14:25-33)
In just about anyone’s list of the hard sayings of Jesus, today’s Gospel reading would have to rank
in the top ten, I think. He not only warns of some lean times when you follow him, but says some
strange things about hating family members and even hating your own life, in order to be His
disciple. If he were running for office this wouldn’t exactly be a compelling campaign speech.
But by now I hope most of us have seen that Jesus’ stock and trade has a lot more to do with
speaking the unflinching truth than with tickling people’s ears. The reason Jesus says what he says
in today’s passage makes a lot more sense if we look at what’s going on at the time. We need to
know, for instance, that, when Jesus says these words, He’s on His way to Jerusalem for the big
showdown. This is when and where he challenges the corrupt powers there. And this is where the
wheels are set into motion for his Crucifixion.
But many of the crowd following him at this point have a very confused idea of what this is really all
about. Some surely think that their hoped for revolution is going to be a political one and not a
spiritual one, and Roman tyranny will finally be sent packing from the Holy City. And there are
probably others of the kind who impulsively follow one who leads with passion. Every charismatic
leader has them in their entourage. These are people who want to be where the action is, and
enjoy being part of the excitement. They ride the celebrity coattails until this particular movement
cools off, then they go find another one.
Then there are those who seek to use Jesus’ influence for their own gain—the calculating minds
who picture themselves strutting in their finery as Secretary of Whatever when their leader assumes
power. We’ll probably witness a bit of this ourselves as the November election approaches.
So, in addition to sincere followers, Jesus is dealing with a wide variety of people with a wide variety
of motives as he makes his way toward Jerusalem. But Jesus is making his way toward Jerusalem.
He is on his way to glory, but not in the way the multitudes think. Because his glory must come by
way of the Cross. His exaltation is to come through extreme humility, as Deacon Jane talked about
last week. And the way of the Cross is not limited to Jesus, but to those who would follow him as
well. The reality is, here Jesus’ difficult words are really an act of kindness. He feels he has to find
a way to alert these people about what they’re getting into. He needs to wake them out of their
naïve daydreams, and impress on them how high are the stakes of being on His team.
And wake them he does. First he says, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and
mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”
Does that get your attention? It gets mine. And I have to admit, my first reaction is something like,
“Are you kidding me?? Do you really advocate hating our relatives and our own lives? How does
this square with your commandment to love those around us? Is this the light burden you
promised?”
Now, there are many places in Scripture where a literal reading is imperative. There are others
where it doesn’t work. One example of the latter is when Jesus talked about gouging out one’s eyes
or hacking off one’s limbs in preference to falling into sin. I’m sure Jesus would be the first to say,
“Don’t try this at home.” Here we need to give Jesus a little credit for using oratorical tools to drive
home a point. And here Jesus is using the tool of hyperbole—of colorful, entirely legitimate
exaggeration, to get his listeners’ attention. He does the same thing when he talks about removing
the log from your own eye before inspecting your neighbor’s eye, and when he says that it’s easier
for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Please let me be clear: Jesus is not inviting us to hate our relatives. (Although some may be
disappointed to hear this.)
Rather, he’s using dramatic language to make a crucial point. And his point is this: As the Son of
God, the Savior of the world, the One who is the way, truth, and the life, the believer must put Jesus
first. If following Jesus puts you at odds with a parent who wants your total and exclusive allegiance,
or a brother or sister who thinks you’ve become a religious wacko in need of psychological
deprogramming, or even in conflict with your own baser desires, you must make a choice. If your
possessions get in the way of following Jesus, you must be willing to give them up. Jesus says, “To
be my disciple you must love me more than anything or anyone else. You must heed my words
more than those of any other.” He asks his followers for unqualified loyalty.
So if you do give him unqualified loyalty, what can you expect? Here’s where we want to hear, “Well
you can expect to live happily ever after, starting now.” But again, Jesus pulls no punches. He says,
“Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Do you remember ever
encountering a Christian who made the faith sound like one endless, happy campfire song? After
they’ve gushed on about how unfailingly blessed they are you’re kind of left standing there
wondering if you’re doing something wrong. Some of the feel-good, ‘prosperity gospel’ evangelists
make me feel that way. (Don’t their smiles kind of give you the creeps?)
Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with Christian optimism or talking about the peace in
your life since you’ve been walking with the Lord. After all, our message is Good News. His peace is
a reality. But the reality is a little deeper than just this. Following Jesus will, in all likelihood, mean
that we will have to carry a cross as we walk in his footsteps, at least at times. There are many
people here this morning who know very well what I’m talking about. Carrying the cross requires
courage. (And, by the way, I feel compelled to point out that Jesus talks about carrying our crosses,
not clobbering others with them. This is a good thing to remember when others put our faith to the
test. When we’re under fire, we need to be especially careful to respond with both truth and grace,
as we are being watched by a distrusting and cynical world.)
Now, about Jesus’ reference to carrying our cross. By the time of Jesus’ ministry the cross was a
familiar tool of Roman punishment. It was recognized as the worst of punishments, reserved for
those who were especially insidious in the eyes of the State. So, Jesus’ use of that image would
have abruptly awakened anyone entertaining Pollyannish ideas of what it means to be a disciple.
Jesus had to do this. It was kind of like an early version of truth in advertising. He knew that our
walk with him would require patience, courage, and above all, trust. To make an informed choice,
His would-be followers must count the cost.
So where’s the good news in all of this? If this path is so difficult, why do we walk it? Aren’t there
easier religions to be a part of? In the American supermarket of religions, isn’t it more tempting to
go to the candy aisle? These are questions that I’m sure could be put to many people in history.
Like, most of the disciples and many in the early church, who were martyred for the Faith. Like
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the Nazis for his opposition to Hitler. Like Christians today in
India and Nigeria who are being murdered for their faith. Like believers in some Muslim countries
living under oppressive Shari’ah Law. Like members of the underground church in China and North
Korea who’ve been put in forced labor camps. And even young Christians in our own free country
who are being mocked and ridiculed on some college campuses. We can be appalled and we can
be indignant, but the words of our Lord stress that there is one thing we should not be, and that is
surprised. In fact, St. Paul wrote to Timothy that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ
Jesus will be persecuted.”
If you ask the persecuted whether the cost was worth it, what do you suppose they’d say? The fact
of the matter is that, in many cases we do know what they said, and many last words before
martyrdom, for instance, were words of courage, triumph, and even humor. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
has many such accounts. You see, this is what defies human logic, but gives testimony to Jesus’
promises. Yes, he says to his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble.” But what does he say
next? “But take heart! Have courage! Cheer up! I have overcome the world.” I’ll walk with
you to Jerusalem and to the Cross, and I’ll be waiting for you on the other side! G. K. Chesterton
once said, “Jesus promised his disciples three things—that they would be completely fearless,
absurdly happy and in constant trouble.” And it’s the first two promises that make the third one
bearable.
Jesus promised that he would be with us until the end of the age. And he said “Blessed are those
who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” A few years
ago I read the autobiography of Terry Waite. As you may recall, he was the Anglican envoy to the
Middle East, and had been heavily involved for years in peacemaking efforts on behalf of the
Archbishop of Canterbury. He was kidnapped and taken hostage in Beirut, and spent over four
years in solitary confinement.
His account is harrowing and at times moved me to tears, like when he described his joy and hope at
simply looking through a crack in his window cover and seeing a woman hang out her laundry
across the street on her balcony each day. But Terry Waite didn’t allow himself to engage in
sentimentality or self-pity. He found that fasting increased his spiritual strength. His prayer life
deepened. He even regularly went through the communion service from the Book of Common
Prayer from memory, and took strength from the Lord’s presence in his captivity. He experienced
God’s deep peace. Had he not walked with the Lord through his ordeal, I imagine that Terry Waite
would have emerged a completely broken man. But as it is, he was able to bless many with the
encouraging words of his memoirs.
I suspect that, at one time or another, many of us have been tempted to turn away from the path, to
look for an easier way, as many of Jesus’ early followers did. In fact, at one point Jesus turned to his
disciples and asked: “You don’t want to leave too, do you?”
Do you remember Peter’s reply? “Lord, to whom should we go? You have the words of eternal life.
We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
As we at Hope-in-the-Desert increase our efforts to reach into the community, we can count on
facing some form of opposition. Satan doesn’t want healing to happen. He doesn’t want us to show
love for our neighbor. Love is repugnant to him. He doesn’t want us to spread the good news of
freedom and transformation in Christ. What will we do if people roll their eyes and sneer at us? If
some mutter their favorite label they use for Christians who are serious about their faith? Will we be
tempted to turn away? Or Like Peter, will we remind ourselves that the One who asks us to take up
our cross and follow is the Holy One of God, the One who has the words of eternal life?
In this world we will, at least from time to time, have suffering. But take heart, Jesus has overcome
the world. If we put Jesus first and follow where he leads, we can say, with St. Paul, “We share in his
sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. And I consider that the present sufferings are
not even worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” No matter what our
circumstances, may we with boldness and confidence remember that our faith comes at a cost, but
that the cost is pocket change compared with the treasure that awaits in the fullness of God’s
kingdom. Amen.
August 8, 2010
The Rev. Dan Tuton
The Rev. Dan Tuton
Counting The Cost
(Luke 14:24-33)
(Luke 14:24-33)
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