By Sue Desmarais
I find that often some of the meaning of a
passage can be lost over 2000 years. Take this passage for example;
“And there went great multitudes with him: and He turned, and said
unto them,
‘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. And whosoever does not take up his cross, and follow me,
cannot be my disciple.’” Luke 14:25-27 (emphasis mine)
Let’s examine this picture
before us… A “great multitude”, too
many to count, were following after Jesus and He turns and says to the crowd,
“Come, join Me and be My disciple and your life will be glorious from this
point on!!”
OK, those weren’t quite His
words, but some would like to believe they were today! Just think how Jesus’
words actually impacted this great multitude!! The cross was the most horrible,
heinous and hated form of punishment reserved for only the very worst
criminals, but you and I could probably imagine that the corrupt Roman
officials probably liked to use it from time to time to set an example for the
Jewish citizens at the time; to keep them in check sort of speak, for thousands
of Jews were crucified during that time and not all could have been for
murders. Therefore, can you imagine how repulsive Jesus’ words must have been
to this multitude pressing in to see and hear Jesus?
“If
any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children,
and brethren, and sisters, yea, and even his own life also, he cannot be my
disciple.
And whosoever does not take
up his cross, and follow me, cannot be my disciple.”
I imagine a collective gasp of horror could be heard at that moment especially coming
from His own disciples, for yes, Jesus had said the same to them in so many
words a few chapters back (Luke 9:23), but clearly Jesus must have known this was no way to make converts and influence people!!
Surely not! Could you just imagine how this must have thinned the size of the
crowd? Just how many do you think were still following after Him then?
Only, Jesus did know the impact His words would have, for He goes on to
list several examples where it’s feasible to count the cost before proceeding further.
Choosing to follow Jesus will be hard! All will face some sort of persecution;
some will loose friends, loved ones, even businesses and some would loose their
lives. To say that life would be wonderful the moment you give your life to
Jesus would be a lie! Therefore, we too would be wise to follow Jesus’ example
here, for too many have bought into a lie, and later fall away when the journey
becomes difficult.
Those who choose to follow in
spite of the possible hardships must after all, “…deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow” Him (9:23). Which simply means; we must surrender all (our rights, wants,
desires etc,) placing Him first and foremost in our lives and pick up our cross
(our mission and reason we’re here) and follow Him each day.
Being a disciple of Jesus, or a Christian, is more than
learning about him; it includes following His leading. The disciples had already
“left everything” to follow Him, and the Lord had promised them “a hundred
times as much” blessing in return (Mark 10:28-30). Jesus also promised that
they would have trials in this world (John 16:33). But He also promised He
would never leave nor forsake them and assured them that He had already
overcome the world!
The Christian life is not an easier
life, but the joy often times outweighs the hardships. We fix our eyes on
Jesus, who “for the joy set before him . . . endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
God has set His followers free from the bondage of sin and
through the Holy Spirit; we receive wisdom and understanding on how to go
forward, encouragement, and the ability to persevere. And we trust that our
“present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be
revealed” (Romans 8:18).
There is so much more I’d like to say, but
let me close with just a bit of a personal note:
Psalm 1 begins,
“Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked…
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by
streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.”- Psalm 1:1-3
My husband and I
began following Jesus together after we had been married for more than five
years and our children were still young. That was over thirty years ago and I
can honestly say, our lives haven’t always been easy, but God has definitely blessed
us! When asked, I like to say that our marriage is as good as two sinners can
get, for I can’t imagine a marriage being any better, though the Lord often enjoys
proving me wrong. We’re also blessed with a wonderful close-knit family that
also follows Jesus.
I know that had we
not chosen to follow Jesus back then we would not be experiencing the joys we
do today! I have been blessed far beyond my wildest dreams! (Eph 3:20) There is
nothing more I seek or desire in this life that I haven’t already been given!
Therefore, should God call me home today I am good to go! But I need to ask, are
you?
There were many, I
imagine, that turned away and stopped following Jesus that day, but I’m
confident that those who chose to remain and follow Him never regretted their
decision!