Luke 14:25-33 (NRSV)
Read Luke 14:25-33 on biblegateway.com
Verse 25Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, Verse 26"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. Verse 27Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Verse 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Verse 29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, Verse 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Verse 31Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? Verse 32If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. Verse 33So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.
Devotion
There is a sizable amount of scripture with which one can struggle to find its hidden meaning beyond what is initially read. Jesus' admonition to the crowds that followed him to hate father and mother, wife and children, brother and sisters is one such difficult passage. Does he really mean that literally? I mean, there are times I am extremely unhappy with my whole family, but hate seems to be such a strong word.
Eugene Peterson in his book, "The Message" uses the term "refuses to let go" instead of "hate." Reading the rest of the chapter leads me to believe that this is probably closer to what Jesus said, or at least what I hope Jesus said. Letting go of relationships and moving on to new ones is always a challenging part of ministry. Relocation for a new job, retirement or death brings difficult transitions unless we know that new friendships and opportunities lie ahead in discipleship.
Prayer
Lord, help us in our struggles in life to let go and let you lead us into your future. Knowing what must be left behind is difficult, but not as difficult as losing you. Amen.