Follow Jesus....

Luke 14: 25-35

²⁷Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 

The cost of discipleship of Jesus of the Nazareth sermon appears to be very high indeed! Jesus being a Jewish teacher uses lots of narrative devices that are ways of storytelling that are drawn from His own time and culture. These can sound bit strange to us and even off-putting at times but this is because we have been socialised and taught storytelling in different ways. We use different narrative devices but they remain narrative devices to help us make a point that is important. If a politician said ‘the evidence speaks for itself….’ We would not expect anything but counter evidence from the next politician from the opposing party; we would not actually expect research based facts; we would recognise that they were using a rhetorical device in order to make a point. If truth was so easily identified by people we would spot lies, untruths and inaccurate accounts and easily be able to identify the best course of action. As humans we seem to have built in blind spots, we can be duped; it’s simply part of the dilemma of life we find ourselves in. We need a process that can help us identify the truth and act on it. In our passage today Jesus uses story telling devices to make a point about genuine, truthful discipleship. Jesus uses a device in writing and storytelling called ‘hyperbole’ to make his point. Jesus is teaching us that we can check out our commitment to Him by comparing it to the commitment we have to the most valued aspects of our lives. To claim to be a disciple of Jesus of the Nazareth sermon we have to be so committed that an onlooker will consider our discipleship of Jesus to be the most valued part of our lives. It would appear that not even the most precious of relationships could be used against us in order to make us turn back to meeting our needs our own way. To be the very best parent, child and life partner that I can be is to live out the life of following the teachings and practices of Jesus. If you want to do the best for your family then follow Jesus.  Also, even the threat of taking our very lives will not make us turn back to meeting our needs our own way; it’s as if we were carrying a cross (a tool of state execution) every moment of the day not knowing if it will ever be used against us. To be the very best citizen in the society that I live and work within is based on my following the teachings and practices of Jesus of the Nazareth sermon. Disciples bring good to the cultures in which they live; we are not to be a threat but a blessing to those we live amongst and to those in authority over us. This level of denial of meeting needs our own way is not an optional extra it is the very basis of discipleship and recovery from our life
controlling issues. Note the words of Jesus:

 ‘²⁷Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple’.  

We simply ‘cannot’ be disciples of Jesus and continue to meet our needs our own way; it’s impossible… Let us be a blessing to our families and neighbours today; follow Jesus.