7. DISCIPLESHIP

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even their own life – such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26 NIVUK).

Is Jesus a promoter of hatred or did He mean something else by this statement?

Obviously, He meant something else. What the Lord is saying here is that if you want to follow Him then you have to make a decision to be His disciple. Being a disciple is not easy. We have to count the cost. To be His disciple you have love Him more than anything else in this world.

Therefore, in comparison to our love for Him, we should hate our family – father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters and even our own lives. God doesn’t tell us to hate them in the sense of an ugly human hatred where we wish them ill-will, but He means for us to love Him much more. If you put God first, then you put them second. He wants the first place in your life – that’s being a disciple.

As His disciple, you cannot follow after Him if you don’t bear the cross. You know what the Lord went through when He carried the cross – He was beaten, mocked, and spit upon. His beard was torn and physically He had no strength left to carry His cross. The soldiers leading Him turned to someone else nearby and ordered him to carry the cross (Matthew 27:32). This man’s name was Simon of Cyrene. The Bible doesn’t say anything more about him, but I believe the Lord wants to say something about him to us. We need to be willing to carry the cross ourselves. You see, this is a symbolic scripture. I have seen people in America wearing crosses as jewelry, but that’s not what the Lord meant by this scripture. He wants us to understand that we need to take up the cross, our cross, and die to our own desires and take up His desires. That’s what disciples do. We have to be willing to give up our lives in order to become His disciples.

Let’s learn more about being a disciple of Jesus by looking at the passage of scripture where this verse is found. Often times looking at the context of a scripture can help us understand more clearly the true meaning of a verse. Luke 14:25-33 says: “Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even their own life – such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, “This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.” Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples’” (NIVUK).

Disciples also have to count the cost. As Jesus said, “If you are going to build a tower, you have to count the cost first… If you are about to go to war, you should count the cost before you go.” We should never take our Christian walk lightly. Be serious about life, so that when people look at you they may say in their hearts that this is a real Christian! But I must tell you – it’s not easy. It is always easier to go with the flow downstream. It is always easier to do what everyone else is doing. It is always easier to be quiet rather than taking a stand and doing the right thing in certain situations. It will cost you much to be a disciple of the Lord – and you must be willing to give up everything in order to follow Him. That’s the cost of being a disciple.

Continue To Chapter 8. Fruit of the Spirit – Fruit of The Flesh

Chapter 1. The Gospel – Good News • Chapter 2. Adam – Sin • Chapter 3. Repentance – The New Birth • Chapter 4. Spiritual Growth – A Journey and The Goal • Chapter 5. The Rapture • Chapter 6. Renewing of The Mind • Chapter 7. Discipleship • Chapter 8. Fruit of the Spirit – Fruit of The Flesh • Chapter 9. Other Important Scriptures • Chapter 10. How to Be Like The Lord Jesus Christ • Final Words • About The Author • What Others Are Saying About This Book • Bibliography