Luke 14:26-35 NIV
14:25–35 This sixth unit of Luke’s journey section (9:51 - 19:44) contains only one passage — the call to consider what discipleship means. This unit stands near the center of the journey to Jerusalem and summarizes the shift in emphasis from confrontation with the Jewish leadership to preparing the disciples for his departure. Discipleship is not easy, but our accountability to God and the rigor of the task require that we understand the commitment required to walk successfully as his disciples.
Jesus’ attention turns here to his followers, asking them to assess what discipleship requires. He wants them to be aware of what is required to walk the full route with him. His main point is that successful discipleship requires Jesus to be a priority in life. We must therefore count the cost of following him if we are going to finish the walk. His will and the direction he leads are the lodestones of our lives. We must present our lives to him and reflect values that honor God.
Jesus makes these remarks to the multitude, unlike earlier remarks in 9:18 - 27, 57 - 62, where only disciples were present. He has no desire to hide his requirements from those who want to follow him, as if he wants to get our decision first and then tell us the rest of the story. Jesus makes it clear to everyone just how much following him requires. He must be first, and they must be ready to identify with him and his suffering. That may mean ostracism by some of the Jews rejecting him, or it may mean isolation and persecution. Discipleship is a tough road to walk. To trust him is to embrace him as the answer to the journey of salvation, including the rough patches that come with discipleship.
Jesus gets right to the point. If anyone wants to follow him, he must hate father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even his or her own life. The background for this remark and its rhetorical force are crucial to understanding it correctly. The meaning of “hate” carries a comparative force here. The idea is not that we should hate our family or lives, but that in comparison to Jesus, if we are forced to choose, the winner in that choice must be Jesus. He is to be loved more than anyone else (cf. a similar concept in Matt. 6:24
Moreover, in a first century context, to decide for Jesus for some did mean deciding against family (Luke 12:49 - 53). Those who loved family more would not even consider Jesus. Those who loved their own lives more also would not consider Jesus, since trusting him might eventually mean martyrdom. Thus Jesus’ remarks come in the context of what conversion may require. People should understand the cost.
To get his point across clearly, Jesus uses two illustrations. One is of a man who builds a watchtower over his land or over a city. Such an undertaking is expensive, and he must be sure such a project is affordable. Thus, it is best to estimate the cost before starting to build. How sad to start construction and not have the money to finish. All of us probably know building projects that started but did not get finished for lack of funds. What a waste to have half a building! Jesus drives the point home by picturing passers-by ridiculing the lack of closure on the project. In other words, moving toward successful discipleship takes reflection; it is not an automatic exercise. There is no positive testimony in a walk with God that is abandoned because the cost has not been properly assessed. Rather, it is tragic.
The second parable pictures a king assessing his strength in preparation for war. As I write, Haiti has just negotiated for peace rather than face an invasion from the United States, which illustrates this passage. What king goes to war outmanned? Does he not first sit down and consider whether his ten thousand can beat his opponent’s twenty thousand? If he realizes he cannot win, he will send a delegation and negotiate peace. Similarly, says Jesus, those who want to be his disciples must make such an assessment. A person must negotiate peace with God. He or she has two options. (1) One can go one’s own way, with the result being taking a stand against God. (2) One can take a wiser approach by suing for terms of peace with God, on the Lord’s gracious terms. This second option means giving God his due and then following him. God desires disciples fully aligned with him. The giving up of “everything” means recognizing that God has claim on all areas of our lives. Part of discipleship is learning from God what he desires in these areas. No one can know at the start of the walk everything involved, but one can enter the journey with an understanding that God has access to all that we are.
Jesus issues a final warning in the picture of salt. Salt is of value and useful as long as it continues to be salty. In this part of the world, such salt could maintain its potency for up to fifteen years. Whether used as a type of seasoning or as a catalyst for a fire, it was only useful when it was salty. If it ceased to function as salt, it was thrown away. The remark notes that God can dispense with disciples who do not complete their call. This means that discipline, even as severe as taking one’s life, can come from God. That is why he calls us to hear what he says. Discipleship takes dedication and focus, and God is concerned how his disciples walk. Different eras involve different walks, since not everyone is called to suffer as many Christians did in the early centuries. But those differences do not alter the need to walk as faithful disciples. Jesus wants everyone on the journey to bring to it an understanding of what it requires and to resolve to stay on the path every step of the way.
The major difference between the context of this passage and the consideration of the text’s function today is that Jesus’ remarks come in a period that marks the start of Christianity rather than the current period, when many people live in a post-Christian culture. The problem of choosing for Jesus was harder to make then than now, though it is more difficult now than it was in the “Christian” culture that predominated in the Western world fifty to two hundred and fifty years ago. In Jesus’ time and in the early generations after him, to decide for Jesus usually meant facing rejection, ridicule, and tension. No one decided to embrace him casually. Today, many people assume they are Christian simply because they live in a culture grounded in Judeo-Christian roots. Though some may be hostile toward believers, this does not occur in many, more tolerant contexts of our modern world.
14:25–35 This sixth unit of Luke’s journey section (9:51 - 19:44) contains only one passage — the call to consider what discipleship means. This unit stands near the center of the journey to Jerusalem and summarizes the shift in emphasis from confrontation with the Jewish leadership to preparing the disciples for his departure. Discipleship is not easy, but our accountability to God and the rigor of the task require that we understand the commitment required to walk successfully as his disciples.
Jesus’ attention turns here to his followers, asking them to assess what discipleship requires. He wants them to be aware of what is required to walk the full route with him. His main point is that successful discipleship requires Jesus to be a priority in life. We must therefore count the cost of following him if we are going to finish the walk. His will and the direction he leads are the lodestones of our lives. We must present our lives to him and reflect values that honor God.
Jesus makes these remarks to the multitude, unlike earlier remarks in 9:18 - 27, 57 - 62, where only disciples were present. He has no desire to hide his requirements from those who want to follow him, as if he wants to get our decision first and then tell us the rest of the story. Jesus makes it clear to everyone just how much following him requires. He must be first, and they must be ready to identify with him and his suffering. That may mean ostracism by some of the Jews rejecting him, or it may mean isolation and persecution. Discipleship is a tough road to walk. To trust him is to embrace him as the answer to the journey of salvation, including the rough patches that come with discipleship.
Jesus gets right to the point. If anyone wants to follow him, he must hate father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even his or her own life. The background for this remark and its rhetorical force are crucial to understanding it correctly. The meaning of “hate” carries a comparative force here. The idea is not that we should hate our family or lives, but that in comparison to Jesus, if we are forced to choose, the winner in that choice must be Jesus. He is to be loved more than anyone else (cf. a similar concept in Matt. 6:24
Moreover, in a first century context, to decide for Jesus for some did mean deciding against family (Luke 12:49 - 53). Those who loved family more would not even consider Jesus. Those who loved their own lives more also would not consider Jesus, since trusting him might eventually mean martyrdom. Thus Jesus’ remarks come in the context of what conversion may require. People should understand the cost.
To get his point across clearly, Jesus uses two illustrations. One is of a man who builds a watchtower over his land or over a city. Such an undertaking is expensive, and he must be sure such a project is affordable. Thus, it is best to estimate the cost before starting to build. How sad to start construction and not have the money to finish. All of us probably know building projects that started but did not get finished for lack of funds. What a waste to have half a building! Jesus drives the point home by picturing passers-by ridiculing the lack of closure on the project. In other words, moving toward successful discipleship takes reflection; it is not an automatic exercise. There is no positive testimony in a walk with God that is abandoned because the cost has not been properly assessed. Rather, it is tragic.
The second parable pictures a king assessing his strength in preparation for war. As I write, Haiti has just negotiated for peace rather than face an invasion from the United States, which illustrates this passage. What king goes to war outmanned? Does he not first sit down and consider whether his ten thousand can beat his opponent’s twenty thousand? If he realizes he cannot win, he will send a delegation and negotiate peace. Similarly, says Jesus, those who want to be his disciples must make such an assessment. A person must negotiate peace with God. He or she has two options. (1) One can go one’s own way, with the result being taking a stand against God. (2) One can take a wiser approach by suing for terms of peace with God, on the Lord’s gracious terms. This second option means giving God his due and then following him. God desires disciples fully aligned with him. The giving up of “everything” means recognizing that God has claim on all areas of our lives. Part of discipleship is learning from God what he desires in these areas. No one can know at the start of the walk everything involved, but one can enter the journey with an understanding that God has access to all that we are.
Jesus issues a final warning in the picture of salt. Salt is of value and useful as long as it continues to be salty. In this part of the world, such salt could maintain its potency for up to fifteen years. Whether used as a type of seasoning or as a catalyst for a fire, it was only useful when it was salty. If it ceased to function as salt, it was thrown away. The remark notes that God can dispense with disciples who do not complete their call. This means that discipline, even as severe as taking one’s life, can come from God. That is why he calls us to hear what he says. Discipleship takes dedication and focus, and God is concerned how his disciples walk. Different eras involve different walks, since not everyone is called to suffer as many Christians did in the early centuries. But those differences do not alter the need to walk as faithful disciples. Jesus wants everyone on the journey to bring to it an understanding of what it requires and to resolve to stay on the path every step of the way.
The major difference between the context of this passage and the consideration of the text’s function today is that Jesus’ remarks come in a period that marks the start of Christianity rather than the current period, when many people live in a post-Christian culture. The problem of choosing for Jesus was harder to make then than now, though it is more difficult now than it was in the “Christian” culture that predominated in the Western world fifty to two hundred and fifty years ago. In Jesus’ time and in the early generations after him, to decide for Jesus usually meant facing rejection, ridicule, and tension. No one decided to embrace him casually. Today, many people assume they are Christian simply because they live in a culture grounded in Judeo-Christian roots. Though some may be hostile toward believers, this does not occur in many, more tolerant contexts of our modern world.