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. Luke 14:26
Seriously? Does Jesus really mean that?
Do we really have to hate our family in order to follow Jesus? Or is this some kind of hyperbole that while not literally true points to a deeper meaning? I suppose I am inclined to believe that Jesus does not really require us to hate our family in order to follow him. But his strong statements about following due imply that there is a cost to being a disciple. So many of us want everything in life to come without a cost. We want to be perfectly successful in our career and have a strong home life. We want to be economically content but have time with our children. We want to be close to God but are unwilling to sacrifice anything to make the time. We want pleasure without pain and life does not really work that way. Anything worth living for is worth sacrificing and suffering for. Are we willing?
Many people cannot differentiate between priorities and in the end accomplish little. There is a cost in saying "yes" to anything. A true "yes" in life means that a priority is established and may require a "no" in another part of my life. If you cannot say "no" you cannot say "yes." Jesus is telling his would be followers to think about what a "yes" to him will imply and what the cost could be. He is telling his followers that they cannot be "part time" disciples, but must be willing to go all the way.
If you are signing on to following Jesus be prepared to go where Jesus calls you to go and to make serious time commitments for serving others and loving others. Following Jesus is not one among many things on our list, it is the center and top priority. To be a disciple is a serious choice and one which will transform your life.
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