Sayings on discipleship

GREAT crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

REFLECTION WITHOUT HATING HIS FATHER AND MOTHER. Discipleship or following Jesus is not an easy thing; it demands a lot from us. But Luke’s Jesus appears to be more demanding than Matthew’s and Mark’s. Only Luke has this disconcerting idea of “hating” father, mother, and others. Also, Luke’s Jesus demands of those who follow him renunciation of everything.

When the first disciples (Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John) are called, Luke does not simply say these brothers leave their nets and their father, but that they leave everything. Luke thus emphasizes a total, wholehearted, determined following of Jesus.

Do you follow Jesus totally and wholeheartedly?

Are you willing to leave behind everything?