Luke 14:25-27 Devotional & Commentary: The Cost of Discipleship

Posted on August 28th, 2009 by debbiefitz in Devotions, Discipleship, Syndicated

Devotional Sharing, Submitted by Wilson Fong, Gracepoint Berkeley

What does it mean to “hate” his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – even his own life?

Jesus clearly did not intend for his disciples to have hatred and disdain – or even indifference – towards the people closest to them. In no way was Jesus contradicting the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and mother.” Rather, he was underscoring the oft-forgotten first of the Ten Commandments establishing the preeminence of God. Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor” encompasses the call to familial responsibility and to be a faithful son/daughter, husband/wife, father/mother, brother/sister. To hate one’s father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters means to love Christ so much that all other human relationships pale in comparison. It is an issue of a properly ordered set of priorities, placing God as first above everything (and everyone) else – so that when situations arise where there needs to be a choice between doing what God wants and doing what my family wants, there is no question that I will obey and honor God. It might look like I am hating my family, but I would rather do that than appear like I am hating the God who has created me and has saved me.

Devotional Sharing, Submitted by James Chao, Gracepoint Berkeley

What lessons can I learn from the Parable of the Great Banquet about why Jesus asks for such radical commitment?

One shocking thing about the parable of Great Banquet is that seemingly very ordinary and reasonable things turn out to hinder the invited guests from joining the banquet. And when we consider that the banquet here is a metaphor for heaven, we see the shocking implications of what Jesus is saying. It is not the glaring sins and temptations, but these things that hinder people from experiencing God’s great banquet in their lives. For me, one lesson to learn here is that there needs to be that space and availability for me to respond to God. For the people in the parable, perhaps it would’ve been better not to have bought the five yoke of oxen or that new field, if making it to the banquet was such an important thing. It is sad and tragic that these things caused them to turn down the banquet invitation. Not that the field or oxen are bad things, but if our thoughts and desires will likely end up wrapping around these things to the point that we are less responsive to God, then perhaps it’s better for us not to get involved in the first place. As a soldier of Christ, I’m called not to entangle myself in things that will hinder me from responding to God, even they are not inherently sinful things. Just like in the parable, God’s desire is for me to come to the banquet and enjoy the full and abundant life that he desires for me, and I need to be available and ready to respond to and obey him.

Devotion Questions:

Reflect on the fact that affection for one’s nearest and dearest must never be allowed to compete with the disciple’s love and commitment to Jesus. What are some circumstances of following Jesus in which I must deny the claims of all earthly ties?
What does it mean to “hate” his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – even his own life?
What lessons can I learn from the Parable of the Great Banquet about why Jesus asks for such radical commitment?

Commentary:

v.26 Following Jesus involves ‘hating’ one’s family and even one’s life (14:26). Over the centuries this verse has caused great despair and confusion. Clearly Jesus, who summarized all God’s commandments as loving God and one’s neighbor (10:27–28), could not here have been demanding blind, raging hatred of one’s family. […] Being Jesus’ disciple entails primary allegiance to Jesus. No one and no thing can usurp his supreme position. Even as God is to be loved supremely, with no other god or thing taking priority over him, so too Jesus takes priority even over family. The absolute nature of this demand should not be overlooked.^[1]

^[1]Stein, R. H. (2001, c1992). Vol. 24: Luke (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (396). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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