Listen to the audio of today’s Reflection:
https://soundcloud.com/hapearce/reflection-for-november-12-2024
Luke 14:25-35
The Cost of Being a Disciple
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “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. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will you not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “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? 32 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. 33 In the same way, any of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
One of the most important Christian books of the twentieth century is The Cost of Discipleship, by the great German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And the most famous line in that book presents a stark challenge. When Jesus calls a person, Bonhoeffer wrote, he calls that person to die.
Most of us won’t be called to die for our faith. Bonhoeffer himself did; he was arrested after being involved in a plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler, and he was hanged on Hitler’s personal order in the final days of the Nazi regime.
Our reading for today is a very important one from the teachings of Jesus. Unfortunately, there’s a translation issue that probably keeps a lot of people from giving this passage the thoughtful reflection it deserves.
The problem is that our translation of the passage quotes Jesus as saying that the only ones who can be his disciples are those who “hate” their father and mother, spouse and children, brothers and sisters, etc. So lots of people probably read that and instinctively doubt that Jesus would tell his followers that they should hate their loved ones. And as we understand the meaning of the word ‘hate,’ they might be right. So they don’t really engage with the rest of what Jesus says here. And that’s a shame, because the point Jesus makes here is central to the life of faith.
The problem, as we said, is almost certainly a translation issue. And in wrestling with this issue, we should remind ourselves that the Bible we read is an English translation of the Greek translation of the original teachings of Jesus, which were spoken in Aramaic. And no matter how carefully things are translated, there are occasional times when shades of meaning are confused in the process.
And this passage is probably one of those occasions. The scholars say that in the Aramaic language of Jesus’ time, there was a figure of speech that’s translated “hate” here, but doesn’t have the same meaning as we assign to the English word ‘hate.’ We use that word to describe bitter, even violent hostility. But the Aramaic expression really meant something like refusing to allow something to place restrictions on you – in this case, Jesus is warning his followers not to allow family ties to come between them and their relationship with him. The real point he was making is that living a life of real discipleship means having no higher loyalties than your loyalty to him. Hate, as we use the word, isn’t really involved.
Of course, by the time the gospels were published, lots of the followers of Jesus really did face hostility – and sometimes even extreme and violent hostility – from members of their own households. Most of the original followers of Jesus were Jews, and the Acts of the Apostles makes it clear that some continued to observe Jewish traditions – even worshiping in synagogues. But the followers of Jesus were considered heretics and blasphemers by the other Jews of their time. People who followed Jesus openly stood a very good chance of being rejected by at least some of their family and friends. So these words of Jesus addressed a very serious situation that many of his followers actually encountered.
Jesus wasn’t telling people they should hate their families as we understand the word hate. But he probably did intend to warn them that they might face hatred from others for their faith.
Most of us in contemporary western civilization will never face any significant rejection and hostility for our faith. But in a sense, the kind of condescension we sometimes face is even more insidious. If you’re really serious about your relationship with Jesus today, if you speak without apology about your faith, you won’t face hateful anger. You won’t be locked up or stoned. In fact, most people will express patience and tolerance about your faith.
But if you listen closely, you might hear an undertone that says it’s fine to have religious beliefs, as long as you keep them to yourself. And you might detect a question beneath the surface from some people. And that question is: “But how can a smart person like you believe all those old myths.” Eventually, if you’re really serious about being a disciple of Jesus, some of those who are closest to you may walk away, shaking their heads. (Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that many of those who are most vocal about being Christians seem consumed with agendas that Jesus himself probably would reject out of hand.)
But there’s no denying that this part of Jesus’ teachings lands squarely in our lives as believers. Most of us won’t ever be called to give up our lives physically. But in another sense, following Jesus means being willing to die to our worldly lives – lives organized around worldly values and standards. And it’s probably true that everyone who is really committed to following Jesus will be called at some point to sacrifice something for their faith – and that something could be relationships with people we care about.
So, judging by what Jesus says in this passage, we should really stop and think about whether we’re ready to make that kind of sacrifice before we say we’ve given our life to him.
Let’s pray. Lord, you know how easy it is for those of us raised in the church to claim to be your followers. Help us to have faith strong enough that we are prepared to pay the cost that may be imposed on us in the form of strained – or even lost – relationships with others. Help us also to be sensitive enough to live our faith in ways that lead others to follow you, as well. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Henry
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