Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Gospel, Luke 14:25-35                       

Luke 14:25-35

Tough words meet our eyes and minds in this week’s gospel reading. Jesus is calling His disciples to Himself in a way that perhaps they had not considered before. “Look around at your family, at those you hold most dear. Now, cut them off in your heart and from your life. In fact, do the same with your own life. Then you’ll be ready to follow me.” So a bit of my own read on that text. I do not understand all of Jesus’ words here and I readily admit it. But let me take a swing at the pitch.

Clearly, Jesus is not calling us to hatred of our family members. But as the reading continues, we are made aware that what Jesus is really pointing to is the cost of following Him. The question comes to us and it must strike us with open eyes and ears, “Are you prepared to lose it all for Me?” The great Lutheran pastor/theologian of WWII Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” Imagine that as a pitch for a sign-up sheet for ministry opportunities in your local church. How many names would be on the legal pad in the narthex after the Sunday on which you heard that call?

The world in which we open our eyes each morning is increasingly making this call a reality. For all believers in Jesus. In much of the world it has been a reality for centuries. For some of us, the call is raw and fresh. Our feet are treading new and unsure paths. Remember, whatever our Savior demands He will supply.

Follow Jesus.