“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. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 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? 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. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples” (Luke 14:26-33).
Put down what you love; pick up what you loathe.
That’s hard, but it’s what our God calls us to do. “You want to be my followers? If you don’t hate your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—even your own life—you cannot be my disciple.”
Jesus, what are you saying? Don’t you tell us elsewhere to love one another? No, Jesus isn’t telling us to go out and brutally sever ties and irreparably shatter relationships with loved ones. That’s not it at all. He’s using difficult, confrontational words meant to strike our ears and drive his point home.
He needs us to know what it means to be his followers. Consider the cost. A builder doesn’t start building a tower and say, “Well, I hope I have enough material to finish.” A king doesn’t needlessly send soldiers into battle against a foe they can’t hope to overcome. How much more so should we consider the cost of following our Savior! The ramifications are much higher than an unfinished tower or an unwinnable battle of kings. This is a matter of eternal life and death.
What does it truly mean to follow him?
It’s putting God first, above all else. Put down that which you love—be it family, friends, or even your own self, no matter what—if it’s coming between you and God, put it down. Let go of what you love.
I don’t. That’s where my sinful heart is convicted. I don’t want to let go; I want to hold on to the things I love. But the cost of discipleship is more than putting down those things—it’s also picking up what I loathe.
“Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). The cross—that object of shame and death, the promise of rejection and ridicule, of pain and suffering? Those burdens in life that are a direct result of living as a Christian in a sin-darkened world? That’s what Jesus wants me to carry?
Yes, it is. As I look at the cost of discipleship, of giving up everything to follow my Savior, I say, “God help me. Because I don’t do that. Even when I want to, I don’t. I don’t put down the things I love, and I don’t pick up the things I loathe. The cost is too much. The cross is too burdensome for me.”
Through his Word, God directs my attention away from me and puts it where it needs to be: on Jesus. He knew what it would take to rescue us. He knew the cost: giving up everything to give us everything. From Jesus’ first breath in that Bethlehem manger, he lived—never wavering, never faltering—putting God first, above all things, all the way to his final breath on that shameful cross. That was his goal. For me. For you. For all the times we don’t put God first. By his perfect life and innocent death, our sins have been washed away. The empty tomb stands witness as God’s stamp of approval on Jesus’ work. Because of him, a home in heaven is waiting for us.
That changes how we see what we love and what we loathe. My prayer is that we daily strive to put down what we love and pick up what we loathe—wrestle with that! The Christian life is a struggle—know that! Know that we will struggle and fail. We’ll fail hard. Look to the cross and see, that too has been paid for. That too has been taken away. Then get up and keep struggling. We know the cost! No matter what cross you are carrying, know this: It pales in comparison to the glory waiting for you in heaven because of Jesus.
So, dear Christian, put down what you love; pick up what you loathe. Let’s go.
Daniel M. Deutschlander’s The Theology of the Cross: Reflections on His Cross and Ours will remind you that since Jesus first loved you, it is now your joy to take up your own cross daily and follow him. What does that look like for you? This book answers that question and points you to our Savior’s cross, which empowers you to live each day for him.
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.