Dear Luke,
That story I can explain! To a novice in the faith, it would seem, at
first read, a bit of a strange story.
But it requires a bit of history to unfold the true meaning. Jesus is telling the story to an audience of
Jews, the people who were originally chosen by God. In this Christian’s opinion, they would be
the original invitees who, by rejecting Jesus, spurn the invitation to come in
to the party. In his anger at their
rejection, the invitation is then extended to those that were once considered
outsiders, the non-Jews. I would say
that this is done in love—Jesus is trying to help the Pharisees see that it is
of the utmost importance that they accept him as Lord. At the same time, I think it’s important to
note the exceedingly great generosity of the host—there is a great desire that
the house be filled, that all hear the invitation to the party. So there is anger at the rejection, but Jesus
is telling the story in the midst of Jews.
I hear that as a warning, not a condemnation.
What follows this particular story,
Luke, is what I believe to be the most difficult teachings yet. I do not want to soften their blow or round
off their sharp edges—but I do believe that these, too, are spoken in love, out
of a deep desire for all people to know him as Lord. You may reach a different conclusion, but I
hope you hear these words with an open mind and ruminate upon them for some
time before reaching your final decision on just what they mean. I will admit that I still wrestle with these
teachings.
There was a large crowd following
Jesus at the time. Many probably were
there because they had heard of him and wanted to see such a celebrity. Some were probably devoted disciples, and the
majority of the crowd was probably somewhere in between these two poles. What Jesus said almost certainly drove some of
those curious seekers away, but we have certainly found that Jesus was not
afraid to say something that might be viewed as harsh or challenging. I have to believe that there were some who
were drawn into even deeper discipleship by the challenge he offers.
He told them that if any of them
did not hate their family, including wife, children and siblings, they could
not be Jesus’ disciple. They needed to
hate even their own life, too, for it was necessary for them to bear a cross
and follow him in order to be a disciple.
He then asks a rhetorical question—if anyone there was going to
construct a tower, would they not first spend time calculating the cost,
determining if there were enough funds to complete it. The alternative is to begin the work and not
bring it to completion, leaving the builder open to ridicule by those who see
the evidence of his poor planning.
Kings, too, spend their time in planning. If they see that they are outnumbered by the
opposing force, rather than engage a bigger foe in battle they will first send
a party to seek the terms of peace, in hopes of avoiding an embarrassing and
painful defeat on the battlefield. Jesus
then turns the conversation back to himself, telling the crowd that all who
seek to become a disciple must give up their possessions.
He finishes with a brief teaching
about salt, reminding the crowd that once it has expired, there is no hope of
restoring its flavor or purpose. It is
thrown away, not fit for service.
Luke, Jesus is trying to prevent
the crowd from half-hearted discipleship, from making a commitment in a flurry
of emotion and then realizing that there is little interest in seeing it
through, for the cost is too great to bear.
Had you committed yourself at the beginning of this series and then
found that Jesus was far too demanding, too challenging, it would have been
rather embarrassing for you to admit to your family and friends that you were
giving up the title of Christian. It
would be better for you to never take discipleship on if you do not intend to
go all the way with it. Jesus wants the
crowd to choose to follow him, but he wants them to be aware that he asks for
everything from them—nothing is safe from his Lordship. If the crowd intends to follow him because it
is the popular thing to do, they will only find disappointment at the end of
that path. If, however, they take his
words seriously and offer him all they have and they are, then they will find
the path that leads to true and abundant life.
I am glad you are counting the
cost, Luke, and I pray that you find that what Jesus offers is well worth the
cost.
Sincerely,
Theophilus
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