Dear Theophilus,
I understand your defense of his
teachings—and am indeed grateful that Jesus welcomes those of us who choose a
more deliberate path to discipleship.
There are many leaders who whip a crowd into such an emotional frenzy
before demanding a commitment from them that their followers have scarcely left
their presence before they are debating exactly what just happened! I am skeptical of this recruitment model, and
it pleases me to see Jesus encouraging the curious onlookers to be wary of the
size of the commitment they are making, to take seriously the price.
What I struggle with, friend, is
the word ‘hate’. I could accept the rest
of it, even the part about bearing a cross.
Unconventional, I agree, but there is a price to discipleship, and I
need to be willing to do anything if I’m going to commit my life to this
man. I understand all of this, and while
I’m not ready to make that leap, I would consider myself fortunate to follow a
leader who does not skimp on what the cost of discipleship is.
But hate? How can hate be a necessary part of
discipleship? You may say I am making
too much of one word, but that word sticks out like a verdant oasis in the
middle of the desert. Its sharp sides
wound me, and I cannot read this to any family member or friend without them
immediately disregarding all else that is said.
I’m not ready to turn my back on them to follow Jesus. Does that make this entire exercise a waste
of time? Or is there more here than what
I’m seeing?
All of that being said, the
tenderness of Jesus’ love is evident in the next passage. At times, I expect these harsh demands of
Jesus to cycle downward until there is hardly anyone left to follow him. Instead, Jesus turns the tables on the
grumbling individuals before him and tells them stories meant to illustrate how
great his love is for us. It leaves me
feeling a bit confused, but I am trying to piece it all together using the lens
you provided in a recent letter—focusing on Jesus’ love for all. It helps quite a bit, and such love is
evident.
Jesus was being inundated by
demands for his time from sinners and tax collectors. They were surrounding him, listening to his
every word, surely grateful for a religious leader who would accept him rather
than shun them. The Pharisees, however,
chafed at their presence, offended that a religious leader would spend his time
with such individuals, even going so far as to dine with them.
Jesus interprets their offense and
tells a story about a man with one hundred sheep who discovers that one has
gone missing. Anyone would go in search
of the missing sheep, not merely being content with the ninety-nine, and
rejoice when it was found, setting it up on the shoulders and calling others to
join in his joy when he returned home.
In the same way, Jesus says, the heavens will be bursting with joy when
one of the lost sinners repents and returns to the fold than there is over the
ninety-nine who were always near and did not go astray.
Jesus tells another story similar
to this one to ensure that his point is not lost upon the crowd. He talks of a woman with ten coins who loses
one. She does not forget it and be
grateful for the nine that remain, but instead illumines the house and searches
diligently until she finds it, and when it is found her friends and neighbors
are invited into her joy. Jesus again
points out that a repentant sinner brings joy even to the angels in the
heavens.
Jesus is illustrating for the
crowd, for us, that there is always a chance for repentance, and that the
repentant are welcomed back with joy.
That’s certainly a nice message to hear—I would have stood for more of
that when I was a child and was in the wrong, knowing I would be welcomed back
home not with joy but with scolding. If
only I could have pointed to this teaching and told my parents to mimic the
angels of God! Instead, I was deservedly
punished.
The love and patience of Jesus is
clear in passages like these—I love the stories of Jesus going in search of the
lost, of a love too deep to be easily broken, of a commitment to all
people. I only wish that I could omit
some of the other passages from his teachings!
Sincerely,
Luke
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