Lukewarm Christian

Luke 14:25-35 talks about the cost of being a disciple. What do you think is the cost of being a disciple? What "cost" have you "paid" in your journey to become a disciple?

I noticed that Luke 14:25-35 can be divided into three parts:

Part 1 (Luke 14:25 - 27)

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

These verses seem to suggest that to be a disciple, we have to hate our parents, our spouse and children, our family, and even our own life. But does it really suggest hatred and division among the family?

These verses are those which kept playing in my mind when I first accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Saviour. Coming from a Buddhist family, making such a decision can cause much heartache and pain within the family unit. The faith is questioned, the decision is not agreed upon, the loyalty and filial piety is doubted. But our Lord is already aware of all these and therefore we have to be ready to go against the will of the majority, the will of the world, when we choose to follow Jesus.

Part 2 (Luke 14:28-30)

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, "This fellow began to build and was not able to finish."

I think that these verses do not solely mean monetary costs. They remind me that I have to realize what it takes to follow Jesus before I start. After finding out about what it takes, then I will have to decide that I want to start and will have to ensure that I am able to finish it.

Part 3 (Luke 14:31-33)

"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whther 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, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."

As disciples of Christ, we are going against the majority. We are going against most of what the world approves and is in favour of. When we are weak and are incapable of doing so, there is no point in going ahead and being defeated in our quest instead. We do not go to war blindly without knowing our strengths and weaknesses. Rather, we must know what we are going against and proceed only when we are strong and confident. Just like Joseph who fleed from temptation rather than going head-on towards it.

Part 4 (Luke 14:34-35)

"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Taking a step towards Christianity and being a disciple of Christ is good, but if we have failed to become what a Christian should be, it'll be very difficult to go back on that track. Just like a student who has failed an examination, it will be very challenging to motivate himself / herself to re-take the examination again.

As such, before we start, we must be careful to calculate the "costs" of being a disciple, lest we fail and is not able to be one ever again.