Section 91

Section 91
COST OF DISCIPLESHIP MUST BE COUNTED
Probably Peræa
LUKE 14:25-27

"And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:25-26

"To emphasize that discipleship is difficult, Jesus said that one must hate his own family and even his own life in order to be His disciple. Literally hating one’s family would have been a violation of the Law. Since Jesus on several occasions admonished others to fulfill the Law, He must not have meant here that one should literally hate his family. The stress here is on the priority of love (cf. Mat_10:37). One’s loyalty to Jesus must come before his loyalty to his family or even to life itself. Indeed, those who did follow Jesus against their families’ desires were probably thought of as hating their families."-BKC

"So, too, just as there is a difference between attending lectures and being a student, there is a difference between being a Christian and being a disciple. "Disciple" means "disciplined one"—one who is committed to the cause of the kingdom. Thus, Jesus is saying, "You can't be My disciple if other affections have priority in your life." Jon Courson

"Actually, the most difficult part of this first term of discipleship is found in the words “and his own life also.” It is not only that we must love our relatives less; we must hate our own lives also! Instead of living self-centered lives, we must live Christ-centered lives." -Believer's Bible

"While discussing this passage one day, I noticed that a beam of sunlight had fallen upon the mass of glowing coal in the grate, and where the sunlight fell the bright redness was turned into absolute blackness. “Ah!” thought I, “there is the meaning of this passage.” As the glowing coal appears black beneath the far more intense light of the sun, so Christ asks that the light of our love for Him should be so intense as to render our earthly loves even as hatreds in comparison. In reality, although the red coal appears black under the sunlight, it is still as hot as before, yea, hotter than before, because of the added heat from the sun; so our love for friends and relatives, though it should appear as hatred beneath our love for Christ, will not be quenched by it, but added to, and rendered deeper and purer."
-H. Stanley

"And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."  Luke 14:27

"There is a great deal of misunderstanding concerning what it means to bear one's cross. A noisy neighbor is not a cross. Arthritis is not a cross. Financial pressure is not a cross. Neighbors, illness, finances are just the stuff of life, common to Christian and heathen alike. Jesus showed us what the cross is when He laid down His life in order that we could be lifted up. The cross is the way by which we die to self in order that others can be saved, helped, redeemed, restored. And Jesus says we can't be disciples unless we are willing to lay aside our rights and preferences in order to see others do well." -Jon Courson

"When the Roman Empire crucified a criminal or captive, the victim was often forced to carry his cross part of the way to the crucifixion site. Carrying his cross through the heart of the city was supposed to be a tacit admission that the Roman Empire was correct in the sentence of death imposed on him, an admission that Rome was right and he was wrong. So when Jesus enjoined His followers to carry their crosses and follow Him, He was referring to a public display before others that Jesus was right and that the disciples were following Him even to their deaths. This is exactly what the religious leaders refused to do."  -BKC

"More correctly, his own. An important charge. All must bear the cross, but not all the same cross: each one his own." -Vincent's Word Studies

My thoughts....

This is an intentionally difficult passage to consider. I particularly like the Believer Bible's observation that the most offensive part of the statement is that we must prioritize Christ over ourselves--even above family is the lesser of the two demands. I am incredibly thankful that I don't have any sense of this division or need to differentiate in our immediate family at this point.  We walk together in our allegiance.

The carrying of one's cross is another obstacle--such an offensive image.  We are quick to be offended by the need to own our shortcomings or difficulties.  I like the following part, but the following is described here as a humiliating and vulnerable walk.  The BKC's comments on the historical nature of such an act reinforce that idea.