Luke 14: 25-33
25 crowds followed him; And he, turning, said to them: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, his mother, his lady, his children, his brothers, his sisters and also his own existence, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my ward. 28 Because, who of you who wants to found a tower does not sit down and calculate the expenses to see if he has what is necessary to finish it? 29 Because not after he has set the principles and cannot finish it, everyone who sees him begins to make fun of him, 30 and says: This man began to build and could not finish. 31 Or what king, who goes to war against another king, does not feel original to meditate if he can face ten thousand who come against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if he cannot, meanwhile the other is still far away, He sends him a delegation and asks for conditions of peace. 33 So whoever does not deny all that he possesses cannot be my disciple.
Reflection:
Large crowds went after Jesus and asked for miracles, others for demonic liberation and others possibly out of curiosity, but he tells them: that if someone wants to come to me and does not hate his family and even his own life, he Can not be my disciple. And this hatred is not hatred, and it does not refer to not loving, it is that the love of God through Christ must be superior to the love we feel for our relatives or other things; according to Matthew 10:37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; He who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Being a disciple of Christ is above family relationships, the goods of this world and even life itself.
In v. 27 Jesus Christ says: whoever does not carry his cross after me cannot be my disciple, in the first message of his death in Luke 9:23 he says: If anyone wants to follow me, deny himself, take his Cross every day and follow me. Taking up the cross of Christ is not carrying burdens, it is dying in it, and it means denying ourselves all our egocentric desires to make them Christ-centered, it is losing our life to find it; repent with a sincere heart, let yourself be formed in the hands of the Redeemer.
The difficulties that can arise at home due to the decision to follow Christ are very serious, it is not a game, that one day I do a pious thing and another day I let myself be carried away by family relationships and I give in to infidelity to integrate myself. Myself That may not be the case, the decisions made in the family to obey Christ will be crucial, especially if you are the first in your home to believe in the gospel of the glory of Christ.
Then two parables are related with a single purpose, to illustrate the cost or price of being disciples of Christ by enduring with love and patience on the path of life. We should not confuse it with the cost or the price of salvation, because it was Christ who paid the price on the cross of love.
In vs. From the 28th to the 30th, the parable of the tower is told, and it begins with a question, who of you, who wants to build a tower, does not sit down first and calculate the expenses to see if you have what you need to finish. that ?; the person must first sit down to calculate the cost, check if he has everything necessary to finish it. Because if you just lay the groundwork and can’t finish it, others will make fun of you.
In vs. From 31 to 32, the second parable of the king going to war is related, and the question is asked: Or what king, when marching to war against another king, does not sit down first and wonder if he can meet ten thousand To who? will you find it with twenty thousand? Because when he sits down and starts counting, he realizes that if he doesn’t have enough warriors and takes advantage of the fact that the other king is still far away, he decides to send an embassy to achieve peace.
The two illustrations have in common that what you want to highlight is to be aware of the cost, what should I do to build the tower, do I have everything I need? Do I have enough warriors to go into battle?
Let’s apply this to the following situation:
A married couple has been married to their respective children for several years, there is tension at home due to the infidelity of one of them, her husband finds out about messages on his cell phone, there is a fire at home. The infidel decides to seek pastoral help or from a Christian friend, repents and surrenders his life to the Lord Jesus Christ, because he wants his home not to be destroyed. The person apologizes to his spouse for his infidelity and is forgiven. The first days it seems that everything is going well, there is reconciliation in the couple, there is no separation, the situation improves at home and with their children. But as time passed when the other spouse and their children did not give their lives to the Lord, family tensions begin, first mild and then strong, while the person in reverse corrects his outburst before drinking alcohol and getting drunk, now he does not. does. Over time, The other unconverted person is no longer very comfortable with her husband’s new business, who has converted to Christianity, as he goes to church week after week, evangelizes, reads the Bible and prays with the other brothers. that the unfaithful spouse begins to get angry and bored with the “new life” that their home now has. Arguments arise, because the believing spouse’s conversation is now about sharing the gospel of Christ, and their teenagers are not very fond of the new life in their home. Tensions increase in the home, so the unsaved no longer want to live with the person who had now decided to serve God. And asks you to choose between marriage or Christianity, because the unmarried spouse is not comfortable with the “new home”, That according to that person is now boring at home and they don’t do the same things they used to do before. how they would dance together in nightclubs, have a few drinks with friends, criticize others, watch television with risque scenes, speak with bad words, among other things. In other words, the situation of the person who converted to Christ was placed in a moment of great anguish and difficulty, where the decision he makes for the rest of his life will be decisive.
In the above story we see the cost of following Christ, according to the text between vs. 25 to 27. The person must make the right decision, and it is to decide for Christ, because even though that decision may be difficult at first, God will sustain, strengthen and reward it; That is, yes, while things are happening, you must continue to intercede for your home, for your spouse and children, crying and pleading and asking God to pour out His grace with the power of the Holy Spirit so that hearts can touch. Your family.
Unfortunately, some people who one day repented with tears and anguish, went down to the baptismal font and publicly confessed the Lord Jesus, over time did not make the decision to remain true disciples of Christ, they decide to abandon the Christian life and ruin themselves. their own lives. It is not an easy decision, but not making it has worse consequences in this life and on the day of judgment.
This reflection ends with verse. 33 and the meaning of the cost of following Christ is a good conclusion, as the quote says: any of you who does not give up everything you own cannot be my disciple. And this denial refers to the heart, because where our treasure is, there our heart will be (Matthew 6:21).