follow the Leader

The Word for today:
Luke 14:25 - 35

Mark this:  Luke 14:28
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?

I laugh to myself when someone turns to ask me a question about the Bible, expecting I’ll be able to give her the answer like my husband Franklyn would. It’s as if they think that because I’ve been married to him for the last nineteen years, his Bible knowledge has transferred by osmosis to me. I can tell you for certain that the only way to know the Bible is to read it for yourself. You can’t leave your understanding of Scripture to your Sunday school teacher, favorite radio preacher or Christian author, or even your husband.

Of course, I have learned a vast amount while helping Franklyn with his Bible classes for the last six years. We even taught a class together (called "Acts 29") but that was more up my alley – topically based with some life application.

If I had to boil down what I’ve learned into just two concepts, one would be that every story, person, and type in Scripture points us to Jesus. The second is that Jesus is bigger than I can ever imagine. So as I write a blog for Franklyn while he’s away at a conference, I will try to apply those two concepts to today’s passage.

Jesus has some hard words for us today as he tells the crowd, “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 ...any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

So Jesus is reminding us of the great cost of being His disciple. He wants to be first in our lives. Truly following Him will cost us our time, our hard-earned money, some of our closest relationships, and possibly our lives. What has it cost you?

Now I’ll try to kick it into “Franklyn” gear and go beyond the surface of what these verses say. Let’s not project ourselves into the passages and try to apply them to ourselves until after we look at Jesus as the prime example of what it means to be a disciple.

Jesus was a disciple of the Father. He didn’t say (1) or do (2) anything unless he heard or saw His Father do it first.

Did Jesus put God first? We read in Matthew 12:46 – 50 that when Jesus’ mother Mary and His brothers were looking for Him, He turned to those with Him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” His priority was the Father and his family took a backseat.

Did Jesus count the cost of obeying the Father’s will? He knew from the foundation of the world that He was to be the Lamb slain for our sins (3). He humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! (4). He had no place to lay His head (5).

Giving up his home in heaven, he was homeless here on earth.  He was misunderstood not only by His enemies but even by His family and His disciples. He was falsely accused, and He was pursued and ultimately killed by His own. While He hung on the cross, covered in our sins, He was forsaken by the Father. Yet He came and died for our sins anyway. It cost Him everything to obey the Father’s will.

Jesus is our leader. But don’t forget that as our leader, he even shows us how to follow.

So, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (6)

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(1) John 12:49; (2) John 5:19; (3) Rev. 13:8; (4) Phil. 2:5 – 11; (5) Luke 9:58; (6) Heb. 12:2