The Cost of Following Jesus
Did you count the cost?
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, even their own life — such a person cannot be my disciple.”
Recently, I wrote about what it means to be part of the family of God.
Jesus said, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” (Luke 8:21)
This got me thinking about the cost of following Jesus.
It is a beautiful life to belong to the kingdom of God, but it comes at a price.
Not everyone is going to be happy with your decision to follow Jesus.
And it is usually the ones closest to you who will cause the most problems.
They don’t want you to change. To be a disciple, you must be willing to give up everything, and that means family too.
But, let me explain, Jesus does not mean we are to literally hate them. That wouldn’t make sense, Jesus who is love would not tell us to hate our own mother, father, and other family members.
After all, the fifth commandment tells us to honor our father and mother (Mark 7:9–13).
So what it means is to hate by comparison. We are to put Christ at the center of our lives and everything else is to be secondary.
If your family is a hindrance to your walk with God, then you may have to leave them behind. Jesus must be your top priority.
This does not always mean you are to have no contact with them, but it could.
Rather, it means you may have to set boundaries, and not let them influence you with their worldly thinking.
You may say, but that is too much to ask.
I can’t do that!
Well, if you can’t, then you cannot be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
You may as well go back to your old life as you will not be able to finish the race that is set before you (Acts 20:23, Corinthians 9:23–25,2 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1–3).
This is the cost of following Jesus.
It requires commitment, faithfulness, and discipline.
Where does your loyalty lie?
It is good to be loyal to your family, but not to the point of denying Jesus. (In the case of a marriage, it will be more difficult, but you may lead your spouse to the Lord by your life).
Jesus requires your all.
If you want true intimacy with Christ, you must be willing to suffer with Him too. If you want to share in His glory, then you must share in His suffering too.
You could be persecuted for your faith.
Are you still willing?
You must count the cost before choosing this path
Further on in this text, Jesus gives an example of why we should first consider the cost before choosing to follow Him.
He says:
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, “This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.”
He went on to say, “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be My disciples.” (Luke 14:33)
Is there any reward for giving up so much?
The good news is — yes!
Yes, Jesus rewards those who diligently seek Him.
If following Jesus cost you relationships, money, property, or even your reputation, know this — you will receive back one hundred times as much!
“Truly I tell you, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields — along with persecutions — and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Thank you for reading!
Image: Gordon Johnson on Pixabay - Painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci
Following Jesus can be very costly but, as we please Him, then we are pleased. Good,solid teaching, Orla. Thank you.
Following Jesus is not an easy decision. “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.””
Luke 18:25 ESV