The Wednesday Word 3.23.2022

 

Luke 14:25-28, 33 New Living Translation

25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. 28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it…33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

 This statement sounds so foreign to our ears. We don’t like to think of our Loving Savior as using such harsh rhetoric to drive home his point. But making such a crucial point calls for strong language. Not reading Greek or Aramaic or being well versed in first century vernacular, I can only assume the use of the word hate in this statement is the closest we can get to what Jesus was trying to convey. What does it say to me? God doesn’t want half measures.

In Matthew 22, when asked what the greatest commandment was, “37 Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.’” This is it. Priority One. Next, “‘39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.’” Everything else in life follows the first. The love we have for each other, for our families, and even for our own survival must be secondary to our love, reverence and obedience to God Almighty. Jesus understood that this was not an easy thing for humans to undertake, so the Holy Spirit was sent to help us try to put these commandments into action. “For God so loved the world…” something to pray about.

Don’t forget to look for the Lord today. Vicki H.


                                                                                                phot by Illiya Vjestica

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