“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. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

In Luke Chapter 14, Jesus sets forth some shocking and challenging requirements for those who would be his disciples. He says, shockingly, you can’t be His disciple if you don’t hate your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even your own life. The word hate here is used in a comparative sense, meaning that Jesus must be far above any other love relationship in the disciples’ life. It might sound harsh for Jesus to require such devotion from His followers, but He knows that prioritizing other relationships over Him can ultimately hinder our relationship with God.

Secondly, Jesus requires that those who want to be His disciples be willing to carry their cross and follow Him. The cross symbolizes sacrifice and suffering; carrying our cross means we must endure hardship and suffer for the gospel’s sake. We must be willing to set aside our desires and ambitions and wholeheartedly follow Jesus, even if it means going against family, friends, or society. To truly follow Him, we must be willing to persevere, even in the face of death.

Luke 14 is a challenging call to discipleship. Although Jesus’ expectations may feel overwhelming, placing our faith in Him empowers us to do the impossible and fills us with love, joy, and peace.

Dear God, I recognize that being a disciple of Jesus is not easy, but it’s the most rewarding journey I could ever take. So, Lord, I pray that You help me love Jesus with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind. Help me know that loving You requires sacrifice and surrendering all my hopes, desires, and plans to You. Lord, I want to be salt and light in this world. If I’ve lost my saltiness, then God, please restore it. In Jesus’ Name, amen.