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Reading: Luke 14:25–34  

25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26“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. 27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28“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? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

34“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Focus: “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” (verse 33)

Reflection:

In the season of Lent, we reflect on the suffering of Jesus Christ and what it has accomplished for us and indeed the whole world. As we reflect on the last days of Jesus, it becomes apparent that such intense suffering demands a response from us.

However, it seems in this passage that Jesus is cautioning against a quick decision. He wants us to know the cost of being his disciple. If we choose to follow Jesus, to learn from him, to be inwardly transformed to become like him, there is a cost involved.

We must let go of what we tightly hold on to, the things we consider important. Even our family and our own life. In other words, Jesus is to be the most important person in our lives. It is his voice we hear about all others and his way we follow despite competing options. We need to count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus in every area of our life; our time, relationships, work, thoughts, and how we speak.

We need to know that following Jesus will mean the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives to root out every sin, so that we can be forgiven and become more and more like Jesus.

Counting the cost also means counting the benefits. It helps us become more deeply rooted in Christ. We will lose things in this world but we gain new life here on earth and for eternity. Becoming Christ’s disciple means receiving hope, forgiveness, an unspeakable joy and peace and so much more.

As you reflect on Jesus Christ’s death, how will you respond? Have you counted the cost of being a disciple of Jesus? Have you counted the benefits?