__Lesson 7 CBS

Live life as a full-time disciple

Luke 9:57-62 (KJV)

57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Luke 9:57-62 (NIV)

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." 59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." 62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

At this point in Jesus_ ministry he was very popular with the masses. He had healed many, and had worked many miracles including feeding 5,000 people with just a few pieces of fish. Many were following him because of the benefits, but in this passage Jesus makes it clear that a radical commitment is needed in order to be a true disciple.

Jesus was on his way to the cross, and in these verses we can see Jesus weeding out those who were following him with improper motives, or those that were just along for the ride. Jesus was teaching that one must be willing to give up everything in order to be his disciple, even necessities of life.

The first man (identified in Matthew 8:19 as a teacher of the law) offered to follow Jesus blindly. Jesus response indicates that he, the Son of God, did not even have a home, which is something most people would consider a necessity.

The second wanted to bury his father, which may indicate he was waiting for an inheritance, and Jesus was telling him that to be a disciple he must be willing to give up any societal or monetary benefit he might gain in the world.

To the third person he says that following Jesus must take precedence even over one_s family.

Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that the Kingdom of God is the most important thing on Earth, and getting the gospel message out is urgent, so absolutely nothing should come between the disciple and the Lord.

1. Why does Jesus appear to discourage people from following him in this passage?

2. What is the significance of the three things people wanted to do first before following Jesus?

Luke 14:25-33 (KJV)

25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 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. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:25-27 (NIV)

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

Even after his earlier words about the cost of discipleship, crowds still thronged around Jesus. Many of his disciples had given up everything to follow him, but perhaps many others were following him as it was convenient.

Jesus calls them, and us, to a complete and radical separation from the world in order to be his disciple. It is unlikely that Jesus is speaking literally about hating one_s family because hating one_s father and mother would be a violation of one of the Ten Commandments which Jesus never advocated breaking. More likely he was saying that one_s loyalty must be to Jesus even above family in order to be a disciple. The second requirement was to carry one_s cross. People who had been condemned to die carried their crosses to the execution site in Jesus day. In the same way, in order to be Christ_s disciple we must be willing to die to ourselves so that we may live for Jesus.

3. What does Jesus mean by hating one_s family and even his own life?

4. What did Jesus mean by carrying your cross?

Luke 14:28-33 (KJV)

28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:28-33 (NIV)

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? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, _This fellow began to build and was not able to finish._

31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If 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. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

It is true that salvation is free, but Jesus still tells his disciples to count the cost first before becoming a disciple. Just as a person planning a building project should first make sure he can complete the job, Jesus was telling his followed that they must count the cost of discipleship. One who had begun to follow Jesus and turns back would not be fit for the Kingdom of Heaven, and would also find himself rejected by the world.

Jesus also uses the analogy of a king going to war. If the king cannot win he will sacrifice in order to keep peace with his enemy. Jesus was telling his disciples that there is sacrifice involved in being his disciple.

The point of the two illustrations is that one must be willing to give up everything he has to follow Jesus. This is not a condemnation of material possessions, but it is an indictment of people who rely on their physical possessions or have their identity there instead of in Jesus.

5. Why does Jesus compare discipleship to planning things like building a tower and going to war?

6. What is the point of the two illustrations?

__ATG Lesson 7

Live life as a full-time disciple

Understanding the Bible.

In addition to today_s verses read Luke 9:23-25, which is where Jesus says anyone who tries to save his own life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life will find it. This is the key to this week_s lesson as Jesus teaches about radical commitment to the Kingdom of God. Jesus called them, and us, to complete and absolute surrender of our lives to his Lordship. If we hold on to things in our lives, and even our own lives, we cannot totally abandon ourselves to Jesus. Jesus wants us to understand that to fully experience him we must completely empty ourselves of everything, even good things like family, in order to be totally filled with Him.

In Jesus day many people followed him because he was a charismatic teacher and because he worked amazing miracles. Today people may belong to a church because of a charismatic pastor, or because there are other things they can get out of it. Just as church membership today does not make one a Christian, just being part of the crowd that followed Jesus did not make them disciples.

BIBLE COMMENTARY

Old Testament Connection:

I Kings 19:20 records how, when Elijah called Elisha into full time ministry, Elisha asked to be first allowed to go back and say bye to his parents. Elijah granted the request. Elisha went back, threw himself a big going away party, even cooking and serving the oxen he had been plowing with, and soon was Elijah_s attendant. Jesus, however, gives a very different response to the same request. Jesus tells those who want to take care of personal business first, that the Kingdom of God he is ushering in is so urgent and important that it must come even before family. Elisha was preaching repentance to the people, but Jesus_ message was so radical and important, that absolutely nothing can come before it if one wishes to be His disciple. Elisha and Elijah wanted people to return to obedience, but Jesus was calling people to completely die to themselves in order to live for Him.

Dead burying the dead.

The man who wanted to go bury his father first may have had more in mind than just a ceremony. Most commentators agree that it is possible the man_s father was not yet dead, and that the man was really wanting to wait for his inheritance, which could have taken years. Jesus response indicates that it is not possible to just follow Jesus when it is convenient. Jesus_ telling the man to let the dead bury the dead could have been a reference to the spiritually dead being able to take care of the physically dead. Jesus call was for the man to go and preach the gospel regardless of what family obligations he had to leave behind.

1. Why does Jesus appear to discourage people from following him in this passage?

Some were following because of the miracles and were just enjoying being part of the crowd. Perhaps Jesus wanted to expose poor motives, and he wanted to call them to radical commitment to him. He was doing this because he knew he was headed for the cross and that they would face difficulty at that time.

2. What is the significance of the three things people wanted to do first before following Jesus?

Jesus was saying that the Kingdom of God is the most important things there is and it is urgent. He was saying it is more important than necessities such as a home, monetary gain such as an inheritance from a deceased parent, and even more important than one_s family. Three things, a home, money and family are seen as vitally important in all cultures, but Jesus is more important than them all.

Hating mom and dad.

Jesus telling people they should hate their families in order to be his disciple has caused many debates over the centuries. It is unlikely that Jesus was advocating literal hatred of family, since this would violate the 10 Commandments. Rather, Jesus is speaking of comparison in the sense of relative value. Jesus was saying that the kingdom of God should take precedence over everything, including even one_s family. Often in scripture loving and hating refer to chosing one over the other more than an emotional reaction to a particular person.

Haters of self

Jesus also told people that wanted to follow him that they had to hate their own life in order to be his disciple. Compare John 12:25, which says, "He who loves his life loses it, and who who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. (NIV). As natural human beings we all love life because our lives are the dearest thing we have. It is only natural to try to preserve one_s own life. However, the radical call of Jesus is for us to abandon our own life for his life. The idea of love and hate at times in the New Testament can also refer to value placed on things by comparison. If we love our lives we will not think of things other than our lives, and in essence that is hating the Kingdom of God because if our minds are on our selves they cannot be on God. The same holds true in the reverse, if we have our minds set on Jesus and the Kingdom of God, by comparison, we will not have as much time for our own selfish pursuits, and thus we will be hating our lives here on earth in anticipation of life with Christ.

Carrying one_s cross

The cross was the standard method of execution in Roman days. To carry one_s cross meant one had the sentence of death. According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, Romans made condemned men carry their cross at least part of the way to the execution site as a symbol of the authority of Rome and an admission to guilt. Jesus reference to carrying one_s cross tells us that we must admit that God is right and that we are sinners in order to be Christ_s disciple. We must acknowledge our helpless state, much like a condemned man, in order to receive the fullness of Christ.

3. What does Jesus mean by hating one_s family and even his own life?

He was referring to the sense of importance of one_s family as it relates to the Kingdom of God. He was calling people to radical commitment that would put Jesus above even one_s family, and even above one_s own life.

4. What did Jesus mean by carrying your cross?

The cross was an instrument of execution. Criminals carried their crosses to the execution site in Roman times. He was saying that we must be willing to give up our own lives in order to be His disciple.

BIBLE COMMENTARY

Being owned versus owning

Giving up everything to follow Jesus may or may not mean giving up our literal physical possessions. In our modern culture, often we become possessed by our possessions because we think we have to have them and so they occupy more and more of our time and energy. But Jesus told the people of his day that they must give up all those things in order to be his disciple. The real question is one of priority and focus. There is nothing wrong with having possessions, but the problem comes in when the possessions are our main focus in life. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 "Where your treasure is there your heart will be." So if our treasure, which is what we value in life, is the kingdom of God, then naturally our affections and focus will be there naturally. The problem comes when we see our worldly possessions as our treasure and not the Kingdom of God.

Counting the Cost

Jesus also told his disciples to count the cost. At times in history people have been executed for being a Christian. Even in Jesus day, there were severe social ramifications at times to becoming a disciple. He was warning them that trouble would come if they truly followed him. The reason Christians have trouble is that to belong to Christ sets one at odds with the world. One has to go against the world_s system of thinking to follow Christ, and therefore the world will think you are crazy, and might even hate you, if you follow Christ. Jesus told his disciples in John 15:20 that if the world persecuted him, it would certainly persecute them later.

5. Why does Jesus compare discipleship to planning things like building a tower and going to war?

He wants his disciples to be aware of the cost of being a disciple. While salvation is free, it is costly to be a disciple because one must be separate from the world, and the world_s way of thinking, in order to be a member of the Kingdom of God.

6. What is the point of the two illustrations?

The point is that we must be willing to give up everything in order to follow Jesus. We just not rely on our possessions or who we are, but we must rely on Him alone both for salvation and for our experience as disciples.