Luke 14:25-33
Not So Fast, My Friend
In case you didn’t know, it’s football season. Labor Day weekend featured 1 college game after another. This weekend is the startup of the NFL season. High school football is in their second or maybe third week.
There are a lot of talking heads in football. Some I like. Some I don’t. But I’ve liked. Lee Corso for many years. He has been insightful as well as funny to listen to. One of my favorite catch phrases he used was, “Not so fast my friends.” That meant he probably didn’t agree with his colleagues as they offered up their opinions on who was going to win a particular game. He used that catch phrase last Saturday for the last time on College Game Day.
In Luke 14:25-33, Jesus offered up some rather uncharacteristic sayings. He doesn’t seem to mince words.
Large crowds were following him from place to place. People wanted to see Jesus and to be with him and to see and hear what he was going to say and do.
A lot like Lee Corso Jesus might have said, “Not so fast, my friends.”
Questions arise. What would it mean to follow Jesus. It sounded like a loyalty test might be made. To follow Jesus would. be to put Him above all others. He told the people. If you follow Him, they may very well find themselves at odds with other people, even to the point of choosing Jesus over father, mother, brother, and sisters. A disciple might even lose life to save life.
Consider what it means to be a Christian and to follow Jesus. What does it mean to carry the cross in order to be a disciple? What will be the cost in terms of relationships and what we are willing to give up to be a disciple of Jesus?
Are we able to do anything Jesus says to do? Can we choose Jesus over family and friends, over power and influence, over all that we possess? My gut feeling is probably not.
Even though we fail at what we attempt, Jesus is always out there in front of us, calling us to be with Him. He offers unconditional love that makes it possible for us to choose life with him and for him.
Let me leave you with another great saying from a sports legend, Yogi Berra. “The game isn’t over till it’s over.” Jesus wants us to know we are still in the game. Persevere and be patient. Jesus has already won the victory over sin and death for us.
- What is the is the cost to discipleship for you?
- How can we know that we are living the way Jesus wants us to?
