Scripture Reading: Luke 14.25-35

Good Morning!

With Christmas behind us, we forge into the new year, ever mindful that Jesus is on His journey toward Jerusalem, teaching as He goes. Regularly, someone asks me 'if' and 'if so, why?' I use a commentary to understand the meaning of the Scripture we are studying; today's passage provides the perfect example why I do, in fact, read several different commentaries. So Jesus turns to the crowd that is alongside Him, and says, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." To which I say, "What, Lord? This sounds nothing like the words of the loving Son of God! Are you saying that I must hate the very family you have given me, in order to follow You?" I scratch my head, thinking, this makes no sense at all. . . and then, I look down at the notes in my English Standard Version Study Bible, which informs that the word 'hate' used here was simply a Semitic expression for loving less. "Ahhh. . . so you want me to love you most, Lord. . ."

After grasping the terminology, I see that Jesus is saying that true discipleship is costly--particularly in the face of persecution, like these first-century Christians were going to face. While we've grown so used to the watered-down, broad-sweeping brush of the term "Christian"--heck, doesn't almost everybody call themselves "Christian"?--the term was anathema to the unbelieving Jews of the day. Jesus warns them, before you decide you are going to follow Me, please, consider what it truly means. On the face of things, for most of us--particularly those of us in the U.S.--to say that we are Christians doesn't cost us much--but the living out of that just might. . . especially if we're not TOTALLY convinced.

In mega-church land, it seems it is all about the 'seeker' becoming a Christian. . . leading the 'lost' over the line. . . (I know, because I live in mega-church land)so much so, that I fear the cost is not often mentioned in the sales pitch. Don't get me wrong--I believe in the supreme value of a clear Gospel presentation--one that is compelling, thought provoking, filled with Scripture and even science and history to back it up, so that no one in her right mind could leave the offer unanswered! Yet, I think that sometimes people want to be a Christian because they have been led to believe that 'everything will be okay' then, 'life will be sweet', etc. Truly, life is sweet when we know Jesus, BUT we will still know hardship, we will experience trials, and may even some day be called on to die for our faith, as the first-century martyrs were (including 11 of Jesus' disciples).

Today, my neighbor Hal, a sporty senior citizen, was taking down his Christmas lights, regaled in yellow and purple--without even thinking, I knew he was identifying himself with the nearby LA Lakers, (professional basketball team). His colors made that clear. The other day, I got to go to the Rose Bowl Game, where USC beat Penn State; funny thing, my seat was four seats removed from the Penn State marching band--actually, I was nearest the tubas--surrounded by a sea of white and blue, even though I was a Trojan fan, clad in cardinal red and gold. Again, the colors were loud! What 'colors' should the disciple of Christ wear? Should we 'look' any different from outsiders? I think we should---not because we wear Laker yellow and purple, but because our character sets us apart. Over the holidays, a catalog came in the mail, and one of its offerings caught my attention--the description caught my eye--not the item. The ad read, "Give the GIFT of CHARACTER"--I ripped it out, and kept looking at it. I thought, 'O, if it was only that easy, that you could just order 'the gift of character' over the phone and put it on your credit card!' You can't. Character comes from what we value and seek to emulate. . . which is why the character and reputation of those of us who take the name "Christian" must be the banner we wear. We must be people of high character, who love others well. That is part of counting the cost, friends.

Character is sometimes loud, when everyone sees it; other times, it is even louder when no one is looking. What with on-line gambling, internet pornography, ease of procuring prescription and recreational drugs, and general ease of access to so much sketchy 'stuff', these are challenging times to maintain a strong Christian character. Take a moment and consider--how does your character stand up?

When Jesus suggests that we should count the cost of being a Christian, it has a slightly different cultural bent than in the day He spoke these words. . . but His petition is still the same: I want first place in your life.

I don't want to line up behind your job, your surfboard or golf clubs in the garage, or today's sports page either. . .

Back to Luke 14, verses 34 and 35-- Most of the salt that Jesus' listeners used came from the Dead Sea; it contained impurities in it, and if it was not processed properly, it would be worse than useless--and certainly not good to season their food, kinda like Christians who lack strong values not providing much worth either.

Character. . . color? Salt. . . good,

Christine