Today’s Scripture Readings

Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

This Gospel is hard! I like other passages better, such as when Jesus talks about His love for us, or where He says He will send His Holy Spirit, or where He promises to be with us always. I prefer Gospels that don’t require much of me other than to receive good things from Him. That fits in well with the God of my childhood, the Santa Claus figure who gave me what I wanted!

But this Gospel is all about the cost. It spells out exactly what Jesus asks of us in order to follow Him. Following Jesus requires us to willingly take up the cross; it requires us to put Him before everything, even our family and friends and our very life. This Gospel clearly tells us that Jesus asks us to surrender everything to Him, holding nothing back – and that is not easy!

But here’s the thing, if we only look at the cost, hard is all we will ever see. But if we lift our eyes, we can see a higher call, a higher purpose, in surrender and sacrifice. In giving up our own will, we get to experience His will for our lives. In putting Him first, before all others, we get to experience the abundance and fullness of life that He wants for us. And embracing surrender and sacrifice will empower us to live a life of witness that draws others into relationship with Him. When I look at it through the eyes of faith, I can get onboard with surrender and sacrifice! Teach me Your way Lord!