Counting the cost...
Recently in Pakistan the only Christian minister in the government was killed – that made the news, but very often what doesn’t is the many others who have given their lives or risk their lives constantly for the sake of the gospel today. We often think of martyrdom as a thing of the past – we couldn’t be more wrong. The last century saw more Christian martyrs than any before, and things haven’t improved so far in this century…
Some things have not changed in the last 2000 years. As it was in the Roman Empire - where, over a period of about 250 years, hundreds of thousands, if not more, were tortured and executed for saying "Jesus is Lord" - so today it can still cost people everything to be a disciple of Jesus.
Fortunately most of us will never face that kind of choice in our lives - We will not be asked to give our freedom or perhaps even our lives for the sake of the Gospel.
But following Jesus today can still have other costs -
perhaps the giving up of self that we are so reluctant to do?
the giving up of a lot of our self control - which is no easy thing - so God might lead us and guide us?
the giving up of hatreds and resentments against those who have hurt us in some way, or perhaps even the giving up of meaningful amounts of money to God's work - money that we so often think could be better spent on our pleasure and comfort?
Discipleship is what today's passage from the Gospel of Luke (14:27-33) is all about - the discipleship that calls us to put God first in our lives. We so often by pass it because its difficult to follow, but the commandment is written "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength"?
Discipleship means loving God – and that offers us the huge challenge of considering what we mean by love… Many people know the feeling of being prepared to die for someone – perhaps a child or partner – few, if any of us, will ever be in the position of making that decision – and fewer still will be in the position of making the decision to die for God….
But what are we prepared to do for him – he who has given up so much for us, accepted suffering which he never needed to do, simply because that is the strength of his love for us….
The Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote his History of the Jewish people during the time that Rome ruled Israel - in the middle of the First Century - talks about the cross and what it was like in those days to walk the main road that led into Jerusalem. He records how, along that road there would be - at times - as many as 2000 or 3000 crosses lining the way - each with either a fresh victim nailed or tied to a cross - or the decaying body of an earlier victim baking in the heat.
When Jesus said to his disciples about being prepared to carry the cross this was relevant language of the time – not just a ‘saying’…. The disciples were all too well aware that the cross was a very real option for those caught offending the Romans or even the Jewish authorities…
You would think that It was the worst possible image that Jesus could have used if his whole intention was to get people to love Him, but it didn’t really have that effect at the time… And it didn’t because they didn’t really believe it would happen – think of Peter who said he would follow Jesus to prison and even to death but who, a little later, denied even knowing him when faced with that very real danger…
And as we read through this passage we too should be challenged by the words of Jesus, to make them real – perhaps even more so because we know what came next – we know of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus, we know of the resurrection, we know of the courage of the early disciples and millions through the centuries in sharing the gospel message…
Jesus used graphic images to remind his disciples then, and us today, that God wants more from us than our eagerness to receive bread without cost and wine without price. He uses words about hating all those we should love to shock us, he uses words about taking up the cross to horrify us - and help wake us up to what is at stake:- to help us realize that for his followers there is more to loving God than simply feeling thankful to God, more to loving God than simply waiting for God to pour a handful of good things into our laps.
God wants us to be disciples, to be followers - to be vessels able to receive his love - vessels able to hold his love and then to pour it out upon others… Jesus is telling us that being half-hearted is about as much good as having no heart at all. Giving up some things, but not everything, to God - he tells us - can only earn us the ridicule of others.
"Count the cost", he says in our reading today, "and pick up your cross and follow me."
The theologian Karl Barth said, ‘The Word became flesh - and then through theologians it became words again !’ What Jesus and the world needs today is not words, not an appraisal of the gospel in an academic way only, but the lives of his followers, dedicated to sharing his gospel of love and peace and hope and justice….
As we consider our own purpose in God’s mission, as we consider the challenges he puts before us I’ll offer two quotations – the first a little long, and the second just one short sentence. The first is called ‘The Devil's beatitudes for believers in Christ’ – it says…
Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to
spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians, they are my best workers.
Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked - I can use them.
Blessed are the touchy. With a bit of luck, they may stop going to church - they are my missionaries.
Blessed are the troublemakers - they shall be called my children.
Blessed are the complainers - I'm all ears to them and I will spread their message.
Blessed are the church members who expect to be invited to their own church - for they are a part of the problem instead of the solution.
Blessed are they who gossip - for they shall cause strife and
divisions. That pleases me.
Blessed are they who are easily offended - for they will soon get angry and leave.
Blessed are they who do not give their offering to carry on God's
work - for they are my helpers.
Blessed are they who professes to love God but hate their brother or sister - for they shall be with me forever.
Blessed are they who read or hear this and think it is about other people...
The second quotation is much shorter and comes from the reformer, Martin Luther, who said, ‘A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.’
May we - may you - may I, be ready to have God mould us and fill us with his Spirit and his courage.
May we follow Jesus not counting the cost as people of this world count the cost, but rather counting the cost as Jesus counted it, and knowing that in Christ we can do all things for he loves us with a love that overcomes any pain and any suffering, and with a love that will carry us to eternal glory
And may we be ready to pour out his love to our neighbours whoever and wherever they may be… AMEN
Some things have not changed in the last 2000 years. As it was in the Roman Empire - where, over a period of about 250 years, hundreds of thousands, if not more, were tortured and executed for saying "Jesus is Lord" - so today it can still cost people everything to be a disciple of Jesus.
Fortunately most of us will never face that kind of choice in our lives - We will not be asked to give our freedom or perhaps even our lives for the sake of the Gospel.
But following Jesus today can still have other costs -
perhaps the giving up of self that we are so reluctant to do?
the giving up of a lot of our self control - which is no easy thing - so God might lead us and guide us?
the giving up of hatreds and resentments against those who have hurt us in some way, or perhaps even the giving up of meaningful amounts of money to God's work - money that we so often think could be better spent on our pleasure and comfort?
Discipleship is what today's passage from the Gospel of Luke (14:27-33) is all about - the discipleship that calls us to put God first in our lives. We so often by pass it because its difficult to follow, but the commandment is written "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength"?
Discipleship means loving God – and that offers us the huge challenge of considering what we mean by love… Many people know the feeling of being prepared to die for someone – perhaps a child or partner – few, if any of us, will ever be in the position of making that decision – and fewer still will be in the position of making the decision to die for God….
But what are we prepared to do for him – he who has given up so much for us, accepted suffering which he never needed to do, simply because that is the strength of his love for us….
The Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote his History of the Jewish people during the time that Rome ruled Israel - in the middle of the First Century - talks about the cross and what it was like in those days to walk the main road that led into Jerusalem. He records how, along that road there would be - at times - as many as 2000 or 3000 crosses lining the way - each with either a fresh victim nailed or tied to a cross - or the decaying body of an earlier victim baking in the heat.
When Jesus said to his disciples about being prepared to carry the cross this was relevant language of the time – not just a ‘saying’…. The disciples were all too well aware that the cross was a very real option for those caught offending the Romans or even the Jewish authorities…
You would think that It was the worst possible image that Jesus could have used if his whole intention was to get people to love Him, but it didn’t really have that effect at the time… And it didn’t because they didn’t really believe it would happen – think of Peter who said he would follow Jesus to prison and even to death but who, a little later, denied even knowing him when faced with that very real danger…
And as we read through this passage we too should be challenged by the words of Jesus, to make them real – perhaps even more so because we know what came next – we know of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus, we know of the resurrection, we know of the courage of the early disciples and millions through the centuries in sharing the gospel message…
Jesus used graphic images to remind his disciples then, and us today, that God wants more from us than our eagerness to receive bread without cost and wine without price. He uses words about hating all those we should love to shock us, he uses words about taking up the cross to horrify us - and help wake us up to what is at stake:- to help us realize that for his followers there is more to loving God than simply feeling thankful to God, more to loving God than simply waiting for God to pour a handful of good things into our laps.
God wants us to be disciples, to be followers - to be vessels able to receive his love - vessels able to hold his love and then to pour it out upon others… Jesus is telling us that being half-hearted is about as much good as having no heart at all. Giving up some things, but not everything, to God - he tells us - can only earn us the ridicule of others.
"Count the cost", he says in our reading today, "and pick up your cross and follow me."
The theologian Karl Barth said, ‘The Word became flesh - and then through theologians it became words again !’ What Jesus and the world needs today is not words, not an appraisal of the gospel in an academic way only, but the lives of his followers, dedicated to sharing his gospel of love and peace and hope and justice….
As we consider our own purpose in God’s mission, as we consider the challenges he puts before us I’ll offer two quotations – the first a little long, and the second just one short sentence. The first is called ‘The Devil's beatitudes for believers in Christ’ – it says…
Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to
spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians, they are my best workers.
Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked - I can use them.
Blessed are the touchy. With a bit of luck, they may stop going to church - they are my missionaries.
Blessed are the troublemakers - they shall be called my children.
Blessed are the complainers - I'm all ears to them and I will spread their message.
Blessed are the church members who expect to be invited to their own church - for they are a part of the problem instead of the solution.
Blessed are they who gossip - for they shall cause strife and
divisions. That pleases me.
Blessed are they who are easily offended - for they will soon get angry and leave.
Blessed are they who do not give their offering to carry on God's
work - for they are my helpers.
Blessed are they who professes to love God but hate their brother or sister - for they shall be with me forever.
Blessed are they who read or hear this and think it is about other people...
The second quotation is much shorter and comes from the reformer, Martin Luther, who said, ‘A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.’
May we - may you - may I, be ready to have God mould us and fill us with his Spirit and his courage.
May we follow Jesus not counting the cost as people of this world count the cost, but rather counting the cost as Jesus counted it, and knowing that in Christ we can do all things for he loves us with a love that overcomes any pain and any suffering, and with a love that will carry us to eternal glory
And may we be ready to pour out his love to our neighbours whoever and wherever they may be… AMEN
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