2013-09-05 Daniel Daring 2013 articles 2012 articles
23rd
Sunday:
How much does it cost to follow Jesus?
Wisdom 9:13-18; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33
The event took place in one of the Islamic countries. He became Christian. His wife found it out while cleaning his study room. He was secretly reading the Bible. Turning hysterical, she called her parents. ‘Tell him that if he does not give up, the whole family will disown him and you will inform the police that he has the Bible.’ His heart was torn between his love for Jesus and his love for his family and friends. How much does it cost us to follow Jesus?
“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). The first Christians were facing a dilemma. The newly found faith was putting in danger their families. To proclaim Jesus, and not the Caesar of Rome, as Lord and Savior meant treason and could lead to the imprisonment and execution of the whole family. No wonder that many Christians were left by their spouses. To those Christians Paul wrote this piece of advice: “If any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. And if any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. . . . But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound” (1 Corinthians 7:12-13,15). Unlike them, we feel secure and at peace professing our Christian faith. All members of our families are Christians. Our government does not prevent us from worshipping Jesus and churches can be found just around the corner. We can watch Christian TV or listen to Christian radio stations. We can even attend Christian schools where Bible study is openly conducted and The Angelus is prayed over the loudspeaker. How much does it cost us to follow Jesus?
“Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciples” (Luke 14:27). I have a friend with whom I was laboring in the mission field in East Timor for three years. His parish was located in the mountains with no electricity, no telephone connection, and no running water inside the houses. One day he was found unconscious in his own room. Although immediately rushed to the hospital and attended with the utmost care, he was unable to recover. His life was spared but malaria left him paralyzed. I tried to visit and spend some time with him every Sunday. ‘How are you, Rick?’ – I asked upon entering his room. ‘I’m fine,’ he answered and smiled at me. How much does it cost us to follow Jesus?
I guess, not much. We are told that Jesus is our friend and our brother. We confess him as Lord, and . . . we do what we want. It is called cheap grace, a grace of salvation without transformation. So we have Christians who attend Church services and Eucharistic celebration and, at the same time, live their lives in total contradiction to Christian principles. And if they are confronted with the Scriptures they explain the Bible away. My friend aptly formulated this point in a question: ‘Do you not feel that we like to excuse ourselves by saying that Jesus is so harsh in these sayings?’ Yes. In order to justify our lukewarm faith, we say that Jesus could not mean what seemingly comes out of the text. In this case ‘hating’ becomes a metaphor for ‘loving less,’ and cross bearing has nothing to do with its Greek idiomatic expression – bastazo ton stauron – which should be rendered as being prepared to endure severe suffering, even to the point of death. Cheap grace or faith without commitment. Cultural accommodation of our faith has progressed steadily since the Edict of Milan in 313 C.E., which ended the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. It has now reached the level, when we do not any longer see any tension between the teaching of Jesus and our aspirations for prosperity and self-actualization. No wonder that we have such a hard time to accept Jesus who bluntly states, “none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions” (Luke 14:33). How much should it cost us, then?
To be a disciple is to be an apprentice to a master. A disciple comes to be with a master in order to learn a new way of life. According to John’s Gospel, Jesus’ first disciples approached him with this question: “Rabbi, where are you staying?” His answer was: “Come and see” (John 1:38-39). Although there is a strong doctrinal component to our faith, Christianity is not about doctrine but about emulating Jesus’ way of life. The question is not how much we know about Him, but how much we follow His example. “You call me Teacher and Lord – and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:13-15).
The Book of Proverbs says that “wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her” (8:11). Applying this metaphor to our relationship with Jesus, one should consider it more precious than anything else. It is priceless. There will be moments, when our hearts are going to be torn between our commitment to Him and our love for family, friends, and things we like to have. Let, then, the Spirit of Jesus enlighten us to make the right choice, so we may be found worthy of being called the disciples of Jesus.
-------------