Daring Disciples

Series on Luke

IV The Imperatives of the Kingdom

B Instruction in Rejection

14 Salt and Saltiness

Text: 14:25-35

Introduction

We are all impressed with great feats of bravery such as: the climbing of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary, the exploration of the South Pole by Richard Byrd, and the trans-Atlantic flight of the Lone Eagle, Charles Lindbergh, but no courage seems greater than young men willingly marching off to war. At the time of the First World War the German Kaiser mocked the British and called them negligible, but from the regular army to the Queen’s Westminster Rifles they arose. The ghost of the Cold Stream Guards came again in the hearts of the Scottish highlanders, and before they could institute a draft, 5 million of Britain’s finest had enlisted and marched off to danger and death. Negligible indeed! What made them do it? Didn’t they love their fathers and mothers, their wives and children? Of course they did. It was that very love that made them answer the higher call, and this is all Jesus wants, but this he needs. He needs daring disciples, and committed followers. Picture the scene here. Jesus is at dinner in the Pharisee’s house, and He concludes his visit with a parable about people making excuses as to why they cannot follow him now. They have more important things to do. Then Jesus leaves the house and the crowd gathers around him again. Suddenly He turns to them and utters words that are enough to thin out any crowd. We find it in verses 25-27, Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. It’s a message we need to hear. True followers of Christ are committed. They change their priorities, they change their principles, they change their plans.

I Priorities Changed

When we think of hatred we think of a harsh vindictive attitude towards someone, a constant fixed displeasure. In other words we tend to think in black and white absolutes. Either we love or we hate. Jesus does not use the word hatred in this sense. In fact the Bible commands and obligates us to love our families. Our Lord is making a comparison. Whom do you love more? You may remember a story about Michael Jordan’s spectacular performance in the NBA championship games and how the commentator was so impressed he said, “Michael Jordan is not only the premier player, the best, but anyone else is a distant second.” That’s what Jesus is saying here. The call to follow Him is so important anything else is a distant second. If ever there was a time when we need to straighten out our priorities it is now. The reason that the Church of Christ is failing in the conflict in our society is a lack of commitment. Let me take you way back to the time of the Judges in Israel. There was a man named Gideon who didn’t want to lead his people against the Midianites, but the angel of the Lord finally convinced him he was the chosen vessel. He got ready to attack with 22,000 men, but God said, too many, send home all those who are afraid and more than half, 12,000 left. God looked at the ten thousand and said too many, take them down to the water. 9,700 men stuck their faces down into the water and lapped like dogs because they didn’t care about fighting the Midianites. At that moment all they cared about was themselves, and slaking their thirst, drinking to the full, imbibing to their heart’s content. 300 acted like men with a mission. They quickly scooped up a handful of water. Their hearts and their minds were set on a greater task than satisfying their own thirst. God sent the 9700 home, and my friends no war could be waged, no battle engaged which those three hundred could not win. They were committed. This is what Jesus is talking about here, getting priorities straight. Which is more important your happiness or God’s glory?

II Principles Changed

Jesus moves from priorities to principles when he talks about taking up the cross. The principle of the world is self preservation, but the principle of the kingdom is the cross. We don’t need to develop self preservation because we’re born with it. In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. He feared God and shunned evil, and God said to Satan have you considered my servant Job? The stage was set for the battle, and after Satan with God’s permission had taken away all Job had, his family and his fortune, Job still loved God. God said he is still my servant who fears me and shuns evil and then Satan enunciated the principle of the world. He said to God, Skin for skin a man will give all he has for his own life. But Jesus completely reverses it here he says a man must hate his own life or love God more than life itself. In the early church people became martyrs because they thought that was the only way to truly follow Jesus. However you don’t need to physically die to experience this change in principles. You can die right now to those things that you have wrongly put first in your life, and instead put Jesus first. The cross is the principle of the Christian life.

III Plans Changed

Now Jesus gives two parables illustrating and applying this truth in verses 28-33, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. These parables have to do with planning. Any builder who does not have enough money to finish a building or a king who does not have sufficient strength to win a war can only become a laughing stock and an object of scorn because they started something they couldn’t finish. They did not count the cost. I like G. Campbell Morgan’s suggestion that Jesus here is talking about himself. He is the builder and the king. And He did count the cost. He was able to finish the work the Father gave him to do. If we accept this interpretation then what he is saying is that anyone that follows him must take into account the cost as he did. But, however you interpret it, the issue is whether God is in our plans. The truth is that most people don’t want God messing up their plans. whether it is plans for a career, or for a home, or for marriage and family, they don’t want God interfering. World magazine recently reported that the jury in the trial of Manual Noriega met for prayer the night before they rendered the verdict. Now, Noriega’s lawyers have filed a complaint of outside influence. That’s very ironic. If God isn’t there then what outside influence could there be? And if He is there, how do they propose stopping his influence? A restraining order on God? As David Chilton said, “Of all the wacky stunts this surely takes the cocoa-nut.” But I tell you this story because it is so typical of the attitude of sinful men who love darkness rather than light. We don’t want God interfering in our plans. It makes life so complicated, so unpredictable, so uncontrollable. but the alternative, if we do not take God into account is disaster. These parables point out the difference between those who take God seriously and those who do not. The end result is in verses 34 and 35?

Conclusion

Jesus says it clearly, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Without commitment the salt, the preserving influence, is gone. There is no beneficial effect from Christianity. The world around us can ignore us because we do not make a difference, and that difference is not to be found in programs, demonstrations, rallies, or organizations. It is to be found in personal commitment.