The Road To Life

There is a section of Scripture where Jesus says if we want to follow him, we need to hate our families, and our lives. Given that Jesus urges us to love God, and love people, this seems a little out of place.

Now, no one thinks Jesus meant actual hatred. The context concerns counting costs. He gives the comparison to building something, but not realizing how much money it will require. Or if a country is considering going to war, it needs to know how big of an army is needed.

Giving one's allegiance to Father, Son, and Spirit, is the first priority. Choices will need to be made. God still wants us to love, and honor, our families. God still wants us to care for our personal needs.

Pretend for a minute that we come from a family that does not know Jesus. We are the only person in our family, who follows Jesus. If we love our family, we want them to know, and follow, Jesus. So, love demands that we attempt to communicate the gospel to our family. What if they get mad? What if they say, "Don't talk about this anymore! If you do, you're not in the family anymore!" This choice, (to share or not to share), if we needed to make it, would in no way be easy. But the choice is between following Jesus and following our family. We would need to choose Jesus.

May no one ever need to make this decision. May every follower of Jesus's family see Jesus in us, and be amazed, and want Jesus for themselves.

Then, Jesus continues with a short parable about salt. Salt is necessary for life, especially in the Middle East in Jesus' time. It not only gave flavor to food, it acted as a preservative, enabling food to be saved for a longer time.

Following Jesus becomes salt to our families, friends, cities, nations, and culture. Those hard decisions bring life to our circles of existence. We are actually loving people by making those hard decisions to follow Jesus. Our lives are better for following Jesus. Their lives would be better for following Jesus.

Discipleship

Christians used the word "discipleship" to indicate the process of learning how, and being, a follower of Jesus. Much of the gospels are lessons Jesus gives on discipleship.

Many have a picture of what this means. But is it the same picture that Jesus has? There is a section in Luke, where Jesus gives four brief snapshots of different aspects of discipleship.

One time, Jesus' disciples were engaged in a discussion, trying to demonstrate who was the greatest. Jesus brings a child into their midst, and tells the disciples that receiving a child is the same as receiving him.

Discipleship does not focus on the high, and mighty. Discipleship focuses on the least. Discipleship serves the least.

Another time, the disciples tried to stop someone from healing, because they were not with Jesus. Jesus said if they were not against you, they were for you.

The nation of Israel had many tribes, and clans. But they were all God's people. The followers of Jesus are the same. There are many groups. Each group trying to obey, and proclaim, Jesus in their own way. Each groups has its reasons for following its way. And, yes, Jesus would look at some, and proclaim their ways are more profitable than others. And some ways may be just wrong. But he would say that all the groups are trying to glorify him. So, disciples of Jesus need to watch how they treat, and respond, to other disciples of Jesus. Jesus himself did not expect total uniformity. Otherwise, he would expect one group. Unity is not uniformity.

And, as Jesus was going to Jerusalem, through Samaria, a Samaritan village refused to be hospitable. The disciples wanted to drop a bolt of lightning on the village. Jesus rebuked this attitude, and went on.

Jesus' mission was to die for sinners. To bring them to a new life. Which included people from this village. Jesus' heart was for all people to experience God's mercy, and grace. His disciples need to have the same heart. In our day, there are many people who do hateful, and wicked, things. And it is easy to get angry, and wish for God's judgment to consume them. But that is not Jesus' heart. And it should not be the heart of his disciples. The prayers, and actions, of Jesus' disciples should be for all people to be captivated by the love of Jesus, and desire to live in agreement, and submission, to Jesus' will.

And last, there are a number of people who are concerned about the normal everyday. One person said he would go anywhere. Jesus said he had no home. Another said he had family obligations. And another said that family relationships were important.

It is not that Jesus is not concerned about physical needs, personal responsibilities, and personal relationships. But, often people can use legitimate concerns as excuses. Discipleship should be worked out in the midst of legitimate concerns. Disciples need to take of these legitimate concerns, but maintain an equal grasp on God's mission. It is like love. Love should be glad when people experience good. And if someone is involved in something bad, love is not glad, even if the person believes it is good. And patience, and kindness, need to be practiced. All of this at the same time.

Discipleship involves humility, unity, love, and the pursuit of God's mission. And everyday life, relationships, and personal responsibilities should not be neglected. Discipleship involves all of life.

God's Family As Ambassador and Intermediary

God has set up his people to represent him to the world, and to represent the world to him.

All of God's people are priests before him. All God's children:

• Have ministries of intercession.
• Are to demonstrate God's love and grace.
• Are to provide a path toward peace with God.

When there is failure, wrong, or disaster in the world, God's people should seek God's mercy for those in the middle of what is going wrong. God demonstrated his mercy in Jesus on the Cross. His heart is to build his family. When there is a demonstration of God's mercy, it is a call, an invitation, to return to him. It is also God revealing his heart.

God's people are a picture of what God's heart is like. If we act in judgment, hard heartedness, keeping grudges, or envy, we a proclaiming to the world that God is hard, keeps grudges, and is intent on judgment, and condemnation. The Cross demonstrates otherwise. It demonstrates that God is intent on love, forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation. By our actions, we can call God a liar. It is best if we soften our hearts, or beseech God to soften our hearts, and respond to people in love. Which just might involve service in messy situations. Jesus was not above getting involved in the mess of life.

The gospel provides a path to peace with God. And it is the mission of God's family to bring an opportunity for each person in the world to obtain that peace. We need to start where we are, and bring God's peace to whatever city we are in. And then, take it ti the horizon, until there is no place in creation that has not been touched by God's love.