Well here is an uplifting passage! The image alone is hilarious. Jesus, followed by a large crowd, turns and faces his followers and declares that a requirement to following him is hating one’s family and even life! Did Jesus wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Is Jesus grumpy?



I do wonder if something was done or said that caused Jesus to say this. The Bible routinely says that Jesus knows what’s in someone’s heart, what their intents are, so nothing really needs to be done or said, Jesus already knows. So, were there some in the crowd who were too causal with their following? Were there some who were just going along with the crowd who didn’t nt really know what it meant to follow. Maybe that caused this tirade.

As the expression goes, lost in translation, there might be something going on with the translation here. If Jesus spoke to the crowds in Aramaic, the Gospels were written in Greek, and now we read them in English, that could be a very interesting game of telephone. One perspective I’ve heard, relating to translations, is that Jesus isn’t saying “hate” as we know it today, but is reminding his followers, would-be or not, that following needs to be the most important thing in their life. Now that is challenging. Maybe even more so than hating. This approach can be further verified by the two examples that Jesus shares relating to the construction of a tower or a king going off to battle. In both situations the task would be evaluated and if it couldn’t be accomplished, or the battle one, neither would have ever happened. Do we approach the Christian faith with the same reflection? Do we know the cost? 

I have long believed that the work of the suburban church, especially in wealthy areas, is to talk about priorities. Our priorities can get so out of whack if we let them. We extend ourselves beyond our means, we can desire things that dont matter, and we can neglect the things that do. Maybe this passage is a gut check for us and what it means to be a follower. Maybe Jesus is challenging us to evaluate our priorities, to reflect on what really matters. Jesus would never stop loving us, or the fair weather fans in the crowd, but Jesus will remind us that following will be tough, but it will also be the most rewarding thing we have ever experienced.