Luke 14:25-35 | The Conditions of Discipleship part 01

The Book of the Son of Man

Sun 16Julyy17

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Luke 14:25–35 Beginning here at Luke 14:25-17:10 we will study the teachings of Jesus in Parables. What we will study this morning in The Conditions of Discipleship…01. Hate Your Family (Luke 14:25-26); 02. Carry Your Cross (Luke 14:27-32); and 03. Leave Your Possessions Behind (Luke 14:33-35). In this pericope we see that Jesus uses three parables to illustrate The Conditions of Discipleship (Luke 14:28-30; Luke 14:31-32; Luke 14:34-35). The first two parables here in Luke 14:28-32 are only recorded by Dr. Luke, while the parable about salt (Luke 14:34-35) is found in a different context in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 5:13-The Sermon on the Mount) rather than in Matthew 10:1-42 (Jesus sends out the Twelve).

01. Hate Your Family (Luke 14:25-26)

Here we see Jesus’ warning against thoughtless discipleship.^[1]

Luke 14:25 “Now great multitudes went with Him.” Dr. Luke uses this wording to remind Theophilus (Luke 1:3) and his other readers that Jesus is still on His journey towards Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). Luke 9:51 “He steadfastly set His face” In the Greek (αὐτος το προσωπον ἐστηρισεν), this is graphic description that illustrates Jesus turning to face Jerusalem. It speaks of firmness of purpose.^[2] In the Greek, “He” here is emphatic, it can be translated as “He Himself then”, hearkening us to His own prophecy in Isaiah 50:7, “I have set My face like a flint”.^[3] This alludes to Jesus’ prophetic role. For God to “set his face” against a person, city, or region (Jeremiah 21:10; Ezekiel 14:8; Ezekiel 15:7; Ezekiel as God’s spokesman in Ezekiel 6:2.) is for God to show His wrath. The opposite is for God to “make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you” (Numbers 6:25). But here Jesus “sets his face” to go to Jerusalem not to show wrath or mercy to Jerusalem, but to face and overcome all temptations and opposition that would turn Him aside from traveling to the cross.

The “great multitudes” were doubtless people going to the Passover, who moved along in clusters (Luke 2:41-50), and who on this occasion falling in with our Lord had formed themselves into one mass about Him.^[4]

Luke 14:25 “And He turned and said to them,” It is a dramatic act on the part of Jesus, a deliberate effort to check the wild and unthinking enthusiasm of the crowds who followed just to be following.^[5] The setting then changed: large crowds were traveling with Jesus. Jesus intended to impress on the people their need to examine their resolve to follow Him. He was on His way to die on the cross. Ultimately everyone did desert Him when He was alone in the garden and then arrested and put on trial.^[6] (cf. Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27; Zechariah 13:7)

Luke 14:26 To emphasize that discipleship is difficult, Jesus said that one must hate his own family and even his own life in order to be His disciple. Literally hating one’s family would have been a violation of the Law. Since Jesus on several occasions admonished others to fulfill the Law, He must not have meant here that one should literally hate his family. The stress here is on the priority of love (cf. Matthew 10:37). One’s loyalty to Jesus must come before his loyalty to his family or even to life itself. Indeed, those who did follow Jesus against their families’ desires were probably thought of as hating their families.^[7] Dr. Luke describes obstacles to true repentance and discipleship here in Luke 14:25-35, but also in Luke 8:4-18 where we read about The Parable of the Sower. In both our text today, as well as in The Parable of the Sower, Jesus told His disciples that they are to expect a mixed reaction to the Gospel that is preached. Here in Luke 14:26, we see that the first type of disciple is one who initially comes to Jesus (“comes to Me”) when he first hears the Word of God. There has been a tendency by some Christians to make it out that following Jesus means that you will no longer have any more troubles, your relationships with others will improve, your bank account will grow exponentially, etc. The potential disciple needs to be told what it costs to follow Jesus, for there will be those who are unwilling to leave their human family for the sake of the kingdom of God. This corresponds to the seed, which is the Word of God (Luke 8:11) that fell “by the wayside”, and because the seed fell on the road, “it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it” (Luke 8:5) as when “the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and continue in the faith and be saved.” (Luke 8:12) When the Word of God is implanted in our souls (James 1:21) “it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16), which the devil is strongly against and will do all that he can to keep the Word of God from being heard. The seed is lying by the road, sitting on top of the hearts, and the devil takes it away so that they will not be redeemed. In its place, the devil sends the false teachers that continue to tread down the Word of God with the doctrines of men. We know how important the nucleus of the family is, especially within the church. We are familiar with the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12), as well as Paul’s command in Ephesians 6:1–4. To hear these words that as a disciple of Jesus we are to “hate his our father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his our own life also” if we want to be considered one of His disciples is quite disturbing to our ears.

In Matthew 10:37, we see that as a result of His visit to earth, some children would be set against parents and a man’s enemies might be those within his own household. This is because some who follow Christ are hated by their family members. This may be part of the cost of discipleship, for love of family should not be greater than love for the Lord.^[8] Matthew helps us understand that the meaning of “hate” here in Luke 14:26 means that we are not to love family and even our own lives more than we love Jesus. Dr. Luke takes the natural tendency to love our family and self and juxtaposes it with “hate”. And we have seen that “hate” here in Luke 14:26 does not mean an emotion of hate, but really a mode of action. We see this juxtaposition of love and loving more in the Old Testament (Genesis 29:30–31; Exodus 32:27–29; Deuteronomy 21:15–17). Jesus said in Luke 8:21 those who have a real relationship with Him: “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” Later on in the Book of Luke, Dr. Luke records for us the attempt by a woman to honor Mary when she shouted out “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” (Luke 11:27) But the reply of Jesus was one that shows us that human relationships are not the issue by saying to the woman and the crowd, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28) James tells us the mark of believers are those who display it by their actions in James 1:22-25. Jesus is to be first and foremost in our life (the first two commandments-Exodus 20:3-6). When we put Jesus first and foremost in our life, than our love for Him in comparison to our love for our physical family will often be seen as hatred. It is only where the element of choice comes in (cf. Matthew 6:24) as it sometimes does, when father or mother opposes Christ. Then one must not hesitate.^[9] This should remind us of what Jesus said in Luke 12:51–53 (cf. Matthew 10:35–36). The cross of Jesus is the great divider of all of mankind, and because of it friends and families are divided. But the schism that comes because of the cross of Jesus is far better than any unity without Him, for without Him there is no true peace.

Peace at any price is not the purpose of Christ. It is a pity for family jars to come, but loyalty to Christ counts more than all else.^[10]

Those who are disciples of His may have to forsake their family, as was evidenced in Luke 9:59–62, when a man was asked by Jesus to “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.””

This division in families caused by Jesus was prophesied in Micah 7:6 (cf. Psalm 41:9; Psalm 55:12–14). This division in families was later repeated by Jesus in Luke 21:16–17. Even if our biological families forsake us, those that are a part of our spiritual family by the blood of Jesus bring to us a relationship that can only be found through Jesus (Luke 8:19–21).

The aorist infinitive means a sudden hurling of the sword where peace was expected. Christ does bring peace, not as the world gives, but it is not the force of compromise with evil, but of conquest over wrong, over Satan, the triumph of the cross. Meanwhile there will be inevitably division in families, in communities, in states. It is no namby-pamby sentimentalism that Christ preaches, no peace at any price. The Cross is Christ’s answer to the devil’s offer of compromise in world dominion. For Christ the kingdom of God is virile righteousness, not mere emotionalism.^[11]

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^[1] Martin, J. A. (1985). Luke. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 243). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[2] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 945). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

^[3] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 108). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[4] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 114). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[5] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 14:25). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

^[6] Martin, J. A. (1985). Luke. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 243). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[7] Martin, J. A. (1985). Luke. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 243). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[8] Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 43). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[9] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 14:26). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

^[10] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 12:51). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

^[11] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mt 10:34). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.