The Cost of Discipleship
Lucas 14:25-33 - The Cost of Discipleship This is the Gospel for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother... and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." - Lk 14:26-27 1. Introduction - The Crowd Problem My dear brothers and sisters, Luke tells us: "Great crowds were traveling with Jesus." They were fascinated, excited, following because of the miracles, the healings, the free bread. And Jesus turns around and says something that sounds terrible: You must hate your father and mother. You must renounce everything. Why? Because Jesus does not want fans. He wants disciples. A fan follows when it is convenient. A disciple follows to the Cross. 2. What Does "Hate" Mean? A Common Misconception to Correct In our Hebrew way of speaking, "to hate" does not mean to despise. It is a Semitic expression of prefe...