April 05, 2013
Miscalculation
The sandstone rocks in Utah have become an attraction for daredevils
‘pendulum’ swinging through the stone arches. One young man was recently killed
when he smashed against the rock wall. Although his equipment was all in order,
he had miscalculated the length of rope needed. It’s interesting that there is a
cost associated with everything we do, yet we give it little thought. Our focus
is always on the benefit, the pleasure, or the reward. Jesus said that just as
a builder estimates the cost of building his building and a king estimates the
cost going into war, we too must estimate the cost of becoming His disciple. Unfortunately,
most evangelism methods concentrate on having all the equipment in order,
rather than on calculating the cost. “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.” (Luke 14:26-27 NIV)
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----Most often I hear this hate we must have for our own loved ones is a willingness to give them up. Yes! Leave your family and take up the mission field! Yadda-yadda-yadda! This is well and good meaning for those whom God has called to that. But it does not fit the rest who follow Jesus. And Jesus didn’t specify that only some should hate those they love. He said, “…anyone…” Maybe then we can see that Jesus really did say, “…hate…” not, “…leave…”
-----And what on earth does the preacher of love mean by saying His followers must hate? Is it only rhetoric? Or are we really to spit in their faces and shake our fists at them? Do we get to punch and kick? If love is about building up, provisioning, and entertaining another, does Jesus need us to tear down our loved ones, take their stuff, and bore them? To find any meaning in this beyond simple rhetoric, I think we need to look for a narrower meaning of hate which can stand amongst the love and truth Jesus preached.
-----I know Jesus didn’t consult Merriam-Webster every time He used a word. But it helps us. “Intense hostility…” Whoa! “…and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury.” I think not entirely. “Extreme dislike…” maybe. M-W calls “dislike” a “…feeling of aversion or disapproval.” Of course, it has to be extreme. Jesus was rather fond of dealing in the extreme. “…or antipathy,” is M-W’s final touch upon “hate“. But then it defines “antipathy” pretty much the way it defines “dislike”, “settled aversion or dislike.” There is a thread of similarity running through all these concepts. It might be useful when considering a couple things about human nature.
-----Paul said God is true though every man is false (this is probably where the women’s movement stops fussing about the non-inclusive expression “man”.) But also he said we change into the likeness of Christ from one degree of glory to another. So, he doesn’t mean men are completely false. We have lots of wrong ideas and misimpressions mixing around with good and true ones. Now, when you consider the nature of knowledge, psychology, and culture, you will notice that your ideas and principles and attitudes came to you well formed by those amongst whom you live and love, even that you accept their principles BECAUSE you love them.
-----But Jesus Christ was and is completely true. We must come completely to truth sorting out deceits we’ve received from ourselves and our beloved. We must ultimately accept from Him the principles of life. Our final “Yea” and “Nay” about the next idea or feeling joining the mix of who we truly are must come from His reflections within our own selves, not from others‘ reflections. So we must distance ourselves from them enough to learn from Him. Appropriate antipathy, disapproval, and aversion to our loved ones and even our own selves is that hatred in a narrow sense. This fits everyone generally. Nobody agrees completely about any truth, and even more, everyone will be examined alone before the Lord. Will what you’ve accepted in life reflect more attachment to the loved ones, or to Him?
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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