Title: To become a disciple of the Lord
Contents
[1] Many followers of the Lord (Luke 14:25)
Jesus was a very popular star with people at the time.
Therefore, whenever people knew where Jesus was, tens of thousands of people flocked to me. Why did so many people flock to Jesus?
Several reasons can be considered. First, the divine power was manifested in Jesus' work. Typical examples of this are healing many sick people or healing those possessed by demons. In an era when medical technology was not developed, Jesus would have been seen as a compassionate physician to the sick.
Second, the teachings of Jesus were different from those of the Pharisees who were Bible teachers at the time. The Pharisees of that time mainly quoted the books of Moses or the Prophets or taught the writings of the elders. Of course, Jesus also quoted the Bible a lot, but mainly took the form of directly explaining the kingdom of God through parables. Therefore, even the Pharisees or those with knowledge of the Bible became a person they would want to meet.
Third, Jesus did not despise the alienated Israelites, even tax collectors, Gentiles, or prostitutes, as he was a man from a small town called Nazareth in Galilee and had a job as a carpenter. Therefore, many common people followed Jesus. To them, Jesus was both a spiritual savior and a social savior.
But Jesus stopped on the way and spoke today's words to those who followed him.
[2] Conditions that a disciple of the Lord must have
At that time, next to the great teachers, many people flocked to make disciples. Many disciples gathered to Gamaliel, a famous scribe and Pharisee, and also many disciples to John the Baptist. These disciples flocked to Jesus as well.
It seems that there were many followers of Jesus who followed Jesus for a special purpose. Even if the twelve disciples are not good enough, it seems that there were many people who thought that they would become other disciples who followed the Lord and said that they would follow the Lord, or that there were many who followed Jesus unilaterally, whether or not the Lord acknowledged that you are my disciples. Because otherwise, there is no need for sane people to follow Jesus on a fictional day.
Therefore, Jesus was speaking today's message to these people. Jesus said, “Unless he hates his parents, his wife and his wife, his brothers and sisters, and above all, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple, and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26- 27) says:
That is, they should be able to love the Lord more than their parents, their wives and children, their brothers and sisters. What's more, you have to hate even your own life. We must take up our cross and follow the Lord. At the time of these words, Jesus had not yet taken up the cross, but he must have said these words while prophesying that he would be crucified after a while. In other words, in order to follow the Lord, you must be prepared to give up all the good conditions of this world and even give up your life for the Lord.
Why did Jesus say this?
First, many people try to become disciples of Jesus because they do it for their own worldly good. It's because if you meet a good academy teacher, it will be advantageous for you to enter a good university, so you find a good academy and good teacher.
But Jesus said to those who follow these thoughts, it means nothing if they follow Him with these thoughts. Of course, I am not saying that those who come to Jesus with rumors of His power, wisdom, and personality do not need to come to me for that reason. At least, this is a message to those who say that they will become the Lord's disciples and become the Lord's successors to accomplish the Lord's work together.
The ‘disciple’ referred to here does not simply mean a disciple who learns only knowledge from Jesus. It means not only the thoughts of Jesus, but also the workers of the kingdom of God who carry on the work of Jesus.
% Isn't it too harsh to say that we should love ourselves more than our parents and wives and wives for the sake of the Lord? Let me inquire. Who in the world is more valuable than their parents or their wives and children? Almost everyone in the world lives for their parents, their wives and children, and even their own brothers and sisters. But why does Jesus say that we must love Himself more than these? Are you saying that Jesus is much more important than family members, such as parents, wives and children? So, does this mean that all who become disciples of Jesus must abandon their parents, their wives and children?
Normally, these words would apply to soldiers who go to war for the country when the country is on the verge of destruction. This is because protecting the country guarantees the lives and happiness of the entire country as well as the lives of wives and parents. So, is this applicable to following Jesus?
What is the ministry of Jesus' disciples?
It is to spread the gospel to the world. What is the Gospel? It is to save the people of the dying world, especially those who go into the world of eternal destruction before God. The life of the body is lived for a while and then dies, but the life of the soul is eternal. The gospel saves not only one's own life, but also the spiritual life of parents, wives and children, and all mankind. Jesus also came into the world to lay down His physical life for the life of mankind. Jesus set the example by carrying the cross first.
(1) Example of tower building (Luke 14:28~30)
Jesus was talking about building a tower. Observatory (望臺) is mainly used as the word 'observatory' these days, but it is called 'tower' in English. That is, it is a building that is built high to look out into the distance. There are towers mainly for the military to monitor the movement of enemy troops, or there are towers built to protect their orchards. Also, in the past, there was a watchtower to monitor the occurrence of fires, but these days it has disappeared, and there are many cases that are made for tourism purposes instead. Example: Namsan Observatory, Unification Observatory, etc.
Anyway, building an observatory like this in the old days would have cost a lot of money. Therefore, before building this tower, you should calculate carefully whether you have enough funds to build the tower before proceeding with the construction of the tower. Otherwise, you will have to stop building the tower in the middle.
If you were to build a church building from the outset, and you took out debt and stopped mid-way through the building project, how much will people laugh at the church?
(2) Example of war (Luke 14:31-32)
Second, Jesus gave the example of war.
In war, a king with ten thousand men will face the enemy army with twenty thousand men, and he will fight first and calculate whether there is a chance to win. Asking is wisdom. If you go to war recklessly when you have no chance of winning, you will all die.
In this way, one must carefully calculate whether or not he can become a disciple of Jesus and follow the Lord, otherwise he will be ridiculed like a building, and like a king who recklessly jumps into war.
Therefore, if you really want to follow the Lord, you should follow only those who are ready to obey the conditions that the Lord sets out. That is why Jesus once again says in Luke 14:33, “In the same way, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
(3) Example of salt (Luke 14:34-35)
At the end of his talk, Jesus talks about salt.
“Salt is good, but if salt loses its taste, what shall it be made salty? Neither the soil nor the manure is useless, and it is thrown away.
The meaning of these words is that if you want to become a disciple of the Lord, you must become a complete disciple. Just as salt that has lost its taste is wasted and is wasted, if you do not become a perfect disciple of the Lord, you will become such a disciple.
[3] Words of application
In general, if you don't believe in Jesus but give your body for the kingdom of God and become a servant of the Lord, you will have to have a different resolution. I have to check that God is calling me, and I have to check if I am ready to answer that call.
Otherwise, you should not respond lightly. You are at a loss, and Jesus, who is trying to use us, is also at a loss. However, if you become a disciple of the Lord, you must take up your cross and follow the Lord. So, in the future, you must become a sure disciple of the Lord so that you do not become a laughing stock to the world.
If we apply these words to believers in general, if we are Christians who believe in Jesus, we should have a clear faith, not a vague faith. Believing in Jesus is not just about believing in order to be healthy, to comfort your heart, and to receive material blessings. This kind of faith is what we have when we do not know the Lord and believe, and if we have reached a certain level of faith, we must know and believe how precious it is to believe in Jesus and be saved.
You must know that the salvation I received through faith is more precious than the life of my body. We must overcome any persecution and test. Through baptism, you must confess your faith and live by following the Lord. If I was determined to believe and follow the Lord, I would risk my life on this. End.