Prize and Price of Discipleship
One thing we know about Jesus is He always speaks to us of love but in a few scriptures he uses the word “hate.” It seems contradictory. Let’s try and understand what Jesus meant when He used this strong word.
In Matthew 12: 46-50 of the Bible, the story is told of Jesus’ mother and brothers seeking Him out. The scripture says, “While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
In Luke 14: 25:-27 Jesus again uses the word hate. This scripture reads, “Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
The message of these two scripture references is what I call the Prize and Price of Discipleship. The Prize of discipleship lies within and is worth hating love ones, family and friends and the reward of discipleship is worth hating even oneself. The price of discipleship leads through the cross to our salvation. This leading through the cross is the price that many of us find hard to pay.
There is the story of a man who was staying with a friend. In the morning he saw him going to the garage. He asked him, “Where are you going?” He said, “We have built a small altar in the garage.” They lived in this four-story house but they put the worship of God in the garage! Many of us claim to be followers of Christ but our God lives in the garage or we worship Him Sundays only. It’s this way because we are not willing to sacrifice much for our soul salvation. We all say we want the prize of discipleship but when it comes to paying the price we fall short.
Here is the price. First, the price of discipleship is hating our love ones, family and friends…according to Jesus if they stand between us and eternal life. This is tough. Jesus is clear. Brutally clear! He says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters.” To be my disciple, we must “hate” members of our earthly family and adopt a new family. What does He mean? Jesus says, we must kill our worldly family ties to become part of our spiritual family. Does this mean we need to hate love ones to get into the Kingdom of heaven? When Jesus uses the word “Hate” He is not talking about “hatred!” He is saying to us that we must not become attached to love ones to the exclusion of God. God is love! To love ourselves, love ones and others, we MUST love God first! Again, God is the whole, the universe, the cosmos. How can we love our family without loving God? When we love God, the family and everything else IS included. If we love the family or anything before God, God is excluded. The price of discipleship is to love God beyond, above and before anyone or anything. What profit us to gain the whole world and lose our soul?
Second, the price of discipleship is to hate ourselves and get out of our own way. Jesus says, hate, “even their own life – such a person cannot be my disciple. Again, this requires that we NOT be attached to anything in this world including who we see in the mirror, including our own life. This means our ego, arrogant, self-centeredness and selfishness cannot come between us and God. Being humble will not help. Humility can be taught. Renouncing everything will not help. We will die and leave it one day anyway. Losing my attachment to my family helps but “I” remain. The “I” must be dropped! When we become empty God comes in. This requires much prayer, meditation and putting God first.
Last, the price of discipleship, leads through the cross to salvation. We all have our cross to bear no matter who we are. Rich or poor, famous or unknown, powerful or weak, Black, white, blue or green we all must repent, be baptized and come to Jesus just as we are and surrender our life to Him. This is the only way to receive the prize of salvation. And what is that prize? Salvation is freedom from the bondage of death and the assurance of eternal life. Salvation is the freedom to know when our bodies die we have in Him a resting place. Salvation is the freedom to experience God as the anchor of our soul. Freedom to know a mighty fortress is our God. Freedom to know Jesus as our all and all! This is the prize! The price is steep! We must not be attached to anything or anyone. Yes, we love our love ones, the life we live and our stuff and all good things but nothing comes before God and we shall have no other God before Him. This is a small price because one day a man came into the world and gave His life for us. And at His name every knee shall bow and every mouth confess that He is Lord.
Surrender totally to Christ is the price and eternal life is the prize.
