#1172. Disciples give up everything (23/10/24)

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional as we continue in our Luke, Exploring Who Jesus is series. Today, from Luke 14:31-33, we reflect on challenging words that we must give up everything to follow Jesus.

Luke 14:31–33

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‘“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.’ (Luke 14:31-33)

Luke 14:31–33

To emphasise the point He is making about costs discipleship, Jesus uses another analogy - a king counting the cost before going into war.

In war, resources are vital. Whoever has the most soldiers and weapons tends to win. In The First World War, for example, things were balanced between Britain (and her allies) and Germany (and her allies) until the Americans entered the war in 1917 and tipped the balance. The arrival of over a million American soldiers, known as ‘doughboys,’ helped break the stalemate on the Western Front. This infusion of resources and morale crushed German hopes for victory, contributing to the eventual Allied success in 1918.

What does this analogy mean? How does this king considering the size of his army over and against his enemy relate to a person becoming a Christian and the Christian life?

i. What is the enemy army that comes against us?

Jesus speaks of an enemy army that is coming against us. What is this army? The army is, we could summarise, the world, the flesh and the devil. The world with its false beliefs and pressure to confirm - like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day - are a strong opposing army. Secondly, the flesh - our ungodly appetites and ambitions - are a powerful temptation against following Jesus. Thirdly, the devil - working in the world and flesh - is scheming to undermine faith and holiness. So we can see, there are great, and often very attractive, forces against our following Jesus. Those who were overcome can, for example, be seen in Judas who betrayed Jesus. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11), Demas (2 Timothy 4:10), and Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:20).

Acts 5:1–11 2 Timothy 4:10 1 Timothy 1:20

ii. The size of our army is analogous our preparedness to sacrifice

So, is our army big enough to withstand the powers against our following Christ? The strength of our army is not our willingness to fight so much as our willingness to suffer for Jesus. If we are willing to die, we are the most powerful people in the world. The word ‘give up’, as in, “…those of you who do not give up everything…” can be translated ‘say goodbye’. An indestructible soldier for Christ has ’said goodbye’ to their old life. If our love for Christ, like Jesus’ love for the Father, surpasses what the world, flesh and devil offer, we are bulletproof! The kind of soldier we need to be is the kind that, like Paul, can say,

‘But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.’ (Philippians 2:7-8)

Philippians 2:7–8

Let’s pray together

“Lord Jesus, today, again, I hear you calling me to count the cost of following you. You tell me that there are great powers, both internally and externally, that want to draw me away from sincere devotion. Today, again, I say that I count everything as loss compared to knowing you. Amen.”