Luke 14:25-35 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, September 7, 2025 “Leave the Crowd To Be a Disciple”
“Are you sure you want to do that? Are you sure you want to join the Cross Country team? You don’t even like to run. You do know what cross-country athletes do, right? They run. A lot.” “Are you sure you want to run a marathon? That’s a long way, and it’s going to take a lot of work to prepare, and even if you do, it’s still going to hurt.” “Are you sure you want to do that?” can be an important question, and not just about things that involve running. There are plenty of people who join a cross country team not because they are the best runners but because they like to challenge themselves, they enjoy the team and the camaraderie, and they feel accomplished when they cross the finish line. They know it will be a challenge, but they feel the challenge is worthwhile. There are all sorts of challenges in life that need some consideration. And there are lots of goals that require effort and sacrifice. They come with a cost. Asking “Are you sure you want to do that?” is very much like counting the cost. In our Gospel, we heard Jesus use a different illustration or story to demonstrate this. He talks about the person building a tower. If you want to build a tower, an important step is to count the cost. That doesn’t just mean total up the price of the materials needed. It means to think about that, about the time and effort involved, and compare all of it to the resources you have on hand. It’s embarrassing to start building a tower by laying a foundation and then running out of money to actually build the tower. You’re left with a useless foundation. You’re left with a half-finished project that doesn’t serve any purpose other than to call into question your planning or perhaps your intelligence. Jesus is not inviting people to consider a cross country season or a marathon, though, is he? He is trying to get people to really appreciate the central value of their very lives. He’s asking people if they are really sure they want to follow him. He’s asking them if they really want to be his disciples. That answer may seem obvious. Who wouldn’t want to follow Jesus? There were good reasons that it was a large crowd, in fact large crowds, traveling with Jesus. Here was an engaging teacher. He was a worker of miracles. He had healed people and driven out spirits. They were waiting to hear more and see more. And Jesus told them difficult things. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” When we think of words of Jesus, those are probably not the ones that come to mind. This doesn’t even sound like Jesus to us. We’re expecting him to say, “Love your neighbor.” We anticipate, “Serve others, pray for your enemies.” Jesus said those things, too, but on this occasion, he turns to the crowd and calls for them to hate their own family members and even their own lives. Maybe this makes sense is certain situations. The person who group up in an abusive family might already feel a strong dislike for that family, a willingness, even an interest in letting it go. But to hate even your own life? That’s a different matter altogether. And, of course, Jesus isn’t talking about leaving behind family members that you don’t like. He is saying that the cost of being his disciple is that everything else has to become less important. It has to be subordinated. And should anything get in the way of following Jesus, we ought to hate that as a real danger. As large as the crowds were traveling with Jesus, not everyone joined in. There were plenty of people who opposed him. There were many who rejected him. A real disciple could not be swayed by the Pharisees who were jealous of Jesus. The disciples could not listen to a mom or a dad who said, “The Pharisees have been around for a long time. They are our religious leaders. Maybe Jesus is not who you think he is.” That had to be rejected and hated. All of the things that we naturally love could get in the way of being a disciple of Jesus. As if that were not bad enough, Jesus adds this: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Not only are disciples of Jesus to be prepared to give up those things that are closest to them, they are also expected to embrace those things they most dislike and fear. A cross was an instrument of torture. It was painful and heavy and hard. It’s easy for us today to think of the cross as a symbol and decoration or even jewelry. But it has only become those things because it was an instrument of