Ding Cuimei, a peaceful and devout Christian woman, was killed April 14, 2016 (just three weeks ago) when she and her husband Li Jiangong stood in front of a bulldozer poised to destroy their home, where they had been hosting a house church in central China’s Henan Province. A government-backed company had sent the demolition crew to the church after a local developer wished to take the property. One member of the crew allegedly said “Bury them alive for me…I will be responsible for their lives.” The bulldozer pushed them into a ditch and covered their bodies with dirt and debris. Li was able to dig his way out, but Ding was not.
Local Christians said that the government departments in charge of the area were not present to oversee the demolition. Li said that police took an unusually long time to arrive after the murder was reported. And so, the persecution of Chinese Christians continues into the 21st century.
This is just one of the many modern martyr stories from around the world. Rather than standing by and allowing an oppressive government illegally bulldoze her beloved church, Ding Cuimei was willing to sacrifice everything, even her own life, to protest religious persecution and prove her faithfulness to her Lord Jesus Christ.
When we hear stories like this, it compels us to contemplate what we would do if we were ever placed in a similar situation. It makes us to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “What am I willing to give up to be a faithful follower of Jesus?” This is the question that Jesus forced his followers to face as he continued his journey toward Jerusalem. Before anyone makes a decision to follow him, they must count the cost of discipleship.
The Allure of Popularity (25)
Luke sets the context for Jesus’ piercing sermon by telling us that “now great crowds accompanied him.” By this time in his ministry, Jesus had become quite popular—I guess this is what happens when you heal people and perform miracles. But Jesus knew that this popularity would be short lived. He knew that many of the same people who followed him today would turn their backs on him tomorrow or as soon as life became difficult. He understood the allure of popularity, but he was not impressed by it.
How about you? Have you been apprehended by the appeal of popularity? Some people desire popularity so badly that they will do anything to get it. Some teenagers, college students, and even adults become so obsessed with being popular that they are willing to sacrifice their moral character or ethical principles to gain it or keep it. But Jesus never did this! He never sacrificed his integrity for the sake of gaining a large following. He never sugar-coated his speech or compromised his message to build a bigger church. He never caved into the pressures of political correctness to keep the crowds coming.
Jesus always spoke the truth, even the difficult truths that people did not want to hear. He delivered some difficult words, even when he knew that they might turn the masses away. Such is the case with Jesus’ hard sayings in this passage where he lays out the cost of discipleship!
The Cost of Family (26)
Jesus addresses the crowd with the utterly shocking words, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate their father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” Our immediate reaction to these words is “Woe, wait, what! Did Jesus really say that? How can this be? This contradicts everything Jesus has taught us about loving our neighbor.” This sentence just doesn’t seem to make any sense!
Well, before you get too confused or upset, we must realize that Jesus is employing a classic case of hyperbole. Do you remember what hyperbole is? It’s an extreme exaggeration to make a point. It’s like when people say, “I’m so hungry I can eat a cow!” or my personal favorite “Pastors only work one day a week!” These are obviously ridiculous exaggerations.
The idea is not that we should hate our family, but in comparison to Jesus, if we are forced to choose, the winner of that choice must always be Jesus. It is a matter of prominence and priority. To be a true disciple of Jesus, one must love him more than anyone else!
In this verse, Jesus is asking us, who we love most? Do you love Jesus more than your parents—your spouse—your kids? If not, then you are not a true Christian yet! Jesus demands complete loyalty, even over one’s family. If you were forced to choose Jesus or your family, who would you choose? This is part of the cost of discipleship!
The Cost of Life (27)
Likewise, Jesus continued his hard teaching when he said, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Everyone in the ancient world knew that crucifixion was the Roman’s most common form of execution. Carrying your cross does not mean wearing a pretty gold cross pendant around your neck; it is an ancient metaphor for suffering and death.
Jesus makes it plain that anyone who is not willing to follow him into suffering and death is not a true Christian. People who love their own lives more than Jesus are not real disciples, since trusting in him may require martyrdom. Becoming a disciple requires a willingness to give up your own life
Now thank God that most Christians throughout the ages have not had to sacrifice their lives for Christ, but we must remember the countless Christians who were slaughtered in the Roman arenas, burned at the stake, beheaded by ISIS, and Ding Cuimei who was buried alive in China. God will most likely not require most of us to die a martyr’s death, but we must be willing if he calls!
As I preached this message at the Franklin Carriage House this past Tuesday afternoon, one of the sweet old ladies looked up and said sincerely, “I think I am a Christian, but I’m not sure if I could give up my life like that. I told her that none of us can ever be totally certain of what we would do in a moment like that, but today is the day to make this decision in our hearts and souls!” Then she said, “Yeah, that’s right! I have some soul-searching to do.”
Are you really willing to give up your life for Christ? Do you love him enough to make the ultimate sacrifice for him as he made the ultimate sacrifice for you? Are you willing to carry your cross and follow all the way? Have you counted the cost of being his disciple?
Counting the Cost (28-33)
To intensify his point, Jesus uses two hypothetical examples. One is of a man who builds a watchtower over his land or city. Such an undertaking is expensive, and he must be sure he can afford such a project. Thus, it is best to estimate the cost before starting to build. How embarrassing to start construction and then not have enough money to finish it. All of us probably know about building projects that started but never finished because of a lack of funds. Jesus applies this point to discipleship: Don’t follow him until you have counted the cost! Make sure you can follow through before you begin!
Likewise, he pictures a king assessing the strength of his army. It would be disastrous for an army of 10,000 to battle against an army of 20,000 soldiers. The king would be wise to negotiate peace instead of marching to sure defeat. Likewise, people would be wise to consider the cost of following Jesus before they make a hasty decision to follow him.
This is really the point that Jesus is driving home to us. Being a true Christian is not easy. We don’t just recite a sinner’s prayer and ask Jesus into our hearts when we are 8 years old and then coast through life with some half-hearted commitment. True discipleship is hard! It means counting the cost and following Jesus in every aspect of our lives! It means doing what is right even when everyone around us is doing what is wrong! It means being willing to be ostracized by your family and friends because of your faith. It means being willing to take a bullet or be bulldozed for Jesus, if he calls us to it!
Have you counted the cost of following Jesus? Are you really willing to sacrifice everything for his sake? Perhaps some of us here today have some serious thinking to do!
Jesus concludes his teaching on discipleship with an analogy about salt. He says, “But if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again. It is neither fit for the soil nor the manure pile; it is thrown out.” So, a disciple who is not a true disciple is in danger of judgment!
Let me conclude by telling you one of the most compelling stories I have ever heard about true discipleship:
Perpetua and Felicity were part of a group of five Christians apprehended in Carthage in 203 A.D. for the practice of the faith. Perpetua was a well-educated twenty-two-year-old married mother with a nursing infant, and Felicity was her servant, herself seven months pregnant. Together they and their companions were imprisoned and roughly treated by the soldiers as they awaited their martyrdom.
The group was baptized in those early days of their arrest, but for Perpetua, the joy of the sacrament was clouded by anxiety over her family. She did not have the support of her father, who visited her often and pleaded with her to denounce her faith for his sake and for her infant son.
Perpetua by this time was in great pain from not having nursed her baby for several days, and she was greatly distressed over her son’s lack of nourishment. She endured these trials until it was arranged that the baby be allowed to stay with her in the prison. And there, Perpetua writes, “the dungeon became to me as it were a palace, so that I preferred being there to being elsewhere.”
Her father, who was not a Christian, came to her in prison and saw an easy way for her to save herself. He entreated her simply to deny she was a Christian. She said, “Father, do you see this vase here? Could it be called by any other name than what it is?” “No,” he replied. “Well, neither can I be called anything other than what I am, a Christian.”
He threw himself down before her and kissed her hands. “Do not abandon me to be the reproach of men. Think of your brothers; think of your mother and your aunt; think of your child, who will not be able to live once you are gone? Give up your pride!”
Perpetua was touched but remained unshaken. She tried to comfort her father—”It will all happen in the prisoner’s dock as God wills, for you may be sure that we are not left to ourselves but are all in his power”—but he walked out of the prison dejected.
Perpetua and Felicity were dressed in belted tunics. When they entered the stadium, wild beasts and gladiators roamed the arena floor, and in the stands, crowds roared to see blood. They didn’t have to wait long. Immediately a wild bull charged them. Perpetua was tossed into the air and onto her back. She sat up, adjusted her ripped tunic, and walked over to help Felicity. Then a leopard was let loose, and it wasn’t long before the tunics of the Christians were stained with blood. But this was too slow for the impatient crowd, which began calling for death for the Christians. So in the year A.D. 202, Perpetua, Felicity, and friends were lined up, and one by one, were slain by the sword.
Perpetua and Felicity counted the cost of discipleship! They loved Jesus more than their parents, spouses, and even their nursing babies! They loved Jesus more than their own lives! And they were willing to carry their crosses all the way to the end!
Have you counted the cost? Will you become a true disciple of Jesus Christ?