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I Was All In

November 6, 2022

Luke 14:255-35

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 “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? 32 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. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Read Luke 14:25-27

  1. This passage comes across as pretty harsh. Do you believe Jesus is actually instructing people to hate their family? Is this a case of Jesus using hyperbole to make a point? How can we tell the difference wen we are trying to interpret scripture and discover the most accurate meaning of Jesus’ words?
  2. “Carrying one’s cross” has come to have a particularly Christian meaning. What do you imagine that image conveyed to Jesus’ original audience? How do you think it went over with them? How does this impact our understanding of what Jesus is saying?
  3. What does Jesus expect of those who will follow Him as one of His disciples?

Read Luke 14:28-33

  1. Jesus is reinforcing his statements in the previous verses, and He does so by presenting two images/examples. What are those images?
  2. How do each of these images support what Jesus has said in the previous verses?
  3. These verses demonstrate the wisdom of counting the cost before embarking on a venture. What does verse 33 tell us about the long-term cost of following Jesus?
  4. For you personally, how does the cost of following Jesus compare with the benefits of following Jesus?

Read Luke 14:35-35

  1. How does Matthew 5:13 help us understand these verses?
  2. How are these two verses related to the first part of this passage?
  3. When Jesus says, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear,” what do you think He means? How do you react when you read that phrase?