Luke 14: 25-26

In summary, Luke 14: 25-26 implies that there was a cost to becoming a really committed disciple of Jesus. That is, the disciples had to renounce some comforts and relationships with their significant others in order to concentrate on the mission of redemption under Jesus' leadership. Like he did in most situations, Jesus utilized rhetorical questions and analogies to convey his message to the crowd that was following him, essentially urging them to be sincere and devoted disciples rather than mere followers. Notably, he tells them off that if they are not ready to be fully committed to his work of salvation and spreading the gospel then it would be best if they stopped following him; because it was pointless. Jesus Christ’s utterances to the crowd portrays that he was not pleased by the individuals who were following him but were not ready to commit themselves to discipleship.

Verse 25

The verse states that Jesus was travelling and that He was accompanied by a large multitude of people. Upon realizing that many people were following him, he turned to talk to them. Judging from the verse, one can argue that Jesus Christ had developed a sense of popularity. The fact that so many people were following Him implies that His teachings had been accepted and therefore the people sort to get more teaching from Him. Moreover, one may argue that the large multitude were impressed by the miracles that Jesus was performing. Perhaps they thought that if they followed Him then they would as well get to be relieved of their burdens as did others that they witnessed before. Jesus’ act of stopping to address the multitude may also be viewed as His personal concern for the magnitude. Arguably, he was well aware of the high level of hypocrisy among people at that time.

Verse 26

In the verse, Jesus began to address the crowd. He urged then to ascertain their decision to follow Him on a personal level. In doing so, he told them that no one would qualify to be His disciple if he or she does not denounce any interpersonal relationship with their family. He stated that "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.” (Luke 14:26 NRSV). This verse brings out Jesus’ perception of the people. That is, he is not exited by the fact that he had attracted a large crowd who were interested to hear what he had to say and witness his work of salvation. On the contrary, he recognized that it was pointless to have all those people following Him yet they do not have what it takes to become disciples.

Knowing that that the crowd was made up of individuals who were following him for the sake of just listening to him but had no commitment: he decided to let them know that they would not be considered true disciples. That is, if they were not ready to forego any form of personal or interpersonal attachments. Arguably, this was a strategy to get rid of those who had were just following him but were not committed to the course. In addition, one may perceive Jesus’ action as a way of preparing the crowd for what was required of them as a disciples. This may be on grounds that discipleship was characterized with hardship and suffering and thus it needed individuals who were truly committed to the gospel. The idea of denouncing any form of relationship with family and oneself was a sure way of showing absolute commitment to a course as such relationships and attachment were considered as distractions.

Verse 27

Jesus added that for one to be His disciple, he or she was obliged to carry his or her own cross. He said “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14: 27). The cross that is referred to in this verse is certainly symbolic. Jesus uses the cross to refer to the responsibility and self-dependence of individuals who were willing to following him and help spread the gospel. According to the traditions of the people at that time, a cross was used to represent burden. Arguably, it was derived from the fact that individuals who were convicted of criminal offenses were forced to carry a cross on which they would be crucified. Notably, Jesus was trying to illustrate what entailed being His disciple. By relating discipleship to carrying a cross, he was trying to inform the people that being His disciple was not an easy task and that it took a lot of endurance through difficulties to be one. Notably, he was creating a cut-off point that an individual was required to surpass before he would be considered a disciple. By doing this, it would be easy for Him to have those who were truly committed to discipleship follow him and help in spreading the gospel.

At the same time, one may argue that he meant to scare away individual who did not believe nor commit to the gospel. That is, he was stating this with the knowledge that there were such individuals in the crowed and that it was pointless for them to follow him if they were not ready to spread the gospel. With respect to Jesus’ repetition of this point this verse, one may derive that individuals were rather skeptical. This may be based on the fact that some people in the crowd were willing to listen to what Jesus was teaching and watch the miracles; but still were not convinced to follow him and become his disciples.

Had He not known this, Jesus would not have alluded that discipleship entailed burdens and tribulations which required individuals to be prepare for the same. A keen observation of his sentiments reveal that he was trying to separate the crowd into two. That is; those who were following him but were not ready to help spread the gospel and on the other hand, people who had been convinced by His teachings and were ready to participate in spreading the gospel no matter what it took to achieve the same.

Verse 28-30

In this chapter, Jesus continued to enlighten the crowd on what it takes to become a true disciple. In doing so, he used an analogy of the process of construction. He related discipleship with an individual who desires to construct a building. He stated that one needs to gather the necessary materials for completing the building lest he be mocked by others for not being able to complete it. It is arguable that the builder in this case is likened to an individual who desires to become a disciple. The act of preparing materials for construction may also be likened to the fact that one needs put away any form of relationships that may deter them from spreading becoming a disciple. Notably, Jesus is using this analogy to give the crowd a picture of their situation so that they may evaluate themselves and determine if they are ready to become disciples.

Lastly, he says “For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:30). This may be viewed as a way of enlightening the crowd of what would befall them in the event that they were not able to endure the difficulties nor meet the requirements of becoming a disciple at the end of it all. In a way, it gave them a clearer view of what was required of them as disciples. That is, the need to prepare as well as the consequence of not being able to accomplish true discipleship after following Jesus all that while.

Verse 31

Jesus used another analogy of a king who goes to war. He elaborated by explaining that if a king wedged a war with another king, then he would first of all prepare and gather his soldiers. Just like the previous analogy, Jesus tried to illustrate to the crowed the importance of preparing for the work of discipleship. He likens the king who prepares for a war to an individual who desires to become a disciple. In both cases, one required to be set and prepared for the task ahead of them. The discipleship in this case required that the individuals to prepare psychologically for the task ahead of them. This way, they would stand a chance of achieving true discipleship despite the hardship that is involved.

The purpose for using this analogy was to help the people evaluate their abilities and ascertain that they had what it takes in as far as discipleship was concerned. Just like the King sat down to evaluate the possibility of winning the battle, Jesus expected the crowd to ensure that they were well prepared to take on the duties that pertained to discipleship. Jesus used the scenario of a king in battle with the knowledge that the crowd was well conversant with the concept of preparation for battle. Therefore, it would be easier for them to relate it to the idea of discipleship.

Versus 32

He went ahead to say that if the king learnt that he had fewer soldiers than his opponent then he would engage the latter in peaceful negotiation. Ideally, any wise man would back down after realizing that they can never win the battle. In this case, the king was obliged to reconsider moving forward with the war and instead initiated a peaceful approach by sending a delegation to discuss terms with the other king. Probably, what Jesus was trying to put across was that; the individuals who were following him but were not ready to put up with what discipleship should have considered stopping before the situation became unbearable for them. Having known that discipleship requires one to endure hardship; Jesus was in a way, letting the crowd know that they were free to choose not to become disciples. In addition, it may be argued that perhaps Jesus noticed that they were just being pretentious by following him. Therefore it was best if they made peace with the fact that the fact that they would not be disciples as soon as possible.

Verse 33

Jesus concludes the analogy by stating that none of the individuals in the crowed would be considered a disciple if they did not give up everything he or she owned and followed him. By stating this, he meant to emphasize that the people in the crowed needed to adopt a distinctive life in order to be regarded as a disciple. The distinctive life in this case was characterized by abandonment of all attachments that may deter individuals from performing their duties as disciples. Jesus reiterates that one has to be ready to give up his or her personal and interpersonal attachment in order to be regarded as a disciple.

Notably, this is meant to emphasize the point and make it clear to the public of what was expected of them even as they continued to follow Him. Laying emphasis on the requirements may be proof that the crowds were perhaps stubborn and that it bothered Jesus. It may be perceived that the Jesus was not amused about every one of them following Him yet they were not going serve a purpose in His mission. As search, he repeatedly told them that if they desired to be considered disciples then they had meet the requirements that were set by Jesus Himself.

Versus 34

Jesus continued with his speech in this verse by stating that salt can never regain its worth after it loses its saltiness. He said, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” (Luke 14:34). Arguably, Jesus intended to expound further on the aspect of endurance in discipleship. By comparing it to salt, Jesus expressed how valuable it is to become a disciple. That is, just like salt is used to add flavor in food; discipleship redesigned the life of an individual in a positive and beneficial way according to Jesus’ perception. Jesus’ idea of comparing discipleship with the worth of salt may be seen as a means of trying to make the concept of discipleship easy to understand. Meaning, he was well aware that the crowd was conversant with the worth of salt in flavoring food. Under normal circumstance, most people use salt in flavor food. Therefore, Jesus had resorted to related and comparing it to discipleship in order to ensure that the crown understood exactly what he meant to tell them.

Using the technique ensured that everyone in the crowd was able to understand and relate to the idea of discipleship. Jesus went ahead to ask the crowd rhetorically if it was possible for salt to regain its saltiness in the event that it lost it. This question was arguably meant to make the crowd realize the consequences of failing to achieve the requirements of becoming a disciple. The ultimate intention of Jesus was to ensure that He was being followed by the right kind of individuals who were ready to commit themselves to discipleship. Right from verse 25 up to verse 34, what he gave the crowd an imaginary picture of what discipleship entails. At this point, he uses the idea of salt not being to regain its worth to scare individuals who were not ready to became become disciples.

Verse 35

Jesus concluded His analogy of the worth of salt by telling the crowd that the salt would be thrown out for being spoilt. Further, He stated that the salt would be rendered useless and that it cannot be used for the soil or to make manure. He said, “It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” (Luke 14:35). By saying this, one may argue that Jesus intended to let the crowd know that their lives would be useless if they continued to follow Him but were not ready to commit to discipleship. Manure was used in this context to show just how worthless one would be if he or she decided not to become a true disciple even after following Jesus. That is, Jesus intended to let the crowd know that their lives would be less worthy and useless for any purpose in the event that they did not chose to denounce their attachments and committed themselves to true discipleship.

In a way, Jesus was trying to encourage the individuals in the crowd who were not ready to become disciples to reconsider their stand on the matter. It is because he used the comparison in a manner that portrays discipleship as the better choice for the crowd. Naturally, human beings would feel discouraged if they learnt that their choices are associated with unpleasant consequences. Therefore, relating the life of a human being with the worth of salt may be viewed as a technique that Jesus used to convince the crowd to choose true discipleship.

Application of the Analysis

The exegetical analysis of these verses has certainly helped me to learn a lot of things about the contemporary world in as far as Christianity is concerned. To begin with, it has enabled me to understand that there is a clear difference between believing in Jesus and doing what he requires. The analysis further unveils the fact that there are individuals in contemporary Church who refer to themselves as disciples and yet they do not meet the requirements of discipleship. That is to say, a majority of Christians are not ready to denounce their attachments with earthly things such as wealth in a bid to concentrate on spreading the gospel. In addition, this analysis has enabled me to realize that that I need to set my priorities right in life. That it, I am supposed to identify the right way to live my life and make my time on earth worth it. Moreover, there is need to lay proper strategy and prepare for any assigned duty.

Wesleyan Quadrilateral

Also referred to as the Methodist Quadrilateral, Wesleyan Quadrilateral is a methodology that is used to analyze and reflect on theological scriptures. The following elements make up the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. The first element is the scripture. According to the quadrilateral, every authority and truth should be tested on grounds of what the scripture stipulates. The second element is tradition. Wesley argued that the value of tradition should not be underestimated in as far as seeking for evidence is concerned. That is despite the fact that traditions change over a period of time.

The third element is reason. According to the quadrilateral, there is need to apply reason in order to understand the contents and meaning of the scripture. It further states that reason must be guided by the Holy Spirit in order to understand the scripture. Lastly, the quadrilateral has it that for an individual to be convinced about Christianity matters, he or she needs to have had a personal experience. Of the four elements, I used reason to conduct my research analysis of the verses. I did it by finding out what scholars had commentated on the scripture and evaluating the rationale on the basis of their relevance to the subject. Moreover, I used my personal rationale to argue out the possibilities of what the scriptures meant in that particular context.

Bibliography

"Luke 14 - NRS." Bible Study Tools. Accessed April 22, 2017. http://www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/luke/14.html.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The cost of discipleship. London: SCM Press, 2015.

Hey, Sam, and Johan Roux. "Wesley and beyond: Integrating the Wesleyan Quadrilateral and “Praxis Cycle” to support tertiary student theological engagement." Journal of Adult Theological Education 9, no. 2 (2012): 192-209.