True discipleship requires a total and uncompromising commitment to Christ, asking us to place God’s call above personal comfort, worldly security, and cultural conventions. Just as Job surrendered his life to God’s ultimate wisdom amidst intense suffering, followers of Jesus must be prepared to embrace hardship, sacrifice, and rejection rather than a life of ease. Ultimately, following the Lord permits no delays or divided loyalties, demanding an open-ended “yes” that makes Christ the central priority over every other attachment.
Luke 9:57-62: Jesus meets three would-be followers who each want to delay (bury my father, say goodbye at home), and he says no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom. This is the “no delays” idea.
Luke 14:26-33: Following him means loving him above family and even one’s own life, and counting the cost beforehand to become disciple of God so to persevere as one.
Mark 8:34-35: “Take up your cross” means losing your life in order to find it.
Job: Job is a fitting example of trusting God without understanding his ways, though his story is less about a chosen sacrifice and more about faithfulness under suffering he didn’t choose.
Luke 9: 57 – 62 The Cost of Following Jesus
57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”
The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead![a] Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”
61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”
62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Luke 14:26-33 The Cost of Being a Disciple
26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
Mark 8:34-35
Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.
华文版 –
真正的门徒训练要求我们对基督全然、毫不妥协地委身,呼召我们把神的呼召置于个人的安逸、世俗的保障和文化习俗之上。正如约伯在极大的苦难中,将自己的生命交托给神至高的智慧,跟随耶稣的人也必须预备好面对艰难、牺牲和被弃绝,而不是追求安逸的生活。归根结底,跟随主不容许拖延,也不容许三心二意,而是要求一个没有期限的”是”,让基督成为超越一切牵挂的首要优先。
路加福音 9:57-62:耶稣遇见三个想要跟随他的人,每个人都想先拖延一下(先去埋葬我的父亲、先回家向家人告别),耶稣说,手扶着犁向后看的,不配进神的国。这就是”不可拖延”的意思。
路加福音 14:26-33:跟随耶稣意味着爱他胜过爱家人,甚至胜过爱自己的生命,并且要事先计算代价。
马可福音 8:34-35:”背起自己的十字架”意味着为了得着生命而舍去生命。
约伯:约伯是”在不明白神的作为时仍然信靠神”的恰当榜样,不过他的故事重点不在于主动选择牺牲,而在于面对自己并未选择的苦难时仍然忠心。
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