Tuesday after the Fifth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on July 19, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 14:25-35 (NKJV)
14:25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Devotion
Our Lord uses parables to teach that we must hate those who we would normally love the most. It is not that we are to desire evil for them, or for anyone: He is teaching that we have to love God above all other people. Just as Peter was not teaching general rebellion and disobedience in Acts 5, our Lord Jesus is not teaching general contempt for our families. God teaches us to love and work according to His will above all.
Christ loved the scribes, Pharisees, and high priests, but He did not love them so much that He would submit to their vanity. Jesus loved the Father more than the brothers and sisters that He came to save. Pride and self-will makes this hard for people to understand. Sinners want to be loved and cherished even above others. However, the love and “hate” that our Lord teaches is greater than the corrupted notions of esteem that Satan encourages. If we obey Christ and love God more than even our closest loved ones, then we do that which is good and righteous for everyone.
The conflict that comes from Christ’s teachings on love and hate is indeed a cross that we must bear. Sometimes people don’t understand the difference between their desires and the good order of God’s clear will and callings. But even as He loved His enemies, we are also taught to do His will and endure the hate of those who resist it.
Prayer: O God, Who has prepared for them that love Thee such good things as pass man’s understanding: Pour into our hearts such love toward Thee, that we, loving Thee above all things, may obtain Thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
