Are we irrelevant?

To many non-Christians, the church seems irrelevant. Dan Kimball speaks to this issue regarding the post-modern generation. “People in emerging generations are open to discussing … truth. But they're looking for conversation, not a lecture, and facts, not rhetoric.”[1] To speak the language of today’s seekers, one must learn the language.

Daniel Hill desired to understand younger, unchurched people. “For Hill, whose day job is ministering on staff with Willow Creek Community Church's Axis outreach, Starbucks provides a context to build meaningful relationships with postmodern, Gen-Next twentysomethings who are far from God.”[2] God given intellects give us creativity in outreach.

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[1] Dan Kimball, “I Like Jesus … Not the Church,” Outreach and Evangelism Today, 14 March 2007, n. p. Online: http://www.christianitytoday.com/outreach [14 March 2007].

[2] Brett Lawrence, “Starbucks Spirituality,” Leadership Journal, Fall 2002, n. p. Online: http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/areas/biblestudies/articles/070815.html [20 August 2007].

Faith and Reason

“Sacred Scripture indicates … how deeply related are the knowledge conferred by faith and the knowledge conferred by reason…”[1] Rejecting reason denies being made in God’s image as intelligent beings. Reason without faith denies God’s plan, rejecting fellowship with him. “Intelligence enables everyone, believer and non-believer, to reach ‘the deep waters’ of knowledge (cf. Prov 20:5).”[2]

Credo ut intellegam ("I believe in order to understand') and intellego ut credam ("I understand in order to believe") need to be kept in tension. Through faith, we understand who we are and where we fit in. Life can be intolerable without faith. God’s plans are “plans to prosper … not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jer 29:11).

“Most reflective believers with a theistic orientation realize that the truth of God’s existence is not immediately obvious.”[3] Anselm, a “reflective believer,”[4] stood “… in a long line of thoughtful believers who have sought to give a rational account of why they believe in God….”[5] Peter taught, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pet 3:15).

Bill Hybels explains:

Most secular folks have written off Christians as people who believe in floods and angels

and strange miracles. My goal is to explain, in a reasonably intelligent fashion, some matters that touch their lives. I hope when they leave they'll say, "Maybe there is something to the Bible and to the Christian life."[6]

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[1] Pope John Paul II, Fides et Ratio, 16.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Michael Peterson, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach and David Basinger, Reason and Religious Belief: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, Third Edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003), 11.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Bill Hybels, “Speaking to the Secular Mind,” Christianity Today, 12 July 2006, n. p. Online: http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/missions/articles/071206.html [12 July 2006].

The Bible. New International Version.

What "therefore" is there for.

For my devotional time this morning I was reading Hebrews 12, you know the chapter that starts out, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses..." (Heb 12:1). What powerful imagery, how moving. It makes you feel like you can hang in there with this great throng that has preceded you in the faith. It is the second half of the verse that I was meditating on this morning. "... let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us" (Heb 12:1b).

Several thoughts came to mind. First of all, "the race that is set before us." My son, Christian, was a distance runner from middle school through college. He did best of all at the mile. He did very well at longer distances like cross country races or road races. He did ok at slightly shorter distances, but the mile was where he shined. That was his race. When he ran the race set before him, that he was best built for, he succeeded.

What about us? Do we look at others' walks of faith and try to be like them? Do we wish we had their lives? There is a race set before each of us. That is the race we need to run. It can be difficult.

Think about perseverance. If it was easy, would we have to persevere? We are in the race for the long haul. It is more like running a marathon than sprinting for the short dashes.

Looking at the context.
If we look at the next verse, we are to look to Jesus. Makes sense. But there in the middle of that verse is something that pertains to perseverance: suffering. Jesus had to "endure the cross" (Heb 12:2). Later in the chapter the author speaks of discipline and its place in our growth.

I had a teacher for Romans at Elim Bible Institute, who used to tell us that when there is a "therefore," we need to find out what it's "there for." It's a doozy this time. The "therefore" of verse 1 takes us back to Hebrews 11, the heroes of the faith, you know the chapter that says "by faith" this one and that one did whatever. But the very last part of that chapter that precedes our "therefore" goes like this:

Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— ³⁸of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. ³⁹Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.

So...that's what the "therefore" was "there for." Because it's a race to be run with perseverance, there's no promise of its ease. We must look to God and his grace to enable us to run the race he has set before us.

Places and People

Because I’m the worst blogger in the Independent Sacramental Movement, I only today discovered a very interesting conversation in the comments to my last post between Rev. Sharon and Lyngine. There are two particular issues which Rev. Sharon raises that I would like to raise up – the issue of where churches meet and the issue of “treading gently and compassionately” and of “bad priests”.

+Alexis Tancibok has addressed the issue of church buildings on his blog Boze, and I want to throw my two cents in as well – which is to proclaim the not such good news that there is no perfect situation for a church community. Here is a very partial list of pluses and minuses:

House church – pluses: warmth, intimacy, a chance to build very close ties of community, the integration of spirituality and daily life (as Lyngine mentioned about the Christmas Day mass), and the similarity to the first Eucharist celebrated by our Lord
minuses: intimidating to newcomers, risk of becoming a cozy inbred community without a sense of mission to the world, may be hard on the host to constantly host (or, if there is rotation, lack of stability), “ownership” of the community by the host, risk of losing a place to meet if schism occurs and host is on one side and others on the other side (I know of one local community that disbanded in just such a case)

Renting space – pluses: advantages of church space without obligation to assume all of cost and risk, flexibility to move if circumstances change, possibility of collaboration with host community
minuses: conflict with host community leading to sudden need to move, being “bumped” from space to space given [understandable] needs of host community, must conform service times to needs of host community, may be need to conform to policies of host community (e.g., lgbt-friendly congregation renting from United Methodist church – which may not permit any same-sex couple blessings on premises, regardless of local UM congregation’s views)

Owning space – pluses: space available for needs of one’s own community, ownership and pride and stability, ease of recognition by potential newcomers to get them in the door minuses: very high costs, lack of flexibility to change, possible need to rent to outside communities (leading to some of “renting space” problems), danger of “maintenance” taking precedence over “mission”

So, there is no “perfect” situation, because we have not here an abiding city. Every community has to determine what space situations will best suit its needs at any given time, and take special care to avoid falling into the particular traps inherent in its particular situation.

As for the issue of “treading gently and compassionately” – it is important to realize two things – first, NO ONE enters ministry for purely healthy reasons. All of us who are ordained have dysfunctional and unhealthy aspects to our vocation. The real key is to both recognize one’s own “besetting sins” and to help candidates and new clergy to develop the tools to look at themselves and assess what is healthy and what is not and take steps to address that which is dysfunctional. The real danger is from clergy who do not recognize the unhealthy parts of themselves, or worse yet, don’t realize they have any. And the reason I specifically raised issues of gender and sexual orientation is to point out that often it is not the noticeably unhealthy things that get us down – adultery, etc. – but rather dealing with a broken church in ways that are broken ourselves. In other words, to use myself as an example, as a gay man, I must be careful about not attributing everything that goes wrong with my ministry to “homophobia” – just because I’m gay and believe there is nothing wrong with being gay doesn’t mean that I am not still a sinner, or that I am immune from expressing my God-given gay sexuality in a broken and sinful way.

The second thing is that, coming from a Sacramental/Catholic perspective, ordination is a sacrament that places an “indelible” mark on the soul and provides grace, regardless of the unworthiness of the person being ordained. And that is very good news, because the fact that someone who shouldn’t be ordained (perhaps ever, perhaps at a given time – and we all know that this happens far too often in the ISM) doesn’t mean that Christ’s redemptive work can’t come into play and transform a “bad priest” into “great priest” – so the key is to work for the transformation of the clergy into those clergy that can best serve Christ. (Of course, that does not mean that there are not sometimes situations in which a bishop/church community must remove a harmful clergyperson – but it does mean that, even in those cases, there can ultimately be redemption, if the person repents, and there can once again be a fruitful ministry, even if in some cases it may only be a private hidden one.)

What are your gifts?

Have you ever wondered what your spiritual gifts are? In my class on leadership, we were required to take the following test to determine those gifts. See what yours are.

Romans 12 Motivational Gifts Test http://www.gifttest.org/

Our Shepherd Psalm 23

I just finished my summer courses, one of which was Ministry Communication. On the final, we had a choice of several scriptures for which to produce a sermon outline. One of them was Psalm 23 and this is my outline.

Following the Shepherd

• Introduction

  • Have you ever felt so desperate, alone and helpless that you just wanted to be taken care of?

    • When I was divorced, before I met my husband, Ray, sometimes I just wanted to be taken care of.

    • I remember how it felt when I bought a good used car from a Christian brother that had been advertising on the local Christian radio station.

      • He was so honest and forthright. He did not try to take advantage of me or talk me into a vehicle I could not afford.

      • When I took the vehicle in for servicing, he made sure everything was done right.

      • All I could say was that I felt taken care of. I had not felt that way in a long time. This man was a stranger, except for the fact that he was my brother in the Lord.

  • God holds out his arms of love and beckons us to follow the good shepherd who provides for his people in every conceivable manner.

• The great provider.

  • “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want” (Ps 23:1)

  • The Message renders it thus, “God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing” (Ps 23:1).

  • Can you imagine a life like that! “I don’t need a thing.”

  • It all starts with God.

• The great provision

  • “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters” (Ps 23:2).

    • Physical restoration of the weary.

      • “Green pastures”-“lush meadows” in The Message

        • A cool place of rest

      • “Quiet waters”- “You find me quiet pools to drink from”

        • Thirst quenching refreshment

      • Illustration--My son, Christian, used to be a runner. He ran from middle school through college. Particularly on a hot day, after a cross country meet, when the race was finished, he and his friends would lie in the cool grass and drink from their water bottles. They needed refreshment after all the exertion. The coaches would be sure they got the rest and refreshment needed. A good coach shepherded the kids to where they needed to be for physical replenishment.

  • “he restores my soul” (Ps 23:3a).

    • Emotional and spiritual renewal.

      • The shepherd cares about the entire sheep.

      • God cares about that which concerns us.

  • “He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake” (Ps 23:3b).

    • Points the way..

      • The shepherd shows the sheep the right, the best direction to go.

      • If we let him, God will not let us get lost.

      • Illustration—I had breakfast with a friend this morning. We get together around once a month and normally have a lot of catching up to do. She told me of the vacation she and her husband took a couple of weeks ago. After rafting with a group, her husband was exhausted and could not catch his breath. He was taken to a hospital in the next town. They were completely unfamiliar with the area. Donna, the wife went the way she thought she had been told to meet the ambulance and her husband at the hospital. She had to stop five different times for directions. Over an hour later she arrived.

      • God’s directions are quite the opposite. Not only does he direct us in the ways of righteousness, but he escorts us all the way.

      • “for his name’s sake” because of who he is, his character.

  • “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Ps 23:4)

    • Protection from danger.

    • He walks with us when we are afraid.

    • Rod and staff

      • Lead and catch a sheep when falling or wandering off.

    • Comforts sheep-Reminiscent of Isaiah’s words, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa 41:9-11).

      • Fear can be seemingly tangible at times, something that can overtake you. Do you remember what it was like to be afraid and have your tall, big Daddy take your hand when you were little and fearful?

  • “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Ps 23:5).

    • Party—feasting in front of enemies.

      • Right in front of them—God’s marvelous provision.

      • The Message “You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing”

        • May have felt beaten down by enemies, but God raises us up.

• The great promise.

  • “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Ps 23:6).

    • Rather than enemies, blessings follow.

    • The Message “Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.
      I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.”

      • Illustration-It is a good thing that it is goodness, love and blessings that are chasing me. Though my son, Christian was a very good runner, I could never run. I remember the humiliation of gym class when we would have to run. I was always last. If someone had been pursuing me to harm me, I would have been easily caught. But God’s blessings pursue and overtake us, how wonderful. I do not mind getting caught by them.

      • “…for the rest of my life” The Message. That could be interpreted two ways: 1. for all of my life or 2. for the best kind of rest ever, the “rest of my life.”

        • God’s rest “"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).

• Conclusion

  • “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11)

    • Jesus is that shepherd for us. The key to the provisions in Psalm 23 is the relationship to the Lord. It is only if he is yours and you are his that you are taken care of by Jesus, the good shepherd. Following him assures us of a right relationship to God and each other.

    • He washes and cleanses us by the washing of water and the word.

    • As our host, he prepares a table for us, the bread and wine of his body and blood which we will partake of shortly. Let us follow him.

• Hymn of the day which immediately follows sermon

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

1. The king of love my shepherd is, whose goodness faileth never;

I nothing lack if I am his and he is mine forever.

2. Where streams of living water flow, my ransomed soul he leadeth and,

Where the verdant pastures grow, with food celestial feedeth.

3. Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, but yet in love he sought me,

And on his shoulder gently laid, and home, rejoicing brought me.

4. In death’s dark vale I fear no ill, with thee, dear Lord, beside me,

Thy rod and staff my comfort still; thy cross before to guide me.

5. Thou spreadst a table in my sight; thine unction grace bestoweth;

And, oh, what transport of delight from thy pure chalice floweth!

6. And so, through all the length of days, thy goodness faileth never.

Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise within thy house forever.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship #502

The Workaround for Postmodernism

God's people face many challenges in living an incarnational lifestyle in today's world. Postmodernism presents us with challenges such as a belief that there are no absolutes. On the other hand, there is an unprecedented openness to spirituality.

In postmodernism, “The issue is the “imposition of one set of cultural ideas upon another.”[1] Oppressive ideologies are taboo. The answer is following Jesus’ example of love. “Through humility, love, and patience … preachers can take measures to dispel the concern of people who have witnessed atrocities and deceptions in the name of truth … and … God.”[2]

Christ reaching out to the marginalized with a “radical embrace,”[3] his inclusiveness, appeals to postmoderns. The universality of the gospel, for all would be a drawing factor.

Regarding metanarratives, “The gospel is not a metanarrative, an ideology imposed on people, but an intranarrative, a reality exposed in one people and one person—Christ.”[4] The collapse of metanarratives is good. The gospel “can represent clarity and stability in a culture adrift without an anchor.”[5] The desire for honesty and reality demands openness and vulnerability on the communicator’s part.

Stories are valued in postmodernism bringing openness to personal testimony. Listeners may not agree; but they will listen “because of the postmodern mentality of legitimizing each person’s view of reality.”[6] Stories “give purpose and shape to social existence.”[7]

Narrative preaching is most suited to postmoderns, as didactic preaching was for modern listeners, resembling personal story more than lecture.[8] The gospel should not be presented as a quick fix or cure all. That would serve as metanarrative, thus risking rejection.

Churches with lively worship are growing because others may “appear far too cerebral and removed from the real world.”[9] Postmoderns are open to faith, but dislike accountability, desire faith, but do not trust institutions, “crave community yet stress personal fulfillment in their lives.”[10] Johnston refers to this as “’have it your way’ spirituality.”[11] The faith must be experiential to be real for the postmodern, the onus being on us to demonstrate God’s love (1 Jn 4:7-8).

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[1] Graham Johnston, Preaching to a Postmodern World: A Guide to Reaching Twenty-First Century Listerners (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2001), 107.

[2] Ibid., 108.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid., 109.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid., 110.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid. 111.

[9] Ibid.,120.

[10] Ibid., 121.

[11] Ibid.

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Yesterday and today: 1 Tim 5

In reading the scriptures, it is sometimes difficult to determine what applies to us and what doesn't. Take a look with me at 1 Timothy 5 and Paul's words to Timothy.

Widows: instructions strictly for the first century

Several verses in this passage refer strictly to Paul’s time, such as the widows’ list. In verses 9-10, Paul cites the criteria for receiving support. The restriction regarding younger widows would be strictly for that time as well. Verse 15 addresses the local situation of younger widows that have left the faith.

Elders

The instruction to drink wine for his stomach (verse 23), was specifically for Timothy. Though possessing healthful properties, Paul was not prescribing wine for all stomach problems.

“Whenever we share comparable particulars (i.e., similar specific life situations) with the first-century hearers, God’s Word to us is the same as his Word to them.”[1]On this basis, the following verses apply to us today. Verses one and two are good church order. These guidelines apply to today. “Exhort” can be translated “encourage.”[2] The virtue of encouragement is borne throughout scripture. “Absolute purity” (1 Tm 5:2b) in relating to members of the opposite sex is crucial especially in our day of clergy misconduct.

Widows: applicable to the twenty-first century

The principles of love for one another and caring for those in need transcend the centuries.

Each church should … see that no widow in its congregation is left destitute. Christian love demands this … all believers are one in Christ, fellow members of the family of God. We should care for each other.[3]

“… lives for pleasure” (1 Tim 5:6) means “to live luxuriously or self-indulgently,”[4] truly symptomatic of our age. Paul wanted these people to know how to conduct their lives, an appropriate warning to our age.

Paul’s language in verse 8 is appropriate in this day of putting the sick and elderly in nursing homes and equally applicable to “dead beat dads.”

Verses 13-14 concerning younger widows for all. Other passages issue warnings against gossip and idleness (Rom 1:29; 2 Cor 12:20; 3 Jn 1:10; 2 Thes 3:6). Remarriage is advised considering single parenthood. Verse 16, as verse 8 speaks to providing for one’s family.

Elders 5:17-25

Verses 17-21 apply to today. “… The worker deserves his wages” (1 Tm 5:18) is taught by Jesus (Luke 10:7), and is still relevant. Verse 19, unfounded accusations are gossip, which is universal. Verse 20 concerning guilty leaders is apropos. The admonition against partiality or favoritism (verse 21) characterized Jesus’ ministry and should characterize ours (James 2:5-7).

“Laying on of hands” (1 Tm 5:22) likely referred to ordaining leadership in the churches per early church “exegetes such as Chrysostom and Theophylact.”[5] Character and maturity in the faith are crucial. Purity and holiness is a pervasive theme throughout scripture for God’s people (verses 22, 24, 25).

Care of elderly and widows is abominable. My church is becoming more intentional in this. The responsible committee folded due to lack of people with this vision. Several were concerned and acted, now organizing visitation and communion for our shut-ins. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

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[1] Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 75.

[2] Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Volume 11 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 376.

[3] Ibid., 377.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid., 381.

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Everything old is new

Mystery religions are still practiced in contemporary Western culture. “… The New Age movement’s grown, and … with it an embrace of the supernatural often expressed in an anti-intellectual manner with crystals, palm readings, star signs, psychics, and the like.”[1] Some promote goddess worship, singling out the feminine attributes of God.

Ancient and pagan beliefs are incorporated “into modern society … to recapture what technology and science have stripped from the contemporary world,[2] exemplified by the “Force” in the “Star Wars” series. Luke Skywalker was urged to rely on the Force and not his computerized targeting system; thus destroying the Death Star, and saving the day.

Scientology is another cult that has become increasingly high profile, claiming to be an “applied religious philosophy.”[3] Several famous actors and actresses live by and promote it. Mother Earth is worshipped by others in their quest for what is natural. Whatever the form, there is a “new search for the transcendent, anything beyond the empirical realm.[4]

These religions have a great deal of influence on contemporary secular culture. There has been gravitation to religions that do not promote absolute moral standards. One cannot assume previously acceptable behavior as opposed to that once discouraged; coarse language, sexual permissiveness, couples living together and having children without benefit of marriage. This is no longer looked upon as unusual.

We have no right to condemn any behavior, including that of homosexual/lesbian couples. “Morality must allow for people to operate within what is natural for them …. Take, for instance, an issue such as homosexuality. Postmodernity would view the state as a person’s ‘nature.’ … Nature, as opposed to any external moral system, must stand pre-eminent as that which directs life.”[5]

The effect on sacred culture is that there are more alternatives for those who want spirituality without Christ. In postmodernism, anything is ok. Your story, whatever works for you is sacrosanct. Without absolutes, the God of the Bible is one among many options. It seems very narrow minded to many to claim that salvation is through Christ alone.

This inward look has produced a greater realization of the spiritual capacity of human beings. Likewise, it’s cultivated a deeper sense of the mystic element of life … this is a backlash against modernity … Postmodernity embraces a wider perspective of reality, taking into account the spiritual and intuitive aspects of human existence.[6]

Our challenges have multiplied regarding methodologies and means necessary to present the gospel in a way receptors will understand. In modernism, it was important to appeal to one’s intellectual struggles with faith. Postmodernism is not so rational, but more emotional. We must reach out to people where they live. Jesus’ example is par excellence in this respect. Most importantly, Jesus had compassion on the hungry, demonized and sick (Mt 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34 etc.). He fed, delivered, healed and shepherded them (Mt 15:32-38; 14:14; 9:35-38 and so on). The felt need of wholeness is one we can address with the love of Christ.

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[1] Graham Johnston, Preaching to a Postmodern World: A Guide to Reaching Twenty-First Century Listeners (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006), 45.

[2] Ibid., 45.

[3] Wikipedia. Scientology, 2007. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology [31 July 2007].

[4] Johnston, 45.

[5] Ibid., 46.

[6] Ibid., 44-45.

Costly Discipleship

Luke 14:25-33 (New International Version)

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

28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If 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. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

The hyperbole in this passage of Luke stands out due to its extreme nature: to “hate” one’s whole family, even one’s very life if one desired to follow Jesus. He also admonished the crowd regarding the need to “carry his cross” (Luke 14:27b). Few besides Jesus had to carry a literal cross, so this should be interpreted hyperbolically as well. This was addressed to the crowd, who may have had mixed motives for following and were unaware of his impending death.

“The words are stern, using the Semitic expression ‘hate,’ i.e., ‘turn away from,’ ‘detach oneself from’ (v. 26). Even among primary relationships Jesus demands first loyalty.”[1] Ken Boa refers to this as “commitment to an eternal perspective.”[2] This is the message embedded in the hyperbole.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise— ‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth’” (Eph 6:1-3). This teaching, for one would certainly be contradicted if the hyperbole of hatred of family were taken literally. Ephesians 5:25 instructs husbands to love their wives, not hate them. Jesus would certainly was not suggesting the negation of such basic biblical teachings.

To neglect social customs pertaining to family loyalties would probably have been interpreted as hate. Jesus is not contravening the commandment to honor one’s father and mother. Moreover, he says a disciple should hate “even his own life,” whereas he speaks elsewhere of loving ourselves (10:27; cf. Matt 22:39; Mark 12:31). It is important to understand the Near Eastern expression without blunting its force.[3]

“…anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27) as stated previously is also hyperbole, stressing the importance of living for Christ, not yourself. The Apostle Peter had to deal with a literal cross tradition tells us, which few of us are charged to do. We are not all called to carry the cross around the world, literally like Arthur Blessit (http://www.blessitt.com/).

The following two sections of this passage, verses twenty-eight through thirty and verses thirty-one through thirty-three are not hyperbole, but rather parabolic illustrations to make Jesus’ point in still another way. The first relates how someone building considers whether he can afford to complete the job before beginning. It is important to finish well. In the second parable, a king must “consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand” (Luke 14:31)? If he is unable, he must compromise, seeking peace with his enemy. Giving up everything is emphasized.

Christ’s sacrifice was costly. Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated, “Cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession. … Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”[4] It cost Christ’s life and ours too.

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[1] James L. Mays, ed., HarperCollins Bible Commentary: Revised Edition (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1988, 944.

[2] Ken Boa, Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 382.

[3] Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Volume 8 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 979.

[4] Christianitytoday.com. “Martyrs: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German theologian and resister, 2007. Online: http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/special/131christians/bonhoeffer.html [27 January 2007].

The Bible. New International Version.