Scary Things Jesus Said: Part 3
We have all struggled with scriptures that
1. Don’t make sense.
2. Are impossible to do.
3. Seem awfully harsh.
This one falls into the “awfully harsh” category. Here it is.
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26
Yikes! What on earth are you saying, Jesus? On the one hand the Bible instructs us to honor Mom and Dad and on the other hand … this?
Personally, I avoided this scripture because it just did not compute. Until one day, while ministering to someone, it hit me—right in the eye, like a big pizza pie—that this scripture is about order. And that (follow me through the convolutions of my brain) led me to Genesis 3 and the fall.
Question. Who did Adam choose when confronted with his very first free-will choice? That’s right! He chose his wife, knowing that he was putting her and his love for her ahead of God. He was scared of losing her. What followed that choice?
The Woman:
You will bear children in anguish.
Your desire will be for your husband,
yet he will rule over you. Genesis 3:16
The Man:
The ground is cursed because of you.
You will eat from it by means of painful labor
all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you. Genesis 3:18
Disorder resulted, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you.” Genesis 3:17
Now, I am well aware that some misguided people have used the above scripture to enforce subjugating women. Let me assure you that Genesis 3:17 is NOT about gender. It is about choices. It is about using free will in such a way that godly order results or using it so that chaotic disorder results. Adam placed his allegiance to his wife above his allegiance to God. The chaotic disorder that resulted caused this mess we are living in; that is, the fall.
Every time we choose our spouse, children, parents, friends—even MeeMaw—knowing that we are putting them ahead of God … we are adding disorder to disorder. Is that really what we want to do? To make the fall worse than it already is?
Jesus isn’t telling us to hate our family. He is telling us to use that amazing and dangerous gift of free will to choose God above ALL else.
I have a friend who spoke this wisdom to me some time ago. She said that choosing God is the very best thing for everyone. Don’t you wish that Adam had done that? Think of all the suffering that would have been avoided if Adam had loved his wife enough to have chosen God.
Don’t be like Adam. Don’t let the fear of losing a loved one become your god.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:25
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
Let’s pray.
Father God, I come to you in the name of your beautiful Son, Jesus Christ, asking your forgiveness for all the times that I have used the gift of free will to create disorder. Please forgive me for the times that I have been too afraid to choose you, because I thought it meant losing a relationship.
Please teach me the value of godly order. Show me that choosing you first is the very best thing I can do for those I love. Please give me a longing and desire to live within your order because it is good for me, and not just for me, but also for those I love. Amen.
God bless you.
Susan
