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Gospel: Luke 14: 25-33
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Christ’s parables are endlessly rich, capable of being interpreted in a variety of ways.
Consider the parable of the two kings in today’s Gospel. “What king marching into battle,” Jesus says, “would not first sit down and decide… whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king with twenty thousand troops?”
Who are these kings?
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One spiritual writer interpreted the stronger king to be Jesus, and we, the weaker king. The battle is over divine judgment. Since none of us can overpower the Lord or justify ourselves, we should spend our lives performing good works in order to gain his mercy.
Another interpreted the weaker king to be Satan.
Jesus, the stronger king, has already counted the cost of going into battle against evil. He knows he is stronger than Satan – and stronger than death – so his disciples should not fear when he is sent to the Cross.
Although the cost will be excruciating, the victory is his.
Similarly, the disciples should not fear when Jesus sends them into battle like, “lambs among wolves.” Every disciple must pay a price for following the Lord, for sharing his Word, for ridding ourselves of temptation, for carrying our cross, and keeping God first in our lives.
There are real consequences for our decisions. But, as Saint Paul writes, “What can separate us from the love of Christ? Nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who has loved us.”
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How has my faith come at a cost? In what ways am I fighting to keep God’s Word?
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May we fight the good fight.
Victory is ours, thanks be to God.
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Image credits: (1) Lincoln Presbyterian Church (2) Bible Study Tools (3) Bible.com