Sayre Woods Bible Church

Now large crowds were accompanying Jesus, and turning to them he said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-27)

This passage will wake you up in the morning. And unsettle your soul. That’s the point. Jesus is trying to unsettle our souls and wake us up from apathy.

These words of Jesus are hard. They are given to the “large crowds” who were following after Him, eager to see miracles, enjoying the popularity surrounding His ministry. Jesus knew that their hearts were not right. They were enjoying the show but were not counting the cost of being a disciple. Jesus needed to jolt them back to reality. Following Him is not a game; it is a serious decision that often has serious consequences. Jesus was not on the road to increasing wealth, health, and prosperity; He was on the road to Calvary.

The most shocking of Jesus’ words is His statement that unless we “hate” our parents, wife, children, siblings, and own life, we cannot follow Him. Whoa. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus did not even give us permission to hate our enemies (Matt 5:44) so how can He tell us to hate our own family in this passage?

In biblical passages that compare relationships, “hate” often has the meaning of “to love less” or “to choose another over”:

• In Genesis 29, it is said that Jacob “loved” Rachel but “hated” Leah. The term indicates that Jacob preferred Rachel over Leah. He loved Rachel. He chose to give her his heart. He did not have the same love for Leah.
• Malachi 1:2 says that God loved Jacob but hated Esau. God chose Jacob as the line in which Messiah would come. He did not choose Esau. Thus God chose Jacob over Esau and preferred his lineage over Esau’s.
• In Matthew 6:24, Jesus tells us that we cannot both love God and material things at the same time. We will inevitably choose one over the other. Whatever we choose first is what we truly love, the other is what we “hate.” 

So the message of Jesus is clear. Following Jesus must take priority over our family relationships….not in the sense of responsibility…1 Timothy 5:8 says that to neglect one’s family is to be worse than an unbeliever…but in the sense of dependence and relationship. Family is often our source of security, our priority, our sense of value. We must be willing to lose these things, if necessary, in order to follow Jesus. Nothing can take priority over Him…otherwise we are just following the “popular Jesus” not the real One. 

I have known many cases in which a person’s decision to follow Jesus creates family tension and even separation. This is the cost of discipleship. In many countries around the world, when a person decides to follow Jesus, he/she immediately is persecuted, shunned, or declared dead by his/her family. This is the cost of discipleship.

The road is not easy. The world is not designed to help the disciple along the way. We go against the flow of society. We are often misunderstood, mischaracterized, and mistreated. But to follow Jesus we must make a conscious decision each day to love Him first, to put Him first, to obey Him first. Then we pray for strength and courage when others, particularly our families, try to pull us off the path.

A good article on this passage can be found at http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1117

As he spoke, a Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the table. The Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus did not first wash his hands  before the meal. But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well? But give from your heart to those in need, and then everything will be clean for you. (Luke 11:37-41)

This was quite a dinner! Jesus did not spare any words with the Pharisees and scribes at the end of Luke 11. The Pharisee obviously invited Jesus to dinner with ulterior motives and Jesus obliged by exposing the self-righteousness and blindness of the religious leaders. The tension in the room must have been thick and I am sure not much food was eaten.

Jesus’ most stinging rebukes in the Gospels are almost always directed at the self-righteous and the prideful, characteristics most often seen in the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. It is a stern warning to us, to me especially as a pastor, to watch our attitudes and to wash our hearts from the uncleanness of pride.

What are the characteristics of pride and self-righteousness? Jesus gives a good description in the pronouncement of His six woes in Luke 11:42-52.

1. We major on the minors (11:42). The Pharisees were careful to obey the minor parts of God’s law (making sure they gave an exact tenth of their possessions) but forgot to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God. It does no good to attend church, give money, vote Republican, avoid destructive habits, and keep our yard clean if our hearts at the same time are filled with pride and bitterness towards others. (BTW…Jesus does not give us permission to disobey the minor parts but rather tells us to focus on the major parts and we will fulfill the minor ones as well.)

2. We love the praise of men (11:43). The self-righteous seek the praise of men and feel envy and contempt for those who get the attention they think they deserve. We all need encouragement but sometimes we become addicted to it and we do things simply to get the praise of others.

3. We defile others (11:44). Jesus called the Pharisees “unmarked graves which men walk over without knowing it.” In the OT, coming in contact with a dead body made a person unclean and so Jesus is basically saying that people who came in contact with the Pharisees and tried to follow their ways were made unclean. The Pharisees’ attitude and influence defiled others, spreading self-righteousness and pride to many in the nation. 

4. We have high expectations but low compassion (11:46). Sometimes we expect others to be perfect and we get frustrated and angry when others do not meet our expectations. Jesus does not suggest that we lower the standard of Scripture but that we make sure to help people, as fellow pilgrims, rather than loading others down with expectations that we ourselves cannot meet. This is often a challenge that parents need to heed the most.

5. We reject God’s Word (11:47-51). The religious leaders enjoyed making monuments and tombs for the prophets but rejected their words. Their rejection of Jesus was the highest example of their pride and unwillingness to bend the knees of their heart. When we say, “God, I know what You say but I am going to do this my way,” we are showing the self-righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes.

6. We do not know God (11:52). The scribes took away the “key of knowledge” and prevented people from entering into the knowledge of God. To know God comes through obeying the Great Commandment–loving God and loving others. When we follow the route of self-righteousness we miss the whole road leading to God and we take whoever is following us along for the ride.

Charles Spurgeon once called self-righteousness the “most insidious sin” because those infected with it don’t even realize it. In fact, when we despise self-righteousness in others it is often because we are infected with it ourselves. Each day we have to “preach the gospel” to ourselves, reminding ourselves that we are sinners saved by God’s wonderful grace. And we have to remember the words of Micah that what God requires of us is “to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.”

Lord, keep my heart from self-righteousness.

Today I was reminded again of the story of Mary and Martha (10:38-42). It is a well-known story that particularly speaks to our hectic, busy lives. It is interesting that this story comes on the heels of Luke 9:32-35 in which Peter starts talking without really knowing what he was saying and God commands, This is My Son…listen to Him!

I never put the two stories together but their closeness in context seems to create a connection between them. Martha was a lot like Peter. She always had to be doing something. While Peter’s mouth was always moving, Martha’s hands and feet were always moving. We usually applaud such busyness and tireless service. Martha is the ultimate worker in the church…always involved and getting things done. This is a good thing….most of the time.

Luke identifies the problem in Martha’s life when he says, She had a sister Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all her preparations that had to be made (10:39-40a). Jesus further sheds light on the problem when He tells her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things… (10:41a).

Distracted. Worried. Upset. That is how we know we are too busy…when the joy of the Lord is sucked right out of us and our time with the Lord is squeezed out by too many other things.

And just like Martha, when we get like this, we usually start blaming others for not helping us enough rather than examining the condition of our heart. Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! You can hear the frustration in her voice. We often say the same thing. “Lord, I am overwhelmed because nobody is helping me. Tell them to help me!” The Lord gently responds, “Child, the problem is not with others. The problem is with yourself.”

Martha teaches us that it is not just “bad things” that pull us away from the Lord. It is often too many “good things” which simply crowd out the best thing, the one thing that is needed…spending time listening, resting, and rejoicing in the Lord.

I know this is true in my own life. I see it constantly. The days I carve out time early to focus on the Lord…to take time to meditate on some truth from His Word…to ask for the filling of His Spirit…to spend some quiet time in the car not listening to the radio but praying to Him and for others…these are the days that have a quiet sense of peace and joy about them, even in the midst of life’s busyness. On the other hand, the days I jump right into the fray, juggling things left and right, and complaining that the days are too short and the help from others is too little are the days that I find myself distracted, worried, and upset.

Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.

Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men [Elijah and Moses] standing with Him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen, listen to Him.” (Luke 9:32-35)

This is Luke’s account of the Transfiguration of Jesus (i.e., the full display of Jesus’ glory which was normally veiled by His human flesh). Peter, John and James were privileged to see Jesus in His glory and get a foretaste of the kingdom of God (9:27).

I love Peter in this account. When he fully awakes from his sleepy condition, he is surprised to see Jesus in His glory talking to Moses and Elijah. I am not sure how he recognized Moses and Elijah. Either God simply revealed to his mind who they were or Peter picked up on who they were based on their appearance and their conversation with Jesus. In any case, Peter is totally blown away by what he sees.

Not knowing what to do, Peter speaks. The silence is too much for him. He has to say something. So he does. “Master, let’s build three shelters so each of you can stay here for awhile.” I like how Luke puts it…”He did not know what he was saying.”

Sometimes our mouths speak before our brain is engaged. We speak because the silence is too much for us. We somehow think that saying something is better than remaining silent. Unfortunately, in this case, Peter should have stayed silent. Luke says that while Peter was speaking suddenly a cloud enveloped them and a voice said emphatically, “This is my Son…Listen to Him!”

It is a simple fact of life that when we are speaking we are not listening. On the Mount of Transfiguration, the revelation of Jesus’ glory, all God wanted the disciples to do was to stand in awe and listen. To soak in the moment, to realize who Jesus was, and to allow God to transform their hearts. Peter’s talking interrupted this process. It prevented him from hearing God and caused him to say things that were entirely inappropriate. Elijah, Moses, and Jesus were not on the mountain to stay, they were on the mountain to talk about Jesus’ departure (9:31).

By not listening, Peter was missing the point. Peter wanted them all to stay; Jesus knew that to fulfill God’s plan He needed to depart. This is the same problem Peter suffered from when after declaring, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” he immediately begins to rebuke Christ for talking about His rejection and death. Jesus sternly replies, “Get thee behind me, Satan!” Peter’s failure to listen and penchant for talking actually put him in spiritual jeopardy.

I wonder if I talk too much (don’t answer anyone :>). I wonder if instead of simply listening to God I spend too much time trying to figure out what to say and what to do for God. “God, can I build You some shelters? What can I do now, God?” Instead, God replies, “This is My Son. Listen to Him.” Just listen. Learn to stand in awe and listen. Then I will hear and then I will follow as God wants me to follow.

Lord, teach me to stop talking and learn to listen to Your voice.

BTW…let me put in a little plug for the movie, The Nativity Story. It is a faithful depiction of the biblical story and it impacted my heart, reminding me of the beauty and reality of Christ’s birth. I would encourage you to see it before Christmas.

The Twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna, the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. (Luke 8:1b-3)

There is so much in Luke 8…as there seems to be in every chapter of Luke’s gospel…but I found my mind going back to this simple passage at the beginning of Luke 8. Several thoughts hit me regarding this passage:

1. There were many “behind the scenes” followers and supporters of Jesus’ ministry. We all know the twelve disciples (or at least most of them) but these names–Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna–are less familiar to us (except Mary Magdalene who has received a lot of misguided attention recently with the poorly researched and devised DaVinci Code). Nevertheless these women and “many others” who are not named were a vital part of Jesus’ ministry. It is a reminder to me that “name recognition” is not the mark of faithfulness to Jesus. God’s eyes search to and fro throughout the earth looking for those whose hearts are committed to Him and He will be the One who ultimately rewards us….regardless of whether or not people on earth even knew our names. 

2. Women had a vital role in Jesus’ ministry. Luke makes a point to identify these women. They were vital to Jesus’ ministry and many of them stood by Jesus at the crucifixion long after the disciples had all run away. Far from being discriminatory to women, Christianity liberated them, recognizing them as co-heirs in God’s kingdom and placing high value on their contribution to ministry.

3. Gratefulness leads to generosity. These women supported Jesus because they had been healed through His ministry. When we realize what Christ has done for us, it should naturally lead to generosity in supporting ministries that point people to Christ.

4. Jesus brings together divergent people. It was quite an entourage following Jesus–tax collectors, zealots, fishermen, formerly demon-possessed women, and the wife of one of Herod’s top officials. Whoa…can you imagine the conversations that started with this group? They certainly disagreed on just about everything…politics, religion, the Romans…yet they stayed together because they agreed on one thing…Jesus was their Savior and Lord.

I am reminded of a quote by G.K. Chesterton, a brilliant Christian and writer in the early 1900’s. Chesteron described God’s kingdom as the place where lions learn to dwell with lambs. To Chesterton, this miracle of the kingdom was not accomplished by turning the lion into a tame little kitten, in other words, making the lion like a lamb. Instead he said, “The real problem is–Can the lion lie down with the lamb and still retain his royal ferocity? That is the problem the Church attempted; that is the miracle she achieved.” It is only in Christ that divergent people of different backgrounds, opinions, and personalities can learn to dwell with one another in peace and work together for God’s glory.

Lord, may You work within the diversity of Sayre Woods to raise up a church that follows You and ministers to others out of grateful generosity.

When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him [the Roman centurion], and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:9-10)

What amazes Jesus? Great faith…in this case by a centurion, a Gentile military officer. It is interesting that the NT only records two instances in which Jesus is said to be “amazed” (Greek, thaumazo, “to marvel, to gaze in wonder”)–here in Luke 7 and also in Mark 6:6 when He is amazed at the great unbelief in Nazareth, His hometown.

We’ve heard that God is amazing but how about God being amazed? It is quite a concept. God is obviously not “surprised” by anything but Jesus, who is God in the flesh, voluntarily limited some of His divine attributes while on earth. And in this instance He is genuinely amazed and surprised. What surprises Him? Great faith exercised by those in whom it would not be expected (the centurion). And, in Mark 6:6, great unbelief exercised by those who should believe (Jews in Nazareth).

If the centurion’s faith is so highly esteemed by Jesus, it makes sense to look at it more closely. What do we know about the centurion?

1. He was a man of compassion. The fact that he was so concerned about one of his servants says a lot about him. Most men of power think only of themselves, not a lowly servant.

2. He loved the Jews and the God of the Jews. Though he was a Gentile in authority over the Jews, he had a great love for the Jewish people and obviously a great belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

3. He had great humility. While the elders of the Jews make sure to tell Jesus how “worthy” the centurion is, the centurion makes sure to tell Jesus how unworthy he is. The centurion did not see his good works as things that earned him favor in God’s eyes. He saw his good works as expressions of gratitude to a God of mercy and grace who loved him despite his sin and unworthiness.

4. He believed Jesus was who He said He was. The centurion knew that Jesus had all power, including power over disease and death. He also knew that Jesus’ power was so great that all He had to do was speak the word and the universe would obey.

The centurion’s faith both challenges me and encourages me. It challenges me because I see my own faith as so small. I don’t think Jesus would be too amazed at my faith. It is ordinary at best. Like I’ve said before, I identify more with the father in Mark 9:24 who says, “Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief.” Faith is a struggle. Doubt often creeps in. Fear and anxiety rear their ugly heads. And I wonder if God is really out there, ready to answer, able to rescue, willing to rescue. It is interesting that in this very same chapter, John the Baptist (the greatest prophet according to Jesus) also wavers a bit in his faith. “Are You the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Of course, John is in prison at this time facing execution and it is understandable why he might begin to doubt some. My faith wavers in less dire circumstances.

But the centurion’s faith also encourages me. I have a tendency to see faith as some mystical thing or as some great risk-taking venture. However the centurion’s faith, the “great faith” that so amazes Jesus, is rather simple. The centurion is a man of great humility, evidenced in great compassion for his servants and for others, who simply believes in the great power of Jesus. That is it. Humility that recognizes that I can’t and faith that recognizes Jesus can. Nothing fancy or wild…just simple faith in Jesus.

I long for that kind of faith…a faith that lives in simple humility and learns to rest in Jesus’ power.

Lord, I believe. Help thou my belief.

A voice of one calling in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.” (Luke 3:4-6)

I have read and heard these words before. They are a quote from the prophet Isaiah (40:3-5) and they describe John the Baptist’s ministry and role. John was sent to prepare the way for the Lord. How was he supposed to do this? By removing all obstacles and hindrances. The path was to be made straight. The valleys filled in. The mountains made low. The crooked roads straightened. And the rough roads paved. Why? So that all mankind will see God’s salvation.

In other words, John came to make sure that all roads pointed to Christ. Anything that would obscure a person’s view of Jesus or hinder them from coming to Jesus was to be removed. When this is done, Isaiah says, And the glory of the LORD will be revealed and all mankind together will see it (40:5).

As I reflected this morning, I realized that my role today is to mirror the ministry of John. My goal is to remove obstacles and hindrances from before people so that they can see Jesus. If they are in an emotional valley, I am to help fill it in so they can see Jesus. If all they see when they think of Christianity is a mountain of hypocrisy and self-righteousness, then I am to live in authenticity and humility so they can see Jesus. If they are on a crooked path, then in love I am to point out the destructiveness of sin and share God’s truth with them so that they can see Jesus. And if the road they are on is rough, I am to help smooth it out so that they can see Jesus.

That is my role. I can’t save anyone. All I can do is level the road so that a person’s view of Jesus is unobscured. Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed and all mankind together will see it.

The same is true for a church. We are to make sure that all things point to Jesus. We are to seek to fill in valleys, remove mountains, straighten crooked paths, and smooth rough roads in people’s lives so that they can clearly see the glory and salvation of God. Then when they see God’s salvation, they have to make the personal choice whether to receive it or not.

I love the fact that Luke 3:6 says that all mankind will see God’s salvation. God will make sure that His salvation is seen…if not through us or through our church, then through someone else or some other avenue of revelation. God’s heartbeat is for the world. And the birth of Jesus is to be good news of great joy that will be for all the people (2:10).

How are we doing at Sayre Woods in filling in valleys, removing mountains, straightening crooked paths and smoothing rough roads? I wonder. I guess the answer to that question depends in large part on how I am doing in my own life. How is my testimony? How is my ministry? How is my integrity? How are my relationships?

Let us pray that God uses us more and more to prepare the way for the Lord so that more and more people can see His glory.

This support group for anyone struggling with life’s battles, relational difficulties or the bondage of addictive habits is on Fridays, 7:30-8:30pm. The group meets in Room 102 in the CE building. For more info, send an email to overcomers@sayrewoods.org.