The wages of bearing a heavy cross, joy abounds Luke, 14:25-33

The wages of bearing a heavy cross, joy abounds Luke, 14:25-33

Becoming a disciple of Jesus is often faced with controversial phenomena or teachings.  Not infrequently what Jesus taught did not make sense to the people in His environment.  Including how to become His disciples as narrated in today's Gospel.

 Loving parents in the books of wisdom is a virtue that every child should do.  Loving and respecting parents is not just an invitation but this is a command and obligation so that children get happiness.  Likewise with loving husband, wife and children.

 But Jesus taught something that seemed to contradict the teachings of this wisdom.  Jesus said, if a man comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers or sisters, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

 Isn't this a harsh teaching?  This is not a popular teaching, because if you hate your parents and family you can be said to be a disobedient child.

 Did Jesus teach His disciples to be disobedient?  If that's what Jesus taught, it's unlikely that Jesus had disciples.  So what did Jesus want?

 There are two types of parents in teaching their children.  First, parents teach their children to develop into mature and independent children.  And secondly, parents who love their children so much that all their desires are fulfilled, and this actually makes the child always dependent and attached to the parents or anyone asked by the parents to take care of this child.

 This second child development, which most parents do not want.  I believe many parents expect their children to grow up to be mature and independent, not dependent on their parents.

 Love that causes dependence will inhibit a person's growth and development.  Likewise, love attached to worldly things will hinder the development of one's faith.

 What Jesus wants to teach in today's Gospel story is that whoever loves Him, no more than his love for those closest to him, is not worthy of being His disciple.  That is, loving Jesus must be greater and total than loving those closest to him.  Parents and family symbolize what is closest to a person and to him the most deserving of the greatest love.

 This is what Jesus expected of His disciples.  The disciples are required to love God totally.  Don't let his love for individuals or for certain things actually hinder his love for God.  This total love for God is finally shared with the closest people, to work or to anyone and anything.

 Is it heavy?

 It's really hard, but that's what being a disciple of Jesus is like.  We must have the courage to bear the heavy cross to have abundant joy.  Success in building faith and victory in inner warfare will bring deep joy to us.

As Christians, life after death is an eternity. Everyone will experience death, everyone will experience the end of life. God will Provide Salvation.

As Christians, life after death is an eternity. Everyone will experience death, everyone will experience the end of life. God will Provide Salvation.

Humans are not immortal, consciously or not we must have thought about what actually happens after death.  Life after death has always been a mystery of human questions throughout history.  There are many reviews related to this because it concerns about humans, about us.  This struggle will never end until we experience it ourselves.

As Christians, life after death is an eternity.  God's promise of salvation will be fulfilled then.  Everyone will experience death, everyone will experience the end of life.  We too are waiting for the second coming of Christ in glory.  That's when the end of the world, we are all taken into eternity.  God's promise of salvation always applies to us, as long as we are faithful to God.

The Pharisees asked about the Kingdom of God.  Their concept of the Kingdom of God is only limited to a place that is limited by space and time.  So they asked when and how the kingdom of God would come.  May the questions they ask because of hearing Jesus preach about the Kingdom of God.  The whole life and work of Jesus was to proclaim the Kingdom of God.  But not fully grasped by those who heard Him.

Jesus' answer is surprising because it reverses the concept of the Pharisees asking Him.  They understand that the Kingdom of God is still far away and lies far away.  And Jesus' answer is because verily the kingdom of God is among you.  The kingdom of God is present right now, among us, not far away.  The kingdom of God is present in our lives, concrete lives.  We just don't know and don't realize because He comes without signs and without warning.

The coming of the Kingdom of God means the coming of salvation.  If the kingdom of God is among us, then we enter the circle of God's salvation.  Our presence anywhere and anytime is also the presence of the Kingdom of God.  So actually we also have a safety dimension, have a duty to bring salvation to many people.  If our lives save, then the Kingdom of God is present among us.  If the presence of others brings salvation, the Kingdom of God is present in it.

The life of faith is not a matter of the future but a matter of the present where we live and are.  So our lives become so important, this is where our battlefield is.  It is our life that becomes the field of faith struggle, the life that is now not the future.  If faith is living, then our lives come alive in faith.  It means to live in safety.  Let us strive to always live in faith.  Only when we live are we able to manifest our faith.