Introduction
Jesus is resolutely on the road to Jerusalem. Ever since Luke 9:51 (“he set his face to go to Jerusalem”) everything has moved toward the cross. Along the way, crowds have gathered, curious about his teaching and his miracles, perhaps hopeful that he is a messiah who will bring political victory, social change or traditional security, or even just a bit of inspiration for their daily lives.
But Jesus keeps pressing them to see that following him will not be an easy journey. Earlier in Luke (9:23), he had already said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” In today’s passage, he raises the intensity. He confronts not only the committed disciples but also the large crowds who have tagged along. He is not interested in shallow enthusiasm. He wants them to understand the cost.
I start this way by introduction to say, we cannot pull our punches with this text. Luke is consistently building an argument here that discipleship is a choice. So, let’s get into it a little more.
Narrative Development
Jesus’ words here sound extreme: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” Hate here is not an emotional rejection but a rhetorical emphasis on choosing to follow this path. Allegiance to Jesus must surpass even the most binding social ties. Discipleship reorders family, possessions, and even one’s own sense of self.
He adds: “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” For Jesus’ first hearers, the cross was not yet a symbol of faith, it was an instrument of execution, a sign of shame and state violence. To “carry the cross” was to walk a death march. Even for Luke’s community 50 years later, the cross was maybe a symbol of resistance but still a symbol of the force of the empire. Jesus is telling his followers plainly: this path will look like losing, it will cost you everything, and it will reshape your very life.
Then come the parables. The builder counts the cost before laying a foundation. The king considers his odds before going to war. The surface lesson seems practical: don’t start what you cannot finish. But in the mouth of Jesus, they become warnings. Discipleship is not a casual endeavor. Reckon with what it requires before you say yes.
Finally, Jesus finishes with, “So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” Here possessions are not only material goods but anything that anchors us in a self-secure life. To follow Jesus is to let go of everything we use to protect ourselves and to live instead from God’s generosity.
This passage is unsettling. But that is the point. Jesus is not trying to thin the crowd for the sake of exclusivity. He is naming the radical transformation discipleship demands.
Anticipating the Wrong Ending
So, why would these folks be here? What would compel so many of these folks to already walk away from so many things to follow this man? And if they have left so much, why does Jesus need to keep giving these warnings?
Some of the disciples (and certainly many in the crowd) have chosen this path with the wrong hopes. They expect Jesus to ignite a revolution, to overthrow Rome with force, to bring vengeance for years of oppression. Others may hope he will restore traditional power to Israel’s leaders, or secure for them a share in glory and influence. Others might just be following a charismatic leader because it makes them feel important or like they’re getting on at the ground floor of a popular movement. Military/revolutionary sacrifice, glory, and pride are all very prevalent in Greco-Roman cultures. It’s not a far leap for these crowds following Jesus to see the direction he’s heading and wondering if there’s glory to be found.
But Jesus will not be that kind of messiah. He is not marching to Jerusalem to seize a throne but to take up a cross. The revolution he brings is not one of violent overthrow but of suffering love. Those who follow him seeking power, vengeance, or security will find their expectations shattered, and that is exactly why Jesus insists that they count the cost before they go further with him.
Preaching Possibilities
Worshiping the Powerful Jesus
This is where the text presses directly into our own time. Many in America have also confused Jesus with a figure of worldly power. Some imagine the Christian movement as a march of strength, as though Jesus were a gun-toting commando ready to defend his people and crush our enemies by force. This vision of Christ turns discipleship into a pursuit of dominance. A way to secure our culture, our nation, or our personal way of life through might.
But Jesus is not that kind of messiah. He does not bless violence or baptize our desires for control. He calls us instead to the way of the cross. A path that looks like weakness, loss, and vulnerability in the world’s eyes, but that is in fact the very power of God.
Preachers have the opportunity here to name how easy it is to follow Jesus for the wrong reasons: for the security of belonging to a powerful group, for the hope of winning cultural battles, or for the thrill of being on the “winning side.” But Jesus offers none of those outcomes. Instead, he offers transformation, the surrender of self-interest and the costly choice to live for God and neighbor.
This is a hard message, but it can also be deeply freeing. If discipleship is not about clinging to strength or control, then we are liberated to live differently: to forgive when others seek vengeance, to give generously when others cling tightly, to risk peace when others call for war. That kind of life may look like loss, but Jesus insists it is the only path to real life.
Discipleship is a Choice
One of the hardest things for us as people of faith is to recognize the difference between identity and response. Our identity as beloved children of God is not up for debate. God’s love, God’s grace, God’s mercy, those are givens. We cannot earn them, and we cannot lose them. That is the good news we cling to as Lutherans and Christians.
But discipleship is something different. Discipleship is a response. It is what we choose to do with the love we’ve been given. It’s the daily decision to let grace take root in us in such a way that it changes us.
It is entirely possible to go through life saying the right words, showing up in the right pews, even taking part in Christian activities and still remain unchanged at the core. The question Jesus presses us with is not whether we belong to God. That’s already settled. The question is whether belonging to God has made us new. Whether the love of Christ has shifted the way we see our neighbors, the way we use our resources, the way we forgive, the way we stand up for the vulnerable.
If our faith in Christ doesn’t move us, if it doesn’t disrupt our patterns or transform our priorities, then what are we here for? The grace of God is never static. It is dynamic, alive, and always calling us deeper.
So, discipleship becomes the space where we wrestle with choice.
Will we allow God’s grace to shape us, or will we cling to the old ways of self-preservation and control? Will we be content to say we are Christian, or will we take the risky step of actually being Christian in the way we live, act, and love?
Micah Krey 
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