The Cost of Discipleship

By Newcomb

As used in Biblical Parable

We will study one of the often misunderstood parables,
(PARABLES OF THE UN-COMMITTED) Luke 14,26

Just what did He mean by the word HATE? (Did Jesus hate His mother?)

Under what conditions and for what reason did he make this statement?

We will share answers from the Bible. (Comparing Scripture with Scripture.)

Finally, we look to Jesus for proof.  This exercise will prove helpful when like questions need Biblical answers.

We will be doing what He wanted us to do. RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE Word: (2 Tim14; 15-16)  “Try hard to show yourself worthy of God’s approval, as a laborer who need not be ashamed, be straightforward in your proclamation of the truth.”

FIRST:        WHAT IS A HYPERBOLE?

Demystified, Hyperbole is a part of speech. An exaggeration like an inflated adjective! It may be used in fun, for emphasis or attention.  Properly used, it is recognized as an over- blown, impossible statement.  The hearer must not think it to be the truth or just an exaggeration. To properly understand the sense of the sentence, one must take away the recognized exaggeration.

There are many examples in our every day speech.  Many times preceded by the word <so>

I am SO tired; I could sleep for a week!      Meaning, I am very; very tired.  I waited all day for you!  I Waited too long

II am SO hungry, I could eat a horse.         Meaning, I am very, very hungry. I thought you would never come! Where were you?)

Expect to find lots of hyperbole in poetry, hymns, psalms and love letters. You are the prettiest girl in the world.

Expect to find lots of hyperbole in advertising!  Example: I’d walk a mile for a Camel!

I’D RATHER PUSH A HARLEY, THAN RIDE A ‘Rice Burner.  (Foreign import)

Front page of current NEWSWEEK-------- (KILLING GRANDMA) ------------------------- (We are all Socialists now!) ETC

In each of these several examples both parties, speaker and listener, know that these are not true statements nor are they lies or are they misrepresentations.  The hyperbole may act like an inside joke that both parties enjoy.

MIS USE OF THE HYPERBOLE

When one party is led to believe that the hype is fact or has disguised what is only exaggeration

When a lie is passed off as exaggeration.  This can be very subtle and dishonest.  All transactions can be distorted and become fraudulent.

Second: CONVERSATION

“THE END OF CONVERSATION IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD”

CONVERSATION IS: The dialogue between two who vocally share, in turn, ideas on the same subject.  Every effort is made for perfect understanding. There is no deception of any kind.  Both are using word vocabularies both know well, including the local idiom and parts of common speech. This is reinforced by body language and local emphasis, this is imperfect at best.

NOTE: I have kept this piece at an eighth-grade level, using simple construction but it is West coast USA English.  Most Bible references are from the New English Bible, now a generation old.

Third: the (hate) parables of the UN committed

Text follows:  Luke 14:25-27 God First

Once when great crowds were accompanying him, he turned to them and said: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life, he cannot be a disciple of mine.  No one who does not carry his cross and come with me can be a disciple of mine.  (This acted to screen out the merely curious follower.)

Luke 14: 27-31 Example One, Loss of Face

Would any of you think of building a tower without first sitting down and calculating the cost, to see whether he could afford to finish it? Otherwise. If he has laid its foundation and then is not able to complete it, all the onlookers will laugh at him.  “There is the man” they will say,  “ Who started to build and could not finish.”

Luke 14: 30-31 Example Two, Loss of men

Or what KING WILL MARCH TO BATTLE AGAINST ANOTHER King, without first sitting down to consider with ten thousand men he can face an enemy coming to meet him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, long before the enemy approaches, he sends envoys, and asks for terms.  So also none of you can be a disciple of mine without parting with all his possessions.

EPILOGUE

Place these parables with the others that Jesus taught on his last march up to Jerusalem.  Essentially he is already carrying his cross as he anticipates his death.  Thousands follow him.  Not many including his chosen few, have a clue of what waits at their journey’s end

 With two exceptions, those thousands who followed Moses died in the desert. Now we know that all of these were to die as well. Like Peter, they will leave everything.  Most of this has been taught before and probably to the bulk of this crowd.

Notice: that Jesus has halted, turned away from his disciples, to speak to this great crowd. He instructs them with these                   statements: Here he defines total commitment, stamps it with extreme hyperbole, HATE (THE ANTHESIS OF love.) He has stopped them in their tracks, grabbed their complete attention, (and OUR’s, through the years.)

This is perhaps the best use of hyperbole.  I.e. Attention.

A number of Parables repeat and reinforce this theme.  Leaving all others and all possessions for Jesus.

His disciple must move in His shadow, forsaking all else and all others, holding the Father God, Supreme, with each part of one’s being.  This is the theme throughout Holy Scripture. (Jesus faced this in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He set the example for us all.

That is, Only God is worshiped, Loved most, and Obeyed completely. (That is not hyperbole!)

HERE, WE ADDRESS THE KEY WORD (HATE)

Hate is the hyperbole.  The word we must remove to understand Jesus’ instructions. Now we test our choice by looking at our meaning and use of the word, and using the Bible, LEARN how JESUS LOVED OR HATED His Mother, Mary.                      

              -----------------------                             ----------------------------                            -----------------------------

Let us first ask ourselves how we use the word Hate when we appear to act hateful, uncaring and demeaning to family and friends.

When a son places love of Country FIRST, his mother cries yet knows he must place his Mother second.

When children marry, they vow to forsake all others and cling only to this spouse till death separates them.

Mothers and others cry, they know that the new bride has taken first place forever.

Eternal life (Kingdom of Heaven) is the reward promised when Jesus is given First place in ones life. All else, all family, all property and belongings are disposable.  We cannot love both! We cannot worship both.

But here are no tears of sorrow, when family members take second place to God*

(Please refer to the parable of the lost sheep). Luke 15: 3-32

There is rejoicing in Heaven when one makes this commitment to God. *This is the faith that makes a family a family forever. nw

(FROM AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL),

“WHO MORE THAN SELF, THEIR COUNTRY LOVED

AND MERCY MORE THAN LIFE”

This is NOT hyperbole! The Soldier’s life is expendable as is the Committed Christian’s.

If you have examined these very real conditions, probably having lived through them yourselves, you are close to understanding Jesus, as he speaks of HATE.

A personal note; I HATED TO LEAVE MOTHER, SEND BACK MY CIVILIAN CLOTHES, AND REPORT FOR WAR DUTY. But I was proud of my uniform and so was she. She placed a star in the window for me. We had our priorities straight .God First, Country second, family third, myself last. I only appeared to hate my mother.  I only appeared to hate my life.

Jesus Loved his mother and died for her too.           Jesus cared for His mother and provided for her at His death

The Bible says this about Jesus and His Mother Mary and His father GOD

Bible Text #3 Below   Luke 2: 39-52

When they had done everything prescribed in the law of the LORD, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.  The child grew big and strong and full of wisdom; and God’s favor was upon him.

     Now it was the practice of his parents to go to Jerusalem every year for the Passover Festival; and when he was twelve, they made the pilgrimage as usual.  When the festive season was over and they started for home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know of this; but thinking that he was with the party they journeyed on for a whole day; and only then did they begin looking for him among their friends and relations. As they could not find him they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. And after three days they found him sitting in the temple surrounded by the teachers, listening to them and putting questions.  And all who heard Him were amazed at his intelligence and the answers he gave.  His parents were astonished to see him there and his mother said my son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety. “What made you search?” He said.” Did you not know that I was bound to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he meant.

Then he went back with them to Nazareth, and continued to be under their authority.  His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.  As Jesus grew up he advanced in wisdom and in favor with God and men.

Bible Text #4 John 2:1-12

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana-in-Galilee.  The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples were guests also.

The wine gave out, so Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.”  He answered, “Your concern, mother, is not mine.  My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.”  There were six stone water-jars standing near, of the kind Used for Jewish rites of purification; each held from twenty to thirty gallons.  Jesus said to the servants, “ fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim.  “Now draw some off”, he ordered, ‘and take it to the steward of the feast, and they did so.  The steward tasted the water now turned into wine, not knowing its source, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.  He hailed the bridegroom and said, “Everyone serves the best wine first, and waits until the guests have drunk freely before serving the poorer sort. But you have kept the best wine till now.’

This deed at Cana-in-Galilee is the is the first of the signs by which Jesus revealed his glory and led his disciples to believe in him

After this he went down to Capernaum. In company with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples.

Bible Text #\5 Luke:8 18-21

Take care,then, how you listen, for the man who has will be given more, and the man who has not will forfeit even what he thinks he has.

His mother and his brothers arrived but could not get to him for the crowd.  He was told, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, and they want to see you.” He replied,  ‘my mother and my brothers---they are those who hear rhe word of God and act upon it.’

Bible Text #6 19: 26-27

Meanwhile near the cross where Jesus hung stood his mother, with her sister, Mary wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala; Jesus saw His mother, with the disciple whom he loved, standing beside her.  He said to her,” Mother, there is your son.” And to the disciple, ”There is your mother”.  And from that moment the disciple took her into his home.

These texts tell us how Jesus interacted with his own mother. I see him consistently keeping God first and placing no one or nothing before God, at all costs. (Remember, it did not please Christ to die.)  I believe from Bible texts, that Jesus loved and cared for his mother from day one on through this request from the cross. He lived out his life without HATE, even for those yelling ”Crucify him!”

Without further question, JESUS’ HATE IS Hyperbole.  His life and ours fall into place when we recognize this hyperbole for what it is.

The word LOVE IS USED MORE OFTEN AS AN HYPERBOLE THAN IS the word HATE

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newcomb