Year 4, Day 223: Luke 14

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Discipleship Square

• D₂ is the step in the discipleship process where God builds character as we begin to help in God's work.  Often it involves us taking a good long look at ourselves and seeing what needs to be cut away.  Affectionately, this process is referred to as “the pit of despair” because when we see ourselves for who we really are it is easy to despair and feel like we’ll never get it right, we’ll never be right, and we’ll never be useful to God.  It is easy to feel like a failure in the pit of despair.

In this chapter of Luke, we have several difficult moments with Jesus.  First, Jesus is faced with choosing between not healing on the Sabbath – and while following the Law being branded an uncompassionate man – or healing on the Sabbath and breaking the Law.  I love that Jesus chooses compassion over Law.  I love that Jesus chooses mercy over strict adherence.  I love what this story teaches us about Jesus’ character and how he models that character for His disciples.

Jesus also gives us an interesting teaching.  Don’t sit at the head of the table.  Don’t invite the wealthy around you to dinner.  Hang out with the poor and in need.  Again we get to take a look at a story from Jesus where we can see character being built.  Who among us really has what it takes to intentionally hang around those who need us all the time?  Don’t we like to hang around those who can help us out or elevate us to a new position?  Do we really have what it takes to be obedient to God in this world?

Or take Jesus’ hard words about discipleship?  Whoever doesn’t leave family for me cannot be His disciple.  Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross cannot be Jesus’ disciple.  Whoever does not count the cost cannot be His disciple.  Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be Christ’s disciple.  Here we see the pit of despair, truly.  How many of us can live up to that teaching?  What do I have to change in my life to make that true about me?  That’s what discipleship is all about.

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