Family units were much tighter in ancient times than now, as a matter of survival. Parents depended on children, and family members of many generations lived together. Sons would continue their father’s profession as a matter of course and you certainly always remained loyal to the family deities or religion. Jesus knew that his invitation meant that people would have to break away from family beliefs and habits and that this would cause family members to disown each other. Jesus did not want to break up families but he knew it would be inevitable. So he warns those who would accept his invitation to count the cost before ‘switching kingdoms’. Jesus knew that accepting him as king would break family allegiances. This is not an excuse for resenting parents or rejecting family members. It is the simple acknowledgement of an inevitability that would exist in that culture and continues to exist in many cultures where family loyalty involves a religious dimension. The point for us to take away is this. To accept Jesus you have to be willing to risk other relationships. We should do everything we can to preserve relationships. We should not be abrasive or insensitive in how we communicate our faith. But to follow Jesus, you have to be willing for people to reject you for your choice of life, even the people closest to you. Many people cannot bear to risk being rejected by others. They try to avoid this by keeping their faith ‘private’. But Jesus compels us to be a light to others; and sometimes light is not welcome.
Are you willing to risk being rejected by others on account of your faith?
Read Luke 14:25-35
