THE DEMANDS OF DISCIPLESHIP

 

Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Scriptural Texts: Wisdom 9:13-18b, Philemon 9b-10.12-17, Luke 14:25-33

The instructions we find in today’s gospel reading were given within the context of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. In that gospel passage, we read that great multitudes accompanied Jesus and he turned and offered them some specific conditions they needed to fulfill in order to become his disciples. The first thing that Jesus tells them is that if any one comes to him and does not hate his own father, and mother, and wife and children and brother and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be his disciple (Luke 14:25-26). The second instruction is that they should carry their cross and follow him (Luke 14:27), and the third is that they must give up all possessions in order to be his disciples (Luke 14:33). When looked at literally or from a purely human perspective, these conditions are very disturbing and even raise a lot of questions. How can Jesus, the same person who told us to love even our enemies be telling us to hate our family members? Does Jesus contradict himself?

Obviously, we should not literally hate our families in order to be disciples of Jesus; following Jesus involves loving both God and neighbor (Matt. 22:39, Luke 10:25–27) and to honor our father and mother is one of the commandments of the Law (Matthew 19:19). By asking us to hate our family members, Jesus does not mean that we should harbor extremely negative emotions against our family members. The word hate as used here means to love less, to put aside or to break away from something or someone. What Jesus implies is that becoming his disciple may often entail loving one’s family, one’s goods and even one’s life less. It is more an action than an emotion.

Jesus means that he who comes after him should consider it a high priority and calling, and one’s family is of lower importance. Becoming a disciple of Jesus often calls for a certain form of radicalism and detachment from the things and persons we hold dear especially those that are hindering us from being good disciples of Jesus. By asking us to hate family members, Jesus is telling us that no family relationship can take precedence over our commitment to him. The call to follow Jesus as his disciples should stand above personal and family ties. Jesus must always come first.

By that instruction, Jesus is inviting us to love less everything and everyone that stands between us and our call to follow him; from everything and everyone that hinders us from responding actively to his call to holiness and discipleship. For instance, our negative addictions, the friends who influence us negatively as well as the things or persons that lead us into sin. By using family terminologies to describe the persons we need to hate, Jesus wants to tell us that in order to be his disciples, we should be willing to give up whatever it takes including the persons we value so much. Becoming a disciple of Jesus means that we have to make the sometimes hard or uncomfortable decision to stand firm in our commitment to be obedient to our faith.

Following Jesus is not an easy ride; it is a daring feat. The Christian life is a journey in which crosses are to be encountered and sacrifices are to be made. Following Jesus comes with a cost. That is why Jesus tells us that if we do not carry our crosses daily and follow him, we cannot be his disciples. We must be ready to carry our crosses and not only that, we must also be ready to lose everything to follow Jesus. The call to discipleship is a call to detachment from personal values and possessions, and a life of sacrifice.

These are heavy demands and anyone who chooses to become a follower of Jesus must weigh the matter seriously lest he/she falls back later. This is the main point of the two parables we find inserted in today’s gospel (Luke 14:28-32). We pray for the grace to be prepared to follow Jesus.