Tomorrow is the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost. As far as I know, the Gospel reading will be from Luke 14:25–33. This passage can be difficult for us to fully understand. Let’s read it from both The New International Version (NIV) and The New Living Translation (NLT).
The Cost of Being a Disciple
The Cost of Being a Disciple
~~~ Here's a reading from The New International Version (NIV):
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
~~~ Following is a reading from The New Living Translation (NLT):
A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
“Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
Summary of Luke 14:25–33
Jesus told the large crowds that following Him is not easy or casual.
- A true disciple must love Him more than family, possessions, or even life itself.
- They must be ready to “carry their cross” — which means accepting sacrifice, suffering, or hard choices for His sake.
- Like a builder who calculates the cost before starting a tower, or a king who counts his soldiers before battle, anyone who wants to follow Jesus must first consider the cost.
- In the end, discipleship means surrendering everything to Christ — but the treasure gained is far greater than what is given up.
In short: Jesus teaches that discipleship is serious, costly, and total — but worth everything.
~ ~ ~
A Short Story: The Cross in the Heart (in simple English)
Once there was a farmer named Wei who lived in a quiet village with his wife and two children. He loved them very much, and he worked hard in his fields every day.
One afternoon, Wei found a bright golden scroll buried under a stone. On the scroll were words that said:
“Follow me. I will give you a treasure greater than gold. But you must love me more than family, more than work, more than your own life. Carry your cross, and walk with me.”
Wei felt joy in his heart, but also fear. How could he love anyone more than his own family? What did it mean to “carry a cross”?
That night he told his wife and children. They worried he might leave them. Wei hugged them and said, “No, I will not leave you. Carrying the cross does not mean holding wood on my back every day. It means choosing to do what is right, even when it is hard.”
The next day, his neighbors laughed at him. “Why waste time praying? You could be working more!” Wei smiled kindly instead of answering in anger. He whispered to himself, “This is my cross today.”
Later, he gave food to a poor widow, though it meant his family had less to eat. He told his children, “This is another cross—but Christ gives us greater treasure.”
When quarrels came at home, he was the first to forgive. “Carrying the cross also means loving and forgiving,” he explained.
Little by little, his wife and children saw that Wei’s heart was changing. Though life was still hard, there was new peace in their home. They understood at last: carrying the cross meant putting Christ first, and in doing so, their love for each other grew stronger too.
~ ~ ~
Lesson: Carrying the cross is not about holding heavy wood. It means choosing Jesus first every day—even when it is hard—and trusting Him to give us greater treasure than anything we give up.
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相關文章 (See also)：
1) 鄭牧師來路加堂主禮及講道 (2023)
2) The Day of Pentecost, 2025 (2025)
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