Tis the Season to Follow Jesus

Once again we come to Christmas Eve—that seemingly magical night when Santa travels the world bringing gifts to children. Adults may think they have a clearer understanding of the holiday, but sadly that is not evident. As I was standing in line at the grocery store yesterday (two days before Christmas), I had several minutes to observe the people all waiting to pay for their goodies, many of whom obviously were rushed. These days we don’t have to look at the people in the line because they’ve installed televisions in every line, no doubt enticing us to find that last-minute item on the list; ‘tis the season, right?

Luke 14:33 says, “In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not say good-bye to all his possessions cannot be My disciple” (The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003). The voice of Jesus in this passage is a blow to the commercial portrayal of a baby who seemingly inspired our notion of giving gifts in celebrating his birthday. Somehow even Christians have gotten sucked into the race for gifts. Is this possession obsession limited to Christmas or even to our culture? It would seem the answer is no. Jesus’ speaks to all generations and cultures, and he’s drawing a line in the sand: true followers will let it all go.

Our problem is our tendency to cling tightly to material treasures or even human relationships. Jesus in verse 26 says “if anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.” Nolland (2002) writes that the shocking word ‘hate’ is a classic expression of exaggeration where Jesus uses the word hate to connote unrestricted “freedom of action” as one is released from “ties that bind.” Nolland explains that Luke is emphasizing Jesus’ expectation that necessarily includes voluntary divestiture of all that encumbers the true disciple. He expects the follower of Jesus to live free from all human burdens and instead focus on total discipleship—including relinquishing all rights to a comfortable life on earth (Nolland, John. Word Biblical Commentary: Luke 9:21-18:34. Dallas: Word, Inc., 2002. Vol. 35B, p. 762-764). As J. Vernon McGee puts it, “These verses are simply saying that we should put God first. A believer’s devotedness to Jesus Christ should be such that, by comparison, it looks as if everything else is hated” (McGee, J. V. Thru the Bible Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997. Vol. 4, p. 311).

So, is Jesus saying we must own nothing at all or to act viciously towards our friends and family? I would say no, for even in the context Jesus is not arguing that his follower be a hateful person. “A disciple must subordinate all earthly relationships to loyalty to Christ. Hate does not mean to bear ill will, but to choose Christ over all others” (Spirit Filled Life Study Bible. electronic ed., Lk 14:26. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997). Thus, returning to verse 33, I believe the context instructs a true disciple to “say goodbye” and live with no strings attached to this world. When a Christian operates in this mode, that person will be generous, self-sacrificing, and passionate about God’s kingdom. They will also not retaliate when wronged, and will trust God for everything they need in this life and in eternity. Let those who claim to follow Jesus demonstrate detachment and show the world the true meaning of Christmas.