What You Talkin' Bout Jesus?

Have you ever had a moment in your life where you were completely dumfounded at the words someone said? You get that blank expression on your face that can best be summed up by an emoji like this -_- and you are completely caught off guard by those words? In the Bible, Jesus had a tendency to rattle off sentences that left people completely dumfounded by what He said. Some were so impressed that they gave a blank expression, others thought the words He spoke were so ridiculous that they shot off blank stares. Jesus' words are nothing short of abnormal. But isn't that a characteristic every Christian should have? To be abnormal? In Luke 14, Jesus says something that has always caught me off guard. It seems so contradictory that I can't help but give a dumfounded stare when I read it:

"Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he (Jesus) 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.'"

Luke 14:25-26

This verse has always made me a little uneasy. I would read it with wide eyes, while the voice in my head would conform to a Gary Coleman tone, "What you talkin' bout Jesus?" I mean, you want me to HATE my family that you have given me to LOVE? I don't understand! 

Recently, with all of the news being on the crisis going on in Syria, my eyes have been opened to this passage like never before. Something that some people may not know about the fiasco in Syria and even Egypt, is that Christians are being targeted. One of the oldest churches in existence was burned down a few weeks ago in Syria. Thousands upon thousands of Egyptian and Syrian Christians are being martyred. These are places where having any other belief system other than believing in Muhammad is the equivalent of signing your own death sentence. Becoming a believer in Jesus Christ is like a slap in the face to your family members in these countries. How dare you betray our family name, is what most new converts hear from their muslim families. Families take this new found belief in Jesus as a sign of betrayal and HATRED.   

The definition of hatred is, "felling intense or passionate dislike toward someone or something." Jesus isn't saying that we should "hate" our families, but what he is saying is something that may turn your world inside out. Jesus is more accurately asking "Do you love me more than your family? Do you love me more than your wife? How about your children?" In the race of life, Jesus shouldn't be lined up on the starting blocks with our family, wife, children, etc. Jesus should be the only one on the track. Jesus isn't just asking for first place, He is asking for there to be no second place. 

In biblical times, it is pretty safe to assume that following Jesus would be like a sign of betrayal to your family, considering that the Sanhedrin (religious rulers of the Jews) were trying to KILL Jesus. The Pharisees and Sadducees had a great deal of impact on what the Jewish community believed. They turned to them for advice. So following Jesus during this time could have been a decision to disappoint your family for the approval of Jesus.

It is so hard for me to think of having to seemingly betray my family for what I believe is the only thing that matters in life. I am so blessed to have a believing family! My family has provided for me, and cared for me all of my life, and to have them think that I am betraying them would break my heart. With that in mind, can you imagine what believers in muslim countries have to go through when they break it to their family (that has cared and nurtured them since birth) that they are denouncing Islam (the family religion that the family takes so much pride in) for Christianity (what muslims to be considered to be blasphemy). The new believers family is out raged and disgusted. Some families actually kill their family member that has become a new believer. 

It is reported that in a small muslim community, a young man became a follower of Jesus. He told his family; they were outraged and went to the elders of the village. They tied this young believer up, put him on a boat, and went out to sea. Tying a rock to the ropes that enchained him, the man was thrown off of the boat. For several minutes the young man was submerged under water with no way out. Finally, the tortures pulled the man out and resuscitated him, getting the water out his lungs. Once the young man was breathing again, the tortures asked him to deny his faith, "No. I will not." was his response. Again, he was thrown off of the boat, drowning, until the tortures pulled him, repeating the process of resuscitation. Again, the young believer was asked to denounce Christianity, and again the young man replied with a resounding "no". A third time the process happened, and a third time the young man drowned and was resuscitated, and a third time he refused to deny Jesus. The outraged muslim tortures took the boat back to shore, untied the young man, and was forced to leave the village, never to see his family who felt hated and betrayed again. 

"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."

I ask you today, is Jesus your number 1? There are believers all around the world that this verse is very real to. It would be very ignorant of us today to ignore it. Jesus is not calling us to despise our family, but to put him so much farther ahead of our earthly relationships that there is no one else on the track to compete for first place except for Him. We have to put Jesus back on the thrones of our lives. Even if that means removing our families from the top.

Imagine a husband puts his wife's picture in the front flap of his wallet. When he opens it, thats the first thing that he sees. His wife thinks its sweet... Until she finds out that behind her picture in his wallet, are the pictures of the last 4 girlfriends that her husband had before her. She would not take this very well at all, I imagine. She is not content with just being first in his life, she wants to be the only. Jesus is not in the game of sharing your affection. He wants your whole heart. There is obviously nothing wrong with loving and  caring for your family, that is part of God's design. The question and the problem is this, "Does your family take the place of God?

Is Jesus your one of many, or your one and only? 

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God." 

Psalm 42:1