Matthew 10:37-39 37The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And the one who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life for my sake will find it.
This passage is challenging because it must be understood in the broad context of Jesus’ teachings and the whole of the Bible. Jesus gives two examples of the need for commitment to his call to follow. The first is a matter of placing family in the right place in our lives. Of course, God wants us to love our family, but our family cannot replace God. The key thought is found in the phrase more than me. In some cultural contexts, families put a huge amount of pressure upon members to conform to expectations. Family is shamed into obedience, often with fear of punishment and even death. When such fear is engrained since childhood, it can be very challenging to break free. In such situations, a person may even risk his or her life to follow Jesus. One of the most challenging areas to be a witness for Jesus and live out one’s faith is in family.
Second, Jesus makes the cost personal. Verse 38 is a veiled reference to the method of his own death that his disciples could later reflect on. Death on Roman crosses were common enough. The crucifixions were done in public places where the shame, death, and decay could be seen by others as a warning. Carrying one’s own cross beam to the public place was a walk of shame, disgrace, and great pain. The disciples would know about this image. They would have to make a choice that could lead them to such a death.
The third example addresses the endless human search for meaning, purpose, and value. Sadly, in this search, people often get lost in the deceit of the world. They think they have found “life” in material comforts only to discover that these comforts end up controlling them and leading to deep emptiness. People’s minds are creative and the devil is slick, so people will replace the worship of God with the worship of various idols. True life–meaning and purpose now and hope for eternity–is found only in Jesus who is Life.
To be worthy of Jesus requires that we come to the point of total consecration, even death in martyrdom. This level of faith is all consuming and radical, but it is the narrow path of the kingdom. Jesus is explaining to his disciples the radicalness of following him. The cost is not cheap. He laid his life down for us with the promise eternal life. We must lay our lives down for him because we have the assurance and believe that his promise is true.
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