THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: - Vital Christianity

104Discipleship involves cross-bearing (Lk 14:27) does not refer to our common troubleswhich we all share as human beings some think they are bearing their cross every time they havea headache. Rather our cross means the trouble, the difficulties, we would not have if we werenot a Christian. “To take up our cross” is the extent to which we are to carry our devotion toChrist—our willingness to be inconvenienced, uncomfortable, stretched in our faith, that is, ourwillingness do His will no matter what.Physical DeathThe cross speaks of death. Does that mean that we Christians must suffer death if wefollow Christ? Obviously not, since most Christians live relatively long lives and die of naturalcauses like most people. However, there are 150,000 Christians who die each year around theworld because of their faith. Since the period of the early church, millions have given their verylives for Christ. This is why we have the motto:“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”Extreme HardshipsYet the number of martyrs throughout the centuries is relatively small compared to thewhole population of Christians who have lived. Therefore death may also mean the extremehardships we suffer because of our allegiance to Christ.Today we are told there are 200 million believers who live in countries where they sufferhardships for their beliefs, from discrimination to imprisonments, to beatings and everyimaginable kind of torture.Death to SelfSince death does not always mean a literal death, or even extreme hardships such asimprisonment and torture, death also means a death of our own desires and ambitions, that is,willingness to give up everything—which may, or may not, result in physical death.Death of our own desires and ambitions does mean sacrifice and suffering. Sacrifice andsuffering, of course, take many forms. In the passage before us it may mean financial andfamilial sacrifice. Jesus uses vivid hyperbole, exaggeration, to point out that we must love Jesus