Jesus' call to hate family in Luke 14

Something that's always haunted me as I seek to take Jesus seriously has been his call to hate family, as in Luke  14: 26.  I've often not been able to access his message.  Why would he say this?  Because he thinks families are dumb?  Because he secretly means something else?

I read this yesterday morning and just have to share it, because it helped me.  Maybe it will help you too.  It can be found in the book The Politics of Jesus By John Howard Yoder, page 45.  Referring to this verse, he writes:

Modern psychologizing interpretation of Jesus has been bothered largely with whether the word hate here should be taken seriously or not.  This is certainly to miss the point of the passage.  The point is rather that in a society characterized by very stable, religiously under-girded family ties, Jesus is here calling into being a community of voluntary commitment, willing for the sake of its calling to take upon itself the hostility of the given society.  

So it seems that Jesus used an extreme statement to highlight the extremity of his way... the way of the cross.  If I take the opposite of his statement, I must learn to love belonging to his family, whether it means departing from earthly God-given family or social outcast or death.  Why should I love this?  Because there is nothing better than being a part of the family of God.

So last night Amber and I got to watch a movie.  Time for things like that is tight right now so it was a true joy to sit together.  And afterward, we watched more things.  In the middle of watching more things, Amber checked her Facebook feed (a common occurrence).  On one of our staff's profiles, was posted this misspelled line: "It's Friiidaayyyy..."  Of course, Amber wrote back: "But Sundayyys COMIN!"

If you don't get it, I have two words for you:
1) Easter
2) Tony

If you still don't get it, you simply have to watch this video!  This should take you to minute 54 out of 61 where Tony Campolo starts in on Friday/Sunday.

For the whole sermon, just watch it here.  I love this guy!

More from my nifty Baptist Bible Hour app...

Youth and Old Age

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart - 2 Timothy 2:22

Youthful lusts are not limited to physical attraction. They include excessive desires for popularity, acceptance, worldly success, or academic achievement.

The lusts that Paul warns us against are any of the short-sighted cravings of youth for personal pleasure or gain, rather than for personal godliness. Youthful lusts include any hunger or ambition that distracts from our pursuit of true righteousness, faith, charity, and peace.

Interestingly, Paul is not content with our fleeing youthful lusts; he commands us, alternatively, to pursue hard after (the word follow is very strong in the original language) a pure-hearted devotion to God. We will not experience the vibrant, joyful, fulfilling Christian life until we are not only trying to avoid sin but are also seeking after Christ.

And one of the greatest encouragements for people as they pursue Christ is to follow after Him with those that call on the Lord themselves out of a pure heart. Good friends are a great help to the Christian life, and are especially crucial when you are young.

So, young people, remember to flee away from sinful temptations, follow after Christ as your Lord, and look for good friends who will pursue Christ with you.

Also posted on Bethany Birches Blog - http://bethanybirches.org/blog/2012/01/youthful_lust/

Comfort - relational God

This is from a daily devotional app I have on my phone - Baptist Bible Hour. I appreciated it this morning and thought I'd share it. It highlights the possibility that our God is one who is willing to pursue personal relationship with all of his children.
Comfort

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God - Isaiah 40:1

Have you ever noticed that parental tendency to repeat important words or phrases to our children, especially in a moment of crisis? "It's okay, it's okay"... "don't be scared, don't be scared"... "be careful, be careful."

It may be partially due to the assumption that the child is not at first listening to us, especially if some other loud or frightening object has temporarily captured his or her attention. But it may also result from our desire to plant our words firmly into their minds and hearts in the midst of the crisis.

Similarly, God speaks here in order to comfort His people in the midst of their otherwise frightening surroundings: comfort ye, comfort ye. He purposefully impresses upon us the fact that His message is not one of alarm, but of consolation.

And perhaps the most comforting words of all are found in the two phrases that follow: "my people" and "your God." God assures us that we are no less His when we are trembling under some terrible trial, and that He is still our God when our feelings may betray us and tell us otherwise.

No matter the loud or frightening trial that you may be facing, no matter the fear or discouragement that you may be feeling, listen carefully to these comforting words from your heavenly Father: "you are still mine, and I am still yours." It's okay. It's okay.