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Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
We are called to consider realistically the difficulty of what we are being asked to undertake for the sake of Jesus and for his Kingdom. We are being told, as Paul puts it, to work out our "salvation with fear and trembling". This is probably almost enough to make us want to give up. In terms of our human resources we are definitely outmatched in the battle. If we start this tower with only what our abilities and possessions it is probably going to end up just like it did at Babel. What we want to do, rather than fighting for ourselves and our egos independently of Jesus, is to find out what are his terms for peace. We must remember that the construction of the tower and the victorious life are not things we can accomplish. They are only possible for us to share through participation. To do so we must keep in mind that "God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work".
When we recognize the limits of our own efforts and abilities we will more frequently resist the temptation to fall back into operating at the level of the flesh rather than the Spirit, of settling for the merely human, when what we need is the assistance of divine grace.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.
It is not merely our own possessions that we must renounce but even our claim to our own lives. There must be nothing, not wealth, not even family, that we would choose over and against Jesus himself. No matter how necessary preferring the things of this world sometimes seems to us, doing so is to participate in the losing side of a battle, whose ending is already written and known to us. Family that does not have its foundations in Christ is destined to dissolve. Anything we strive to build, any legacy we hope to leave, apart from Christ, will ultimately prove to be an unfinished tower. This explains the why it is necessary to carry our own cross. It is not about self-hatred. Rather, it means that we must find our true place and discover our true purpose in Jesus himself, and nothing less. It requires us to share in the same attitude that was in Christ Jesus who humbled and emptied himself for our sakes. Put simply, it means consciously deciding to give God himself the first place in our lives and in our hearts.
The upshot is that, when we count the cost, and realize we can't pay, we can understand that we were never meant to do so. Jesus paid it all. We can't win the fight. But Jesus already has the victory. We must now put our pride aside so that he can manifest that victory in our own lives and make us "shine like lights in the world".
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
We are called to consider realistically the difficulty of what we are being asked to undertake for the sake of Jesus and for his Kingdom. We are being told, as Paul puts it, to work out our "salvation with fear and trembling". This is probably almost enough to make us want to give up. In terms of our human resources we are definitely outmatched in the battle. If we start this tower with only what our abilities and possessions it is probably going to end up just like it did at Babel. What we want to do, rather than fighting for ourselves and our egos independently of Jesus, is to find out what are his terms for peace. We must remember that the construction of the tower and the victorious life are not things we can accomplish. They are only possible for us to share through participation. To do so we must keep in mind that "God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work".
When we recognize the limits of our own efforts and abilities we will more frequently resist the temptation to fall back into operating at the level of the flesh rather than the Spirit, of settling for the merely human, when what we need is the assistance of divine grace.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.
It is not merely our own possessions that we must renounce but even our claim to our own lives. There must be nothing, not wealth, not even family, that we would choose over and against Jesus himself. No matter how necessary preferring the things of this world sometimes seems to us, doing so is to participate in the losing side of a battle, whose ending is already written and known to us. Family that does not have its foundations in Christ is destined to dissolve. Anything we strive to build, any legacy we hope to leave, apart from Christ, will ultimately prove to be an unfinished tower. This explains the why it is necessary to carry our own cross. It is not about self-hatred. Rather, it means that we must find our true place and discover our true purpose in Jesus himself, and nothing less. It requires us to share in the same attitude that was in Christ Jesus who humbled and emptied himself for our sakes. Put simply, it means consciously deciding to give God himself the first place in our lives and in our hearts.
The upshot is that, when we count the cost, and realize we can't pay, we can understand that we were never meant to do so. Jesus paid it all. We can't win the fight. But Jesus already has the victory. We must now put our pride aside so that he can manifest that victory in our own lives and make us "shine like lights in the world".
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