Read: Luke 14:25-33
A few months ago, football coach Camron Miller made national headlines for an e-mail he sent to his football team. As his team prepared to begin practicing, Coach Miller wanted to be sure his boys were ready for the coming season. So, he dropped them a message sure to psych them up:
“My objectives are simple: We need to become better, tougher and more aggressive blockers, tacklers and runners. … Tackle football isn’t for everybody. It takes a certain mindset, an aggressive or killer instinct if you will… Think of your team! The summer camp sessions will be short, but intense. Pre-season conditioning will be intense. In-season practices will be intense. … Mental and physical toughness are also requirements. We must get tougher and through hard work, we will. Players practice full throttle unless they are injured. … It’s about team! If you don’t love being a Bulldog and can’t wholeheartedly commit, you are in the wrong place. … You are either getting better or getting worse. We need to get better and it will take serious commitment. … This e-mail is meant to set expectations. No surprises, full steam ahead. Thanks and Go Bulldogs!”
There’s nothing too controversial in that message, right? It’s just typical football talk. Being aggressive, giving 110%… I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard a coach delivering this same message in an NFL, NCAA or even High School locker room. There’s just one problem…
Camron Miller coaches 8-year-old Pop Warner Football.
As you might imagine, many parents didn’t take too kindly to Coach Miller’s e-mail. Kids that young play football in order to have fun and build teamwork skills. You don’t send your 8-year-old out on the field so they can gain a “killer instinct.” Understandably outraged by the coach’s intensity and tone, nearly half of the team quit before practices even began.
Now, I have no desire to justify Camron Miller’s e-mail. I don’t think you want young kids taking football that seriously. Still, part of me can understand why he sent that e-mail. As misguided as it may have been, Coach Miller simply wanted to be sure that his team knew what to expect. He didn’t want them to be surprised or shocked in the middle of training camp. He didn’t want his players to complain that they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into when they signed up to play football for him. While his expectations may have been a little too much for third graders to handle, he at least wanted to make sure they were communicated as clearly as possible.
In a sense, that’s exactly what Jesus did in Luke 14. When large crowds came out to follow Him, Jesus told them His expectations for all those who would be His disciples. He let them know exactly what they were getting themselves into if they were going to follow Him. Much like Coach Miller, Jesus wanted to set out His basic expectations. Three in particular stand out to me:
- “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.”
- “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
- “And anyone who does not carry His cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
Jesus very bluntly laid out the requirements for His would-be disciples. If they were going to follow Him, they would have to give Him everything they had. Their relationship with Him would have to become the dominant relationship in their lives, deeper than even their relationships with their families. More than that, discipleship would require them to give up everything in pursuit of Jesus’ Kingdom. Everything they had – their possessions, their dreams, their ambitions, their livelihoods – would have to take a backseat to their relationship with Christ.
Jesus made this abundantly clear with His final expectation. If they were going to be His disciples, they would have to take up a cross, carrying an instrument of sacrifice and death in order to follow Him. Even their very lives would be forfeit in their pursuit of Christ. If they really wanted to follow, it would going to cost them everything they had and everything they were.
The same is true for us, as well. Jesus’ expectations haven’t changed one bit. He still expects us to give Him our all. He still expects us to sacrifice everything in pursuit of Him. If we’re not doing that, then we’re really not following at all.
Questions to Consider:
Which of Jesus’ requirements is most difficult for you? Why?
Reread Luke 14:33. What would it be like for you to give up everything?