Who do you love? It’s a question that appears in song lyrics, poems, and likely many a couple’s quarrels. It can be frivolous or meaningful, or in one case, a most profound question.

Jesus was kind of funny about making disciples. Whenever the crowd of followers got big, he’d say something profoundly unappealing, leaving me to wonder if he really wanted followers.

Case in point: in Luke 9: 57-58, we read Jesus responding to a crowd: “As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’” And he continues with other discouraging words. Later, we read where that apparently didn’t thin the crowd enough so, in Luke 14:26, he charms the crowd with: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple… none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” Wow, this is a little rough. But wait, it gets better. The Gospel of John literally invites us to be cannibals.

In John 6, Jesus tells the crowd: “So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you…’ Because of this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So, Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.’

Thank you, Peter! Somewhere in all of this is eternal life based on the love of God in Christ for you and me.

So back to the question, who do you love? Jesus wasn’t out to show the world some magic healing tricks or feed his ego with adoring crowds. It was so much more. Jesus sums it up with his command to love the Lord your God… and love your neighbor as yourself. That one is easy to understand. And when we fall short — I hope I’m not the only one — the same love we are called to share is there to forgive, renew, and empower us to love, consume, and live life eternal. As for hating the family and giving away all your possession part? Let’s look at this Sunday and see how it all comes together.

Have a safe and blessed Labor Day weekend and may the Grace and Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick