Above All Else

Luke 14:25-33

Jesus’ words in Luke’s Gospel confront the crowd with the hard truth of discipleship. He warns that following him requires radical reordering of allegiances, even above family ties and personal identity. In the first-century world, family defined one’s very being, and loyalty to Caesar was expected. Jesus’ demand for absolute allegiance to him was shocking, because it meant shifting the center of one’s identity and potentially losing status, relationships, and security.

Father Mark compares this to his own experience of disciplined piano practice. Many admire the results but ignore the cost. In the same way, many admire Jesus’ miracles without grasping the suffering and sacrifice that come with discipleship. To “hate” one’s family and life is not about emotional hostility, but about preferring Jesus above all else. It is about loosening the grip of ego, possessions, and worldly attachments, so that God alone defines one’s life. True discipleship requires letting go, emptying oneself, and turning one’s will fully over to God.

The sermon challenges modern Christians to examine divided loyalties—family, work, politics, status, comfort—that subtly displace God. Father Mark admits that many of us settle for a diluted faith, “three dollars’ worth of God.” But Jesus calls for wholehearted commitment, even if it is costly. The paradox is that by losing the false self, we find our true selves. By carrying the cross, we enter into deeper life in Christ, becoming “little Christs,” as C.S. Lewis put it. The cost is great, but the eternal reward is greater.

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.