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Verse 34: "Do not think that I come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." Why did the Lord say this? It was because people held the concept that He came to bring peace to the earth. To counter such a thought, He told them clearly, "I have not come to bring peace." Later we shall see that "peace" here refers not to the absence of war but to a situation in the family.
"I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." The sword here does not refer to a sword used in battle; neither does it refer to causing warfare on earth. In the original text, it means to cast a sword to the earth. Many people do recognize this fact. In Luke 2:35, Simeon said to Mary, "And a sword will pierce through your own soul also." The word "sword" here signifies that we will not be happy throughout our entire lifetime and that something like a sword will pierce through our hearts and cause us to suffer. What the Lord meant is that He came not for our blessing but to cause us hurt.
Verse 35: "For I have come to set men at variance: a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." This verse begins with the word "for." This indicates that this verse explains the last verse; that is, it explains what it means "to bring...a sword." Initially, there was a sweet relationship between father and son; now, there is alienation. The daughter is against the mother, and the daughter-in-law is against the mother-in-law.
Verse 36: "And a man's enemies will be those of his household." There are enemies and there is bitterness. The loved ones within one's family have turned against him and have hurt him. Within the family there is enmity and malice.
Verse 37: "He who loves father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me." "Not worthy" is mentioned twice in this verse. Have you ever wondered why one should love the Lord above his parents and children? If you love just one person in this whole world more than you love the Lord, you cannot be His disciple. You can only be His disciple on the condition that you love Him wholly. This is the condition for becoming the Lord's disciple. You cannot love equally the Lord and men at the same time; this is not possible.
Verse 38: "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." This verse sums up what has been said before — this is a cross! What is it to take the cross? The Lord did not say, "He who does not take up his burden and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." He said, "He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." A burden is not a cross. Burdens are unavoidable; taking the cross is optional.
How the first cross was, so will the hundreds and thousands of crosses thereafter be. Just as the first cross was the Lord's choosing, the crosses should be something that we choose.
Some people think that when they are in difficulties or in want, they are bearing the cross. Actually, this is not so because even if they were not believers, situations like these may naturally happen to them. Every cross must be of our own choosing. However, we must be careful that we do not create a cross for ourselves. We ought to take the cross, not make a cross.
It is a fallacy to regard everything which befalls us as a cross. It is just as wrong to create a cross by producing our own suffering. None of these are bearing the cross in reality.
What then is the cross? It must correspond to what the Lord Jesus said, "My Father,...Your will be done" (Matt. 26:42). The Lord asked the Father to not do according to what the Son wills but according to what the Father wills; this is the cross. To take the cross is to choose the Father's will. Let me say an honest word: if we do not choose the cross daily, there will be no cross for us to take. If the Lord were to wait for the cross to come to Him before He would bear it, how could a cross go to Him in heaven? The Lord chose the cross! He "emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross." The Lord said, "No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again" (John 10:18). Accordingly, our cross must also be out of our own choice.
Concerning the necessities of life, we also have a choice. We can choose what to wear, what to eat, and how to dwell. However, we should seek these things only to the extent of meeting our physical needs. If our emotion expects to derive pleasure and satisfaction from these necessities, we are not taking the cross. We cannot impose on others what sort of dress to wear, what kind of food to eat, or what type of house to live in. Nevertheless, whoever intends to be satisfied through these things is not bearing the cross. No one dares to say what one should or should not have, but everyone should ask himself whether or not his clothing, food, and shelter are, in fact, affording him soul pleasure and satisfaction.
Anything that is for the supply of our needs, God sanctions. Clothing, food, and shelter are all necessary. Even the Old Testament shows us how God provided for the children of Israel. He was mindful of their needs, yet He never intended that His children should indulge in those things. If we indulge ourselves in the matters of clothing, food and shelter, we are not taking the cross.
Too often people dress and eat not to protect their body, or to fill their hunger, but for sheer pleasure. Indeed, our physical needs must be met. But we should not gratify our emotion and its demands in the least.
Does God really interfere with man's clothing, eating, dwelling, and all his dealings? Yes, He does. And this constitutes the cross. Let us cite an example. When Adam was in the garden of Eden, whatever he needed was supplied to him. He could freely eat of every tree, but he was not to eat of one tree, that is, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If one were to eat of that tree, not because he wanted to satisfy his need, but because the fruits were pleasant to the sight, good for food, and enabled one to know good and evil, that would be a lust. God allows whatever is within the bounds of the necessities of our human living and nothing more. Clothing, food, shelter, and all such things of the world must be for the purpose of supplying our needs, not for gratifying our lust! Regarding these matters, we should live absolutely according to God's will. If we do not, we may ill-treat our own bodies according to the self-will of our flesh and may esteem ourselves holier than others when, in fact, we are practicing the doctrine of asceticism mentioned in Colossians 2, which is "not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh" (v. 23). At the same time, we should remember that God has not allowed us to indulge in the things of this world.
Verse 39: "He who finds his soul-life shall lose it, and he who loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it." This verse concludes this portion of the word. What is it to take the cross? It is to lose the soul-life for the Lord's sake and to be in sorrow and distress for the Lord's sake. Those who refuse to be sorrowful and do not restrain their emotions, choosing rather to gratify their souls, will lose their soul-lives. To lose the soul-life for the Lord's sake is to deny the soul its satisfaction, requests, and desires. If, on account of the Lord, we choose not to pursue the things which we naturally enjoy and the things which we earnestly desire, we are losing our soul-life for the Lord's sake.
The meaning of gaining the soul-life today must be the same as the meaning of gaining the soul-life in the coming age. Likewise, the meaning of losing the soul-life today must be the same as the meaning of losing the soul-life in the coming age. The meaning in both cases must be the same.
To lose the soul-life for the Lord's sake means not allowing the soul to have satisfaction and enjoyment in this age. To lose the soul-life in the coming age means that the soul will not find satisfaction and enjoyment in the kingdom. In that day, there shall be a kind of people whose soul-life will be satisfied and another kind whose soul-life will not be satisfied. Whoever has satisfied his soul-life in this age and has had all things his way, having taken a supply in excess of his needs and having enjoyed a great many things, will not find anything in the coming kingdom. Whoever loses all these things in this age for the Lord's sake will be satisfied by God in the kingdom. Everyone who overcomes the world will definitely have satisfaction in the kingdom.
The salvation of the spirit is determined at the time we believed on the Lord. The salvation of the soul is determined by how we walk in this age. If you dress, eat, make friends, and do everything the way you like, I will tell you by the Lord's authority that you will have no share of the glory in the kingdom. The Gospel of Luke says, "Blessed are those who weep now...Woe to you who are satiated now" (Luke 6:21, 25). Why is it woe to those who are full? It is because they have already been filled. Why are those who weep now blessed? It is because they shall be filled in the coming age. Herein lies the distinction between woe and blessing.
Verse 25: "And there were great crowds going along with Him, and He turned and said to them..." Why was there a great crowd with Jesus? It is because He had just preached the gospel by means of a parable (vv. 16-24). And just like the parable, many were invited, and whoever would eat came. The "many" are the Christians. It is a joy to be saved, and it is wonderful to continue in the enjoyment of God's grace. But to the very people who were with Him, the Lord turned and had a further word for them. He meant, "Yes, you are saved, but to follow Me there is a condition." The Lord raised the standard of the truth. Even such a great crowd was not enough reason for Him to lower the standard that God had prescribed. Therefore, though the truths concerning the kingdom and the kingship be high, neither should we refrain from speaking them on account of men.
The gate which opens to salvation through faith in Jesus is wide, but the gate which opens to following the Lord and being glorified with Him is narrow. "Him who comes to Me I shall by no means cast out" (John 6:37b). This is to be saved. However, to follow the Lord and be His disciple, there are certain conditions.
Verse 26: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and moreover, even his own soul-life, he cannot be My disciple." The Lord brought up the matter of the soul-life again. First He mentioned the father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters. Finally, He mentioned the soul-life. If only man would not value his soul-life, all would be well. We should lay aside anything that brings our soul delight and pleasure.
The Lord did not say that you should cast out your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters; rather, He said to do away with your natural life, that is, to channel all the love you have for these things to Him. This is absolutely necessary. When anyone follows Him, He specifically sets this huge obstacle in front of them. If they are able to go through it, they can go through anything in the future. The Lord does not wait for them to come through the gate before placing the obstacle before them; He makes it difficult right from the start. They are qualified to be His disciples only if they get through.
After the Lord has saved a person, He lays down this condition at the gate. He does not give one the condition after he has become a Christian for three or five years. Whether or not one can be His disciple is determined from the very beginning.
Verse 27: "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." This verse explains the foregoing verses, which are on the bearing of the cross.
Following this, the Lord speaks of three parables, which explain the matter of the bearing of the cross.
Verse 28: "For which of you, wanting to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" When the Lord spoke of "calculating the cost," do we not take it to mean that we should just forget about the building of this tower if we do not have the money? If that is the case, does it mean that He has not called many to follow Him? If they do not have sufficient funds, does it mean that they should give up building the tower? No, they should not give up, for if everyone were to put in every single penny he has, it would definitely be sufficient, and no one would dare to say that he does not have enough. What the Lord was saying was that when a man wants to build a tower, it is a question of whether or not he is willing to put in all his money for the building. For example, if five hundred dollars is required to build a tower, but the man is only willing to put in three hundred, keeping the remaining two hundred, one cannot say that his funds are inadequate. It is inadequate only because a portion of his money is kept for other use. If one keeps back a portion of his love for others, he will not be able to love Christ. He must hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters and must turn his heart away from them. The Lord does not ask how much you have given Him; He asks if you have given Him your all.
Verses 29-30: "Lest perhaps, once he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all those looking on will begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish." This is the end of him who would not wholly love the Lord. He can only lay a foundation without building the tower because he is holding back something from the Lord.
Verse 31: "Or what king, going to engage another king in war, will not first sit down and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet the one coming against him with twenty thousand?" This does not mean that ten thousand soldiers are all the king has; it means only ten thousand are mobilized. If he is willing to send out the entire nation, he will certainly win.
Verse 32: "Otherwise, while he is yet at a distance, he sends an envoy and asks for the terms of peace." This means that if he is not willing to mobilize the entire force, it would be better for him to ask for terms of peace while there is still time and acknowledge defeat.
If everyone is willing to give his all, whether to build a tower or fight a battle, it will be enough; if everyone holds back a portion, it will come short. Suppose I go into the Bible Society with sixty cents, and the book I want costs sixty cents. If I pay ten cents for it, it will be inadequate. If I pay fifty-nine cents and keep one cent, it will still be inadequate. Whosoever does not bear his cross and follow after the Lord surely is not worthy of being, and cannot be, His disciple.
Whoever loves the world a little is not fit for the kingdom. But even those whose hands are on the plow are not fit for the kingdom if they look back.
It is not a question of being sufficient or insufficient, but a question of whether or not we have given our all. This is the cross. We must bear the cross. We must put our all on the cross. Some may ask, how do you know that this parable teaches us to lay our all on the cross? We know it from the Lord's own word in the next verse.
Verse 33: "In the same way therefore everyone of you who does not forsake all his own possessions cannot be My disciple." This verse is a continuation of the previous verse. The Lord said that the problem with the above two cases was not that they did not have but that they would not renounce all they had. Often we cannot make up our mind; we want both. On the one hand, we love the world; on the other hand, we love the Lord. We cannot give ourselves to absolutely love the Lord, and yet we are ashamed to absolutely love the world for fear of offending the Lord. There is the unwillingness to commit everything for the building, and yet there is also a sense of misgiving if we do not at least put in a certain amount. The result of this is to lay a little of the foundation and leave the tower unfinished. If there is not the willingness to mobilize the entire force, one can only leave some to defeat or send an envoy to negotiate for peace. Those who are this way should not even consider being the Lord's disciples. To be His disciple, one must renounce all that he has. He cannot hold onto the world with one hand and hold onto the Lord with the other. He must abandon one — either the world or Christ.
This parable shows us the outcome of the two kinds of persons previously mentioned. According to Matthew 5:13, which says, "You are the salt of the earth," the salt refers to the Christian.
Verse 34: "Therefore salt is good; but if even the salt becomes tasteless, with what will its saltiness be restored?" Salt is good and is beneficial to men. Taste signifies separation. It is most important that a Christian be separated from others. If the salt becomes tasteless, nothing will restore its saltiness. Suppose someone buys a piece of meat and wants to season it with salt. If he has the meat but has no salt, there is still the possibility of having the savor; but if he has both the meat and the salt, yet the salt has lost its taste, there is no possibility of having the savor.
Verse 35: "It is fit neither for the land nor for the manure pile; they will throw it out." If we lose our taste, that is, if we are not separated, the consequence will be what is in this verse; we will be thrown out.
The "land" signifies the kingdom. It is not fit to put the Christian who has lost his taste into God's kingdom.
The "manure pile" is a filthy and unclean place; it signifies Gehenna, which is the lake of fire. Neither is it fit to put the Christian who has lost his taste into the lake of fire, because he is already saved.
"They will throw it out." Since he is neither fit for the kingdom nor for the lake of fire, he is cast out, that is, cast outside of the glory of the kingdom.
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." This is a warning. Anything which severs us from Christ also causes us to lose our taste. To preserve the taste is to have strength; to lose the taste is to lose strength. This is a serious matter! We must not love the world; we must wholly love the Lord. Otherwise, the kingdom will have nothing to do with us. It is not a question of how much we have done. Rather, is our all on the altar? Today is the time for consecration to the Lord; to consecrate on that day will be too late.
These three parables depict the life of a believer who is not willing to lose his soul-life in this age. The reason for his unwillingness to give his all to build and fight and the reason for his becoming tasteless salt as a consequence of mingling with the world is that he loves his own soul-life. He cannot bear to have the self suffer. He is not willing to forsake the pleasures of this world. He can only care for the present age because he has but a dim vision of the glory of the coming kingdom. If we are willing to renounce the demands of our soul, deny the self, bear the cross, and do God's will, it will not be difficult for us to build, fight, or hate our father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters. It will not even be difficult to be completely separated from the world and be the salt with taste. If we do not lose our soul-life but walk according to our likes and dislikes in this age, and if our consecration is not thorough, we shall be thrown out during the kingdom age and be mocked as those not befitting the Lord's discipleship.
