In my handling of these words, I shall first speak to the occasion of them, and then to the words themselves.
The occasion of the
words was, for that the people that now were auditors to the Lord Jesus, and
that followed him, did it without that consideration as becomes so great a
work—that is, the generality of them that followed Him were not for considering
first with themselves, what it was to profess Christ, and what that profession
might cost them.
'And when he had
called the people unto him,' the great multitude that went with him (Luke14:25)
'with his disciples also, he said unto them, 'Whosoever will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Mark 8:34). Let him
first sit down and count up the cost, and the charge he is like to be at, if he
follows me. For following of me is not like following of some other masters.
The wind sits always on my face, and the foaming rage of the sea of this world,
and the proud and lofty waves thereof, do continually beat upon the sides of
the bark of the ship that myself, my cause, and my followers are in; he
therefore that will not run hazards, and that is afraid to venture a drowning,
let him not set foot into this vessel. So whosever doth not bear his cross, and
come after me, he cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a
tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient
to finish it (Luke 14:27-29).
True, to reason, this
kind of language tends to cast water upon weak and beginning desires, but to
faith, it makes the things set before us, and the greatness, and the glory of
them, more apparently excellent and desirable. Reason will say, Then who will
profess Christ that hath such coarse entertainment at the beginning? but faith
will say, Then surely the things that are at the end of a Christian's race in
this world must needs be unspeakably glorious; since whoever hath had but the
knowledge and due consideration of them, have not stuck to run hazards, hazards
of every kind, that they might embrace and enjoy them. Yea, saith faith, it
must needs be so, since the Son himself, that best knew what they were, even,
'for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God' (Heb 12:2).
But, I say, there is
not in every man this knowledge of things and so by consequence not such
consideration as can make the cross and self-denial acceptable to them for the
sake of Christ, and of the things that are where He now sitteth at the right
hand of God (Col 3:2-4). Therefore our Lord Jesus doth even at the beginning
give to His followers this instruction. And lest any of them should take distaste
at His saying, He presenteth them with the consideration of three things
together—namely, the cross, the loss of life, and the soul; and then reasoneth
with them from the same, saying, Here is the cross, the life, and the soul.
1. The cross, and that
you must take up, if you will follow Me.
2. The life, and that
you may save for a time, if you cast Me off.
3. And the soul,
which will everlastingly perish if you come not to Me, and abide not with Me.
Now consider what is
best to be done. Will you take up the cross, come after Me, and so preserve
your souls from perishing? or will you shun the cross to save your lives, and
so run the danger of eternal damnation? Or, as you have it in John, will you
love your life till you lose it? or will you hate your life, and save it? 'He
that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world
shall keep it unto life eternal' (John 12:25). As who should say, He that
loveth a temporal life, he that so loveth it, as to shun the profession of Christ
to save it, shall lose it upon a worse account, than if he had lost it for
Christ and the gospel; but he that will set light by it, for the love that he
hath to Christ, shall keep it unto life eternal.
Christ having thus
discoursed with His followers about their denying of themselves, their taking
up their cross and following of Him, doth, in the next place, put the question
to them, and so leaveth it upon them for ever, saying, 'For what shall it
profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?' (Mark
8:36). As who should say, I have bid you take heed that you do not lightly, and
without due consideration, enter into a profession of Me and of My gospel; for
he that without due consideration shall begin to profess Christ, will also
without it forsake Him, turn from Him, and cast Him behind his back; and since
I have even at the beginning, laid the consideration of the cross before you,
it is because you should not be surprised and overtaken by it unawares, and
because you should know that to draw back from Me after you have laid your hand
to My plough, will make you unfit for the kingdom of heaven (Luke 9:62).
