Some things in life require total commitment. If you want to be an Olympic athlete, or climb Everest, or play at Carnegie Hall, you had better be totally dedicated and be certain you have your priorities fixed on exactly that and nothing else. Family, friends, whatever, may help, and if so that’s great. If not they cannot be allowed to get in the way.
This is the kind of commitment Jesus tells us it takes to be his disciples (Lk 14:25-33). The examples he uses are maybe less familiar to us – leading an army into war or building a skyscraper – but they have the same character. Don’t start what you aren’t prepared to finish.
You might be thinking, well I never had any idea of being an Olympic athlete, or climbing Everest, or playing at Carnegie Hall, so how does this apply to me?
But we don’t have to look at such exceptional examples to find illustrations of commitment. Take something very many people are familiar with – the commitment of getting married, or having a child. That’s something which, if we go into it in a half-hearted way without a deep and sustained commitment, we are highly unlikely to succeed. Another example which requires great effort is looking after a disabled relative. We sometimes look at such a person and wonder, how do they do it. But they would say the same – I don’t know how I do it, but I don’t have a choice, I have to. And you may thank God that person isn’t you – but it could be.
Some people choose their commitments, some have commitments thrust upon them (with apologies to Shakespeare!). St Paul and all the prophets of Israel are examples of the latter case. God may have treated us more gently, but a commitment is still needed.
Commitment may be tough, may leave us wondering “can I do this?” or “I don’t think I can do this”. But it’s nothing extraordinary. Countless people can and do make enormous commitments, maybe not even seen by anyone else.
So yes, Jesus is asking a lot when he tells us our commitment to discipleship has to be total, that even family or our most precious possessions cannot get in the way. But people find themselves making such commitments every day. The question isn’t really “are we committed?”, it’s “what are we committed to?” We know that in the end there is only one answer that makes sense. That’s what he came to make clear to us.