The Lutheran Hour

"Giving and Getting"

#72-01
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on September 19, 2004
Speaker: Rev. Ken Klaus
Copyright 2025 Lutheran Hour Ministries

Text: Text: Luke 14:33

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! The Christ of the cradle and the cross has given His life so we might have life. This day, His disciples give thanks.

Over the years I’ve heard a number of Christians say most sincerely, “Oh, if only I could have been there when the Savior walked the earth. I would love to have heard Him preach. I’d give just about anything to have seen some of His miracles. I would, I think, have stayed awake with Him as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. I’m pretty sure I would have shouted for His release when He was unfairly tried. I certainly wouldn’t have called out for Pontius Pilate to release the criminal Barabbas.” These Christians usually continue with, “I would have cried if I’d been there at the foot of the cross. I know I’d have been there resurrection morning to see the stone rolled away from the tomb.” Then they conclude by saying: “I know I’ll be in heaven with Him someday, but I wish I’d been there to welcome my living Lord when He came out of His tomb.”

I neither question nor disagree with the sincerity of those words. Most of the time I agree. To be present while the Christ was fulfilling the promise of salvation which the heavenly Father had first given to our despondent and discouraged ancestors after the fruit fiasco in the Garden of Eden, would be a thing of wonder. Still, there are times when I’m glad I wasn’t there. I’m glad I wasn’t there because–I don’t know exactly what I would have done and how I would have reacted to some of the things I would have seen and heard.

I don’t think I would have always understood some of the things Jesus was saying and doing. Today it’s fashionable to think of Jesus as being gentle, kind, mild-mannered, gracious and loving. Because we think of Him that way, and often only in that way, He can seem pretty one-dimensional. That’s why many young people have labeled Jesus as being “just a little bit boring.” Too often we forget that Jesus had another side, a deeper side, a side that is sometimes difficult for me and many others of His followers, to understand.

If you listen to Jesus’ words, really listen to what He’s saying, you may find yourself equally troubled. Let me give you an example of what I mean. In the fourteenth chapter of Luke, we’re told that large, adoring crowds were following Jesus. I want you to listen carefully to what Jesus said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26-27).

Did you hear that? Jesus said you can’t be His disciple if you don’t hate your mother and father and brother and sister and even your own children. What kind of talk is that? Parents used to wash their children’s mouths out with soap if they talked like that. Those words don’t sound like something that would come out of the mouth of the Prince of Peace. Those words seem so out of character for the Savior. Isn’t this the same Jesus that told us to love our enemies? Isn’t this the same Jesus who told us to do good to those who persecute us? Isn’t this the same Jesus who gave the golden rule, “Love your neighbor like yourself”? Something seems to be wrong here. Is Jesus really telling us to hate those who normally would be closest to us?

I know many Christians hearing those words, try to minimize them; try to change them; even ignore them. They say, “Oh, Jesus really didn’t mean what He said. Not really.” They say Jesus, looking at the crowd that day, saw some of them as being insincere. He knew some would continue to follow Him as long as they didn’t have to sign their name on the dotted line; as long as they didn’t have to obey any commandments; as long as they didn’t have to sacrifice, or surrender, or show any kind of stewardship. Jesus just wanted the folks in the crowd to know that following Him would mean they would have to make a commitment. But did Jesus really mean that stuff about hating father and mother and brother and sister? I don’t think so.” That’s what some say.

I know many Christian religious broadcasters who feel very uncomfortable with Jesus’ Words. They’re uncomfortable because they prefer to think of God as a Divine ATM machine. You punch in your code with a personal prayer, tell God what you want, the connection is made, and you get your heart’s desire. Folks, it’s foolish to believe that the Creator of the Universe is our Valet, our Butler, our Divine Concierge, who has nothing better to do than comply with our demands, and fulfill our whims and wishes. Yes, Jesus is our Savior, our sacrifice, our suffering Servant, but He is not a heavenly lackey. God listens to the petitions of His people, the prayers of those who come to Him in faith, but He doesn’t take orders. For goodness sake, He’s God, and we’re not!

No, a lot of folks might not like it, but I think Jesus was serious when He said, “If you don’t give up everything, you can’t be My disciple.” The disciples thought He was serious. They left their boats, their places of business, their families, and they followed Jesus. Two thousand years of martyrs have thought Jesus was serious. History has two millennia filled with Christian parents who were betrayed by their children; 20 centuries of Christian children who were exiled from church, community, family, and friends because they loved the Christ. Are we really ready to tell them that Jesus was just exaggerating and that they didn’t have to go through all that? Jesus knew what He was saying. Jesus meant what He was saying. He meant every word that He spoke to the crowd that day.

Amazingly, although many Christians try to temper Jesus’ words, try to minimize them or rationalize them, unbelievers feel no such need. If you’re an unbeliever listening to this message, you know I’m telling the truth. You know when Jesus spoke those sentences, He was absolutely, deadly, in earnest. You know He was serious, and you quite frankly don’t like it, do you? Some of you hearing Christ’s criterion for discipleship, say, “That’s wrong. I can’t follow anybody who tells me I’m supposed to hate. I might be lonely; I might feel lost; but I’m not going to follow somebody who tells me to hate parents and kids.”

There are other unbelievers who have listened very carefully to Jesus’ ideas about what they have to do if they’re going to follow Him. You’ve listened carefully and you’ve become enraged at what you’ve heard. “Who does this Jesus think He is? He’s worse than a dictator. Not even dictators tell their people they have to hate members of their own households. The most popular of presidents would never say such a thing. No political party would make such a demand of its constituency. No labor union would have such expectations of its rank and file. Jesus must be,” you think to yourself, “an absolute looney. Not only will I not follow such a man; I will do my very best to make sure nobody else does.” With a great sense of self-righteousness, you turned around, walked away, and you haven’t looked back, have you? I understand. Jesus’ words are the kind of words that will drive some people away. That’s what they did the day He said them. That’s what they’re still doing today.

Unless you understand. The rest of this sermon is dedicated to helping you understand. Years ago in one of my parishes, I spent some months watching one of the ladies in my congregation die. She was, in the scheme of things, relatively young, in her early forties. She was dying because she had a bad heart. It simply couldn’t do the job. Doctors couldn’t change things. They gave her drugs, a host of medications to keep her going. But all of those drugs were only temporary. Some of them made her feel nauseated and physically drained. She was dying. She knew she would never be there for the weddings of some of her children. She would never hold a grandchild on her lap and get to spoil them. She agonized for days about how much of a goodbye she should give to her husband. She had things to say, but she didn’t want to add to his worry. She was dying. He was going to be alone. She was dying, and there was no cure.

Then, in a different state a young man had an accident. For the young man there were no farewells to his family or friends. There was no time to prepare. There was an accident, and he was gone. His wife donated his organs. The member of my church got a call. “Be at the hospital in an hour. We have a tissue match. A young man. We have a new heart for you.” She was there. The surgery worked. She went home. She had to keep taking medicines, but different medicines now–medicines to stop her body from rejecting a new heart. But she came home. She came home with color in her cheeks. She came home able to move around–slowly at first, but she could actually get out of a chair. She came home. She came home with a future. That young man had died so she might live.

Now, I don’t know if this is normal for heart-transplant patients, but within this lady there grew a great desire to know more about this young man whose heart was beating in her chest. She was grateful for what she had received, although grateful is hardly a strong enough word. There is nothing that man’s family could have asked which, if it were in her power, she would have refused. How could she? Every breath she took, every day she lived was because of his new heart. She grew in time to love that young man and his family.

I tell you that story, because if you have the ability to understand the feelings of that woman, you can understand why Jesus spoke as strongly as He did. Jesus, being the Son of God, knew that following Him would always cost His followers. Eleven of the men who were closest to Him would have to make a decision; share the Savior with the world or stay put. He was telling them in no uncertain terms, their job was, by the Spirit’s power, to leave their old lives behind and share the story of salvation with a sinful world. Ten of those disciples who heard Him that day, would be martyred – some in the most terrible of ways.

They would not be the last. Even today, throughout the world, Christ’s blood-bought brothers and sisters are being persecuted, prosecuted and murdered. And if by God’s grace, you are not being tortured or trapped, raped or robbed because you follow the Savior, that hardly means you will have a life of ease. When the Holy Spirit brings you to faith in Jesus, it is almost a certainty that you will, from that moment on, have some choices. A promotion may be within your grasp. All it will take is to plant a little lie here or there, a little lie and a denial of your discipleship. Perhaps you think you’ve finally discovered true love. Sadly, part of the formula for living happily ever after is you must deny your discipleship. You might think that you’ve found the formula for acceptance by your peers. Nothing stands in your way of being one of the group – except that to be received by them , you must deny your discipleship. Jesus wanted everybody to know that following Him has a price; for some of you listeners today it is a very big price, indeed.

At this point my friends, it would not be unusual for you to be asking, “Then why would anybody in his right mind be Jesus’ disciple?” My answer to that perfectly reasonable question is found in the story of the lady’s heart transplant I told you a few moments ago. Do you remember? Do you remember the lady who was grateful to the young man who had died so she might live? You understood perfectly well how she could never forget the person who, at a terrible cost, had given her the gift of life? Of course you understood. You would have thought the lady terribly ungrateful if she had done anything else. You would have thought her a miserly soul if she had no gratitude or gratefulness.

It doesn’t matter that if the man had had a choice, he would have kept on living. It doesn’t matter that she will, even with a new heart, die someday. All that matters is she lives because he died. And that is precisely why people are Jesus’ disciples. They live, because He died. If you are not a disciple of Jesus, it is probably because you have never really, seriously, thought about that. It may be because you have never really taken a good look at what He has done for you. Take a look now. Think about it now.

Jesus, the perfect Son of God, was born for you in a stable. There was no room for Him anywhere else. Nobody was ready to share; nobody ready to move over; nobody ready to say, “Here, take my room.” Jesus was born in a stable, and it didn’t take too long before somebody tried to kill Him. As a Baby, somebody tried to kill Him. That was for you. Look at Him. As He grew, He lived a perfect life. You see, He had to live a perfect life. If He had sinned, He would have failed. “No big deal,” you think to yourself. Do you know how many times leading a perfect life meant Jesus would have had to stop playing with some friends; how many times Jesus couldn’t join in gossiping or complaining? Jesus was the Son of God, but His must have been a lonely life. That loneliness was for you.

Jesus had the power and love of God in Him. When He began His ministry, in compassion He healed many people who were sick. Soon, healing sick was all some wanted Him to do. He fed the hungry, and soon feeding the hungry was all some wanted Him to do. When He refused to put on morning, afternoon, and evening matinees, the crowds became angry, many left. This desertion He endured for you. Look at Jesus. When He went back to His hometown, they tried to kill Him. His family tried to bring Him home because they thought He was crazy. This was for you. The religious leaders tried to trick Him, tried to murder Him.

Jesus, when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, had your sins given to Him. Every sin, think about it. Everything you have ever done wrong. Everything you have done wrong, that was given to Him. Jesus is the all-powerful Son of God, but those sins, yours and mine and the world’s, dropped Him with His face into the ground. For you. He was betrayed by a friend. For you. He was arrested. Lies were told about Him. He didn’t argue. He kept silent for you. They spit in His face. Has anyone spit in your face? Jesus didn’t spit back. That was for you. They beat Him. He didn’t fight. They whipped Him, He didn’t try to escape. They condemned Him, He carried a cross. For you. They nailed Him to a cross– nails through His hands and His feet for you. Look at Him. He died for you, for all of us. He died so we would never die. He rose so you might know, if you believe on Him as your Savior, you will never die. All of this was for you.

Today, in this world of giving and getting, Jesus does not demand you become His disciple. On the contrary, He who only gave, warns what might happen if you do. Still, how can you, having seen, not follow Him? How can you not say, “My Lord and my God?” How can you not say, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief?” How can you not say, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner,” and then, knowing you live because He died and rose? Why would you not spend your life giving thanks? It will be so wrong if we do not.

That is why I’m saying; if the Holy Spirit is speaking to you in thanksgiving, calling you to discipleship, give us a call. We will help you see this Savior most clearly. Call us and be the disciple of Him who gave up everything, so you might have everything, so He might be your Savior. Amen.

Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for September 19, 2004
Topic: Uncertain and Forgotten

ANNOUNCER: And now, Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. If you have a question or concern that weighs upon your heart, please call us at our toll free number, 1-800-876-9880. In fact, that’s how we received the topic we’ll be talking about today. A listener says, “I feel forgotten by God, and I’m unsure about the choices I face in life.”

KLAUS: Years ago I was told about a family that was touring Europe. Now, one of the things people do when they tour Europe is go the grand old cathedrals. This family was in such a place. Everybody “oohed” and “aahed” at the architecture, but the one thing that just impressed them the most was the stained glass windows.

ANNOUNCER: Some of those windows are quite remarkable. I’m told that many of them were developed at a time when most people couldn’t read, but through seeing these Bible stories pictured in the stained glass, they were taught the truths of Scripture.

KLAUS: That’s true. Some of those windows are sort of like a snapshot of a Scripture story. At any rate, at this particular place, the windows were showing various people, individuals. The light was streaming through the glass, and the little girl asked her mother, “Who are those men and women?” And the mother replied that they were saints. An hour or two later the little girl asked, “Are we saints, Momma?” Mother allowed that they were indeed saints. Then the little girl commented, “Mommy, if we’re saints like those people, shouldn’t we let the Son (sun) shine through us as well?” She was talking now, about the S-O-N, Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

ANNOUNCER: And that’s a good story, but how does it relate to our listener’s question?

KLAUS: This way, Mark. What did those windows do to make the sun shine through them?

ANNOUNCER: Nothing.

KLAUS: That’s right. The sun shines whether they want it to or not. Next, how could a stained glass window stop the sun from shining through it?

ANNOUNCER: The window couldn’t do anything about that. The sun shines through windows, that’s just the way it is.

KLAUS: Good, now we’re getting somewhere. That’s the answer to this lady’s question. The Son of God is with her; not because of what she does or because of what she doesn’t do; the Lord Jesus is with His people. Through His Word, the Holy Spirit puts faith in the Savior inside of us, period. That’s one of the advantages of having an omni-present, ever-loving God. God is with us.

ANNOUNCER: But are you saying God is with us no matter what?

KLAUS: No matter what. But I’m not saying it, St. Paul said it. This is from Romans 8 (38-39): “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come”; he’s not done yet. “Nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Consider, the children of Israel wondered in the wilderness for forty years. Was God there?

ANNOUNCER: He was.

KLAUS: How about when Jonah was swallowed by the great fish?

ANNOUNCER: God was there, too.

KLAUS: When Peter denied Jesus?

ANNOUNCER: He was there.

KLAUS: God is with our caller, no matter where she is, no matter where she goes, no matter what circumstance she might happen to find herself. Her choices in life may not always be the best or the wisest, but that doesn’t stop the Lord from watching over His children and her. From being with His children, with her. That’s what Jesus said. “I’m with you always.”

ANNOUNCER: But He might not be so happy about her when she makes the wrong choices.

KLAUS: Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean He stops loving us. He might be loving us with a sad love, but He keeps loving us. And another thing …

ANNOUNCER: What would that be?

KLAUS: He has promised to help us. Jesus said, “Call upon me in the day trouble.” He doesn’t say, “Call upon Me just when things are as smooth as glass.”

ANNOUNCER: But you’ll recall, our listener said she felt as though she were forgotten by God.

KLAUS: Impossible. God can’t forget. What parent, Mark, can forget their child? Do you forget your child when they’re having tough times or are in difficult circumstances, or when they make a wrong choice?

ANNOUNCER: No, really, that’s when a parent is thinking the most about their child.

KLAUS: If we sinful parents, show such love and care for our children, why would we expect God to do any differently? Jesus Christ came into this world to live and die for us. He has saved us. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah (31:3) said, “The Lord appeared to us in the past saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.’”

ANNOUNCER: So our listener can be positive that through faith in Christ, the Lord cares and is with her…

KLAUS: …and through faith in Christ will move her from darkness into light.

ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.