Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1634)
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Compare Matthew 10:37-38
This passage exhorts us to an interesting mix of prudence and absolute commitment. I suppose that what makes such a mix possible is the idea that the decision to follow Christ should be a thoughtful, reflective, and serious one.
It’s reminiscent of the advice sometimes given to those considering marriage: Keep your eyes wide open before the wedding, and half shut afterwards.
If you make a covenant, keep it. If you make a commitment, fulfill it. If you undertake to be a disciple, really be one.
In Luke 9:62, Jesus is quite tough on the issue of discipleship and decision: “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Or, as James 1:8 puts it, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
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