Going Deeper with the Message

When you are at a swimming pool on a hot summer day, do you dive right in?  Slowly ease into the water, starting with your toes?  Only go in up to your ankles?  Decide the water looks nice, but you'd rather sit in the sun instead?

Today we hear Jesus teaching about some of the expectations he has of his followers and some of his words will make people uncomfortable.  In fact, after hearing what Jesus said, some people may decide that, like the pool in the summer, Jesus looks nice but they'd rather follow someone else instead.

Jesus asks his followers for a deep-level commitment to God: following Jesus is not just about sticking our toes into God's pool to see if we think the water is nice, it's about diving right in.  It is when we hit the water and are fully committed that we may discover how God is working in us and through us to transform our lives and the world.