Matthew 10:21 is a hard verse to read. In predicting the trials that awaited his disciples, Jesus said, “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.”
When I read this scripture in the past, it seemed hypothetical, for me anyway. Now, I know it is real. When Christian members of your family choose a path that is not the way of Christ, it feels like a betrayal.
There is indeed a high cost to following Christ. That cost includes relationships with friends, family, and members of our church family.
I have been conflicted for several months about an argument with a sister. My sister became very angry when I said that Donald Trump should repent. She argued that there is no way I can know that he hasn’t repented. I argued that if he had repented, there would be evidence that he had changed. My sister believes that Donald Trump is above reproach, which is cult-like behavior.
Our quarrel revealed a deep division in our beliefs about what it means to follow Jesus. Salvation leads to spiritual transformation. True repentance comes with genuine remorse for one’s sins. It leads to changed behavior. Repentance is turning away from our sins – moving in the opposite direction.
Following Jesus means staying faithful to his teaching. It means loving one another, even our enemies. It means doing your best to see that no one misses out on the grace of God (Hebrews 12:15).
Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life. No one but Jesus has the power to heal this broken world.
Yet too many American Christians, like my sister, continue to put their faith and trust in a man who is the complete opposite of Christ in every way. I can not understand abandoning the core beliefs of our faith. I am powerless to change their minds. They are under a powerful deception. They have made a terrible bargain.
And what do you benefit if you gain the world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
In becoming more vocal about my opposition to Donald Trump and Elon Musk, I am learning which side friends and family are on. Are they on the side of love, charity, grace, mercy, and justice? Or are they on the side of selfishness, condemnation, hatred, vengeance, and cruelty?
I’ve grappled with how to deal with Christian Trump supporters. I can’t change hearts that have been discipled by false teachers. I can’t pretend that support for Trump is merely a disagreement about political issues that has no consequences. I have chosen to step away from my relationship with my sister to protect my own emotional well-being.
Someone said that it may help to think of relationships lost to Trumpism as losing a loved one to dementia. You still have your memories, but they are not the person you once knew.
If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:26-27
I can not be a disciple of Christ and not be willing to pay the high cost. I pray that someday my sister and others who have been deceived will realize what a foolish bargain they have made.
Innermost Being 