Jesus would talk to the scribes and pharisees in one way and talk to his disciples in another. When he addressed “the crowds” he had a particularly challenging message. They were following him because he said and did things which attracted them, which interested them. But Jesus did not use a “Madison Avenue” approach trying to entice them into his movement. Instead he challenged them: you have to “hate” your family, carry your cross, renounce all your possessions “to be my disciple.” Jesus wanted “the crowds” and us to understand that being his follower is not a hobby, not a sometime thing, but a commitment. To follow Jesus means putting God and God’s ways first and fitting everything else into the divine perspective.
