Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
— John 16:22

When we read the Bible, our gaze is often turned on ourselves. For example, Jesus says: “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” [Luk.14:27] Of course we want to be His disciples, and when we read this verse we think we have to carry a cross. We start carrying some problems, thinking that this is our cross, and we grieve or become sorrowful like that rich ruler. [Luk.18:23] But the Lord doesn’t want us to grieve; on the contrary, He wants us to rejoice!

So when we open the Bible, we ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ through the Scriptures, not ourselves. Reading that same verse [Luk.14:27] and the parable of building a tower that follows it, as well as the parable of the king, we want to see Jesus and His glory. What is this foundation the Lord is talking about here? Paul writes: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” [1 Cor.3:11] And who builds the tower? Scripture says: “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it.” [Ps.127:1] And who is this king going out to war? “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.” [Ps.24:8]

In verse 33 the Lord sums up: “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” [Luk.14:33] Jesus said such things not so that we would try to carry the impossible or renounce everything that comes into our heads, but so that we would realise that what is beyond man’s strength is possible for the Almighty. [Luk.18:27] And when we see Jesus and His glory and power in these verses, our hearts will overflow with lightness and joy that no one will take away!