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Or is this meant to be allegorical? If taken literally, where does that leave modern Christians?

Luke 14:33 - In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.

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    What do you mean by 'modern' Christians ? I think that expression needs to be defined in the context of your question. Also 'Lord Yeshua' is confusing. There is 'Lord Jehovah'. There is Joshua, the son of Nun. And there is the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't know to whom you are referring.
    – Nigel J
    May 19 at 12:09
  • Modern Christians being believers and followers of Christ in this current age. The LORD Yeshua is the name of Jesus in His original language of Hebrew. Sorry for any confusion.
    – Jeremy St. Germain
    May 21 at 2:55
  • As I see it, it's not a physical giving up but a mental and emotional letting go. We are called to tear down the way we relate to everything and everyone around us and rebuild those relationships in Christ and on his Gospel. It is a seismic shift from a self-centric to a Christ-centric model of relating to the world. Nothing in our lives is exempt, and this is the full price of discipleship.
    – Nhi
    May 22 at 15:41

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The parallel teaching in Matthew 10 is instructive:

37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

If there is something we love more than Jesus, or if there is something we are not willing to give up to follow Him, we will not be worthy of what He offers.

See also Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

We have to be willing to put God first, which would mean literally giving up anything that gets in the way of putting God first. If we do not put God first, then whatever we do put first will be the very thing blocking our progression.

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  • Am I to understand that the LORD Yeshua is saying seek him first but not only?
    – Jeremy St. Germain
    May 19 at 4:53
  • Good answer. +1.
    – Dottard
    May 19 at 6:45
  • @JeremySt.Germain I see in these passages a discussion of priorities. He's not saying do nothing in your life but preach the Gospel, but emphasizing that nothing should come before God in our lives. We are to avoid/give up those things which prevent us from putting God first.
    – Hold To The Rod
    May 19 at 15:56
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Compare it with soldiers who:

  • accept death as a possible consequence of doing their duty.
  • "die for their country".

It is the soldiers' willingness to put their duty ahead of the possibility of their death that is important, not the death itself.

Their death is neither required nor useful; dying for one's country is a silly idea.

There are very few instances where someone's death produces a direct benefit to anyone else.
(Readers of this site should have no trouble thinking of one notable example.)

Christians aren't expected to give up everything they have (rich Christians can do more good than poor Christians). They are expected to give up what they have, without regret, but only when needed to.

Putting the physical ahead of the spiritual is a form of idolatry.

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