Hard Sayings

Recently I have been reading through the Gospels.
One of the things that has struck me is the hard
sayings of Jesus. He was not wishy washy, or a
people pleaser. Many times his words resulted in
some trying to kill Him. It seems that I tend to
overlook the 'difficult to understand' in the Gospels.
Here are a few of them:

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For
whoever would save his life will lose it..."

"You leave the commandment of God and hold to
the tradition of men...."

"Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of
God."

"The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many."

"(Not even his brothers believed in him.) '

"The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because
I testify about it that its works are evil.'"

(To the Pharisees)  "You are from below, I am from
above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless
you believe that I am he you will die in your sins."

"I have not come to bring peace but a sword....A
persons enemies will be those of his own household."

The explanation for the hatred comes in John 5, early
in the ministry of Jesus: "This is why the Jews were
seeking to kill him, because not only was he breaking
the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own
Father, making himself equal with God."

Reader, we cannot get around the fact that Jesus spoke
truth and that his words offended many, but
particularly the religious of that day. Jesus told his
disciples that' if they persecuted Him, they would
persecute His followers.'

Have you set your heart to walk with God even when He
does not make sense, life does not make sense and He is
silent?