Wednesday Wisdom | 3 Hard Sayings of Jesus (And Why We Need Them)

If you want to get to know Jesus better, the Gospels are a great place to start. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John give us eyewitness accounts of how Jesus lived, what Jesus taught, and what Jesus said. However, there are moments in the Gospels when Jesus’ words confront us rather than comfort us.

These aren’t the verses we usually cross-stitch onto pillows, highlight in soft pastels, or print on bumperstickers. They are cuttingly sharp, unsettling, challenging to comprehend, and can feel impossible to live out. Yet, inside these hard sayings of Jesus lies a deep invitation leading not to perfection, but to transformation.

As we continue our journey through the 2026 Lenten season, I want to sit with three of these hard sayings today.

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Yeah, right.

Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount cuts against every natural instinct we have.

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 5:44-45 ESV

We understand loving our neighbor and we certainly appreciate loving those who love us.

But loving our enemies?

To be clear, Jesus isn’t asking us to approve of harm or ignore injustice. However, He is asking us to release hatred’s grip on our hearts by loving our enemies and refusing to let their wrongdoing define our spirit. Holding grudges just isn’t healthy.

Lashing out in our pain feels justified. On the other hand, learning to love our enemies matters because love is what makes us resemble our Father. Hate is antithetical to who God is. That means if we want to grow in holiness and be imitators of Christ, we must learn to love others in all circumstances, even when they oppose us and may even have done us wrong.

That’s why the first step probably isn’t love, but prayer. Even if it’s reluctant and imperfect prayer. Because, truthfully, loving our enemies is not something we have the ability to do without the help of God. We need the supernatural support of the Holy Spirit.

2. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

We live in a world constantly telling us we should follow our desires, protect our comfort, and build our own identity. Jesus says: deny yourself.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23 ESV

To “take up your cross” isn’t about self-hatred. It’s about surrender. It’s. It’s not merely about enduring inconvenience. It’s about embracing a life shaped by sacrifice, humility, and obedience. Jesus is telling us to lay down the version of ourselves we try to control in exchange for the life God is forming within us.

It requires daily surrender because true life is found on the other side of it. Ironically, in losing ourselves, we are found.

“Sell all that you have and give to the poor… then come, follow me.”

When Jesus said this to the rich young ruler, it exposed something deeper than wealth. It revealed the young man’s attachment to his wealth. It stood between him and an abundant life with God.

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Mark 10:21 ESV

To be clear, this is not a blanket command that every person must live without possessions. So don’t rush out and give everything away. However, it is a piercing question for all of us:

What am I holding onto that keeps me from fully experiencing Christ?

For some of us, it’s money. For others, it’s control, reputation, comfort, or fear.

Jesus always puts His finger on the one thing we don’t want to release and then immediately invites us to trust Him with it.

Jesus’ teaching touches what we treasure most because where our treasure is, our heart will be also.

Closing Reflection

Hard sayings are not meant to push us away. They are meant to draw us deeper. Jesus’ teaching reveals the gap between who we are and who we are becoming. His teaching exposes our limits so we can depend on God’s strength. Jesus remind us that following Him is not a casual exercise. Following Jesus is costly, but it is also good.

So, my friends, today, I urge you not to rush past the discomfort.Sit with it.
Pray through it. Let it shape you.

Sometimes the hardest words Jesus spoke are the very ones that lead us into the fullest life.

May the Lord give us the courage to not only hear Your worda but to live them.