Luke 14:28-33 (NIV) “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
These days, at least in western countries, when someone is evangelized, the emphasis is on the benefits of salvation: heaven, forgiveness, a fresh start. Little or no emphasis is placed on the cost of following Jesus. In fact, salvation is frequently touted as a “free gift.”
How differently Jesus describes things! He repeatedly pointed out that following Him comes at a great cost to those who choose to do so. It is likely to cost one his or her family and friends; it will definitely cost one’s own agenda, which must be surrendered so that one is free to take up the agenda of Jesus; and, in some sense, it will cost each follower his or her whole life (14:25-27).
Jesus then gives two parables or illustrations, urging those who want to follow Him to carefully count the cost of doing so before they sign on. To do otherwise will end up causing them to turn back when the cost becomes apparent – which it will sooner or later – bringing disgrace on them and on the cause of the kingdom.
The first illustration is of someone who starts to build a tower without first ensuring that he has all of the funding necessary to complete the job. When the money runs out, the project has to shut down, leaving the half-finished tower standing here, useless, and a testimony to the man’s foolishness in not making sure of what he was getting into before he began.
The second illustration is of a king planning to go to war. Before starting, the wise king will size up both his own troop strength, and that of the enemy who is marching in. Inferior numbers do not automatically mean surrender, because the smaller army may have other strategic advantages. But, generally, if a king is seriously outnumbered, it would be foolish to even begin the fight – it would lead only to defeat and disaster.
The key is in verse 33. The call to follow Jesus is not merely a call to heaven someday. It is a call to leave behind one’s whole life, and to take up life as a member of the kingdom of God. It is a call to lay down one’s agendas and plans, and to take up the agenda of Jesus, making all one’s plans subservient to that agenda. It is a call to, if necessary, choose Jesus and His life and agenda over family, friends, jobs, even life itself. Therefore, those who want to follow Jesus to eternal life must count the cost before they make the decision. Some may, like the rich young ruler, count the cost and turn away (Luke 18:18-23, Matthew 19:16-22). But for those who fully count the cost, and who decide to follow Jesus anyway, the benefits, both in this life and in the life to come, will turn out to be vastly beyond any cost involved.
Father, Jesus never pulled back from fully disclosing the cost of being His disciple. And I know that in many parts of the world today, the cost of following Jesus can be alarmingly high, just as Jesus describes it in this discourse: loss of family, loss of friends, loss of jobs and property, even loss of life. Help me, Lord, to be faithful to You, and faithful to those I am telling about Your kingdom, so that they can count the cost in advance, instead of being surprised by it when it arises, and become disillusioned, turning back after putting their hand to the plow (Luke 9:62). Amen.