Counting the Cost
TRANSLATION
(25) Now large crowds were accompanying him, and, turning to them, he said, (26) “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, that person cannot be my disciple. (27) And whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
(28) “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Wouldn’t you first sit down and count the cost to see if you have enough to complete it? (29) Otherwise, when you have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, all who see it will mock (30) saying, ‘This person began to build and was not able to finish.’ (31) Or what king, going out to meet another king in battle, doesn’t first sit down and decide whether he is able with ten thousand to meet the other who comes against him with twenty thousand? (32) If he cannot, while the other is a great way off, he will send a delegation and asks for terms of peace. (33) So, therefore, any among you who does not renounce all that you have cannot be my disciple.
(34) “Salt is good. However, if salt has lost its saltiness, how will its taste be restored? (35) It is of no use either for the soil or the manure pile but is thrown away. Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.”
OBSERVATIONS
Three repeated phrases and three repeated words point us to the message of this segment: “come(s) to/after me” (vss. 26 & 27), “cannot be my disciple” (vss. 26, 27, & 33), “not able to finish” (vss. 29 & 30), “king” (vs. 31), “salt/saltiness” (vs. 34), and “hear” (vs. 35). The core issue of this segment, the nature of discipleship, deals with our willingness to submit to Jesus’ lordship. As he did on other occasions, Jesus issued strong warnings to the crowds that there would be a steep price to pay for anyone who wanted to follow him as a disciple.
The first cost involved the sacrifice of normal relationships. Family ties and other personal commitments had to be given a lower priority if Jesus was to be the master (vs. 26). Additionally, disciples needed to be ready to sacrifice personal ambitions and self-determination if they were to follow him (vss. 26 & 27). They would also have to be ready to renounce the ownership of possessions. So great would the demands of discipleship be that Jesus devoted several verses to urging the crowds to count the costs involved to be sure they would have what it takes to finish what they started should they decide to follow him. Two illustrations, first of a developer building a tower (vss. 28-30) and then of a king going to war (vss. 31-33), vividly portrayed his point. In each case the issue involved determining ahead of time whether preparations and resources would be sufficient to finish what had been started.
In a final thrust, Jesus used the image of salt losing its savor to indicate how beginning and not finishing on the path of discipleship left one in danger of becoming worthless like tasteless salt. Those deciding to follow Jesus needed to recognize that such a commitment was not something to be taken lightly or casually but involved a complete reorientation of personal priorities and goals.
OUTLINE
I. Jesus warned the crowds about the costs of discipleship. (25-33)
II. Jesus warned the crowds about the dangers of discipleship. (34 & 35)
IDEA STATEMENT
Because becoming Jesus’ disciple requires the sacrifice of everything we are and have, those who are considering such a step should count the cost before making such a commitment.
APPLICATION
To some there appears to be a contradiction at the heart of Jesus’ teaching. On the one hand, our eternal salvation is clearly declared to be the free gift of God. According to John’s Gospel, all we need do to receive eternal life is trust in what the Savior did for us in dying on the cross. On the other hand, many passages warn that the decision to follow Jesus as his disciple will cost us our family, friends, possessions, future plans, everything. That is why Jesus constantly issued warnings to those considering this step, admonishing them to count the cost before committing their lives to him. How can something that costs us nothing end up costing us everything?
While studying the Gospels, we need to distinguish carefully between those passages which deal with becoming part of God’s family (salvation) and those that deal with becoming one of Jesus’ disciples (sanctification). The first decision takes only a moment and will cost us nothing. The second requires a lifetime of growth and will cost us everything. John Bunyan carefully portrayed this difference in The Pilgrim’s Progress by distinguishing between the moment Pilgrim was freed of the burden of sin he was carrying on his back and the long journey filled with perils he had to make to reach the celestial city. Those who fail to distinguish these two aspects of our relationship with Christ can easily become confused, especially those who are new followers of Jesus. While it is possible for Jesus to be Savior without being Lord, trusting him to cleanse us from sin should be only the first step along the long path of growth in maturity.