Luke 14:25-33 - Counting the cost

Scripture:

 

Luke 14:25-33

25 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them,

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 even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

27 "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

28 "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?

29 "Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,

30 saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish.'

31 "Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

32 "Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

33 "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
NASU

 

 

Thoughts:

 

Following Jesus is not a decision to be made lightly.  Jesus exhorts us to consider what it will cost us to follow Him (verses 28-30). 

 

However, as we count the cost I don't know that Jesus means for us to try to think through every possible calamity that could ever come our way and say "yes, even if that happens, I will not turn away," though that should be true.  Instead, I think it's a more fundamental question of what or Who will be first in our lives (verse 33).  Are we ready to put Him above all else in our life?

 

We are to follow Him no matter the cost:  relational (verse 26a); our own pride (verse 26b); shame and suffering that may come to us (verse 27); and whatever else we may have to give (verse 33).  All of these things are secondary to knowing Him.  As Christians, we have and do unreservedly say, "I will follow."  As Peter so aptly said in the gospel of John:

 

John 6:67-69

67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?"

68 Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.

69 "We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."
NASU

 

Finally, I must point out that when Jesus says to "hate" relatives and oneself, it must be understood that the Greek word translated "hate" here, can be used to mean "love less."  This is the sense in which Jesus is using it here.  In Matthew 10:37, Jesus teaches on this same concept and says:

 

Matthew 10:37

37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
NASU

 

The scriptures clearly teach that we are to love our families.  The point is, we must love God more.

 

 

Prayer:

 

Lord, as a new Christian I found it hard to believe anyone could turn away from You.  Now, as time has passed, I've seen it happen, tragically.

 

Let me always walk with You, no matter the cost.  You are life.  Without You, I have no true life, though I may still be physically alive. 

 

Keep me faithful to You!  Abiding in You.  I give myself to You anew today.

 

Amen

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.