What is the cost of being a disciple of Jesus?

Luke 14:25-35

“Now great crowds were traveling with him. So he turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.” Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple. Now, salt is good, but if salt should lose its taste, how will it be made salty? It isn’t fit for the soil or for the manure pile; they throw it out. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.’”

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I’m heading out of town tomorrow for work. Anytime I travel, I plan accordingly. If I’m going on vacation for a few days, it’s a totally different preparation than if I’m traveling for work. If I’m heading to the beach, my packing will look totally different than if I’m headed to the snowy mountains. I take a lot into consideration when planning my trip. I check the the weather, schedule, restaurants in the area, and most of all, my budget. Planning ahead comes more naturally to some than others (I’m a planner…like big-time). But hands-down, planning ahead can and will change your trip. Doing the work beforehand so that you can enjoy the time you’re on the trip makes a big difference. Counting the cost ahead of time is essential.

In this passage, Jesus points out how important it is for someone to count the cost of being His disciple before following Him. It’s crazy how directly this passage applies to us today in 2023 as much as it did when Jesus said it to a group of followers thousands of years ago. Being a disciple of Jesus today demands a lot in this present life. And if we don’t count the cost of following Jesus, we may just fall away when trials come our way and miss out on so much of the life abundant that Jesus wants for His disciples. Earlier in Luke, Jesus instructs us to aim for the narrow door and to approach life with humility. Here, He encourages us to reflect on the price of staying focused on that narrow door and being humble in our current life. As Jesus’ disciples, what are the implications of this for both the present and the future?

When Jesus starts talking in this passage, it’s somewhat concerning. I can only imagine the wide eyes of the people who heard it firsthand. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, and even his own life — he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26) Does Jesus mean I have to hate my family to become His disciple? Is it necessary for me to hate myself to enter heaven? No, this is not exactly what He means here, but the truth of the message is not too far off. In fact, Jesus made a similar statement earlier in Luke, which is relevant to this: “Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on, five in one household will be divided: three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:51-53) Jesus is saying that to be His disciple, you have to check your priorities. He is telling you to ask yourself that if a conflict arises between doing what your spouse asks you to do or following His teachings, who should take precedence? Similarly, if your own desires seem to go against His teachings, what should you do? Though using the term “hate” in this passage may be extreme, Jesus’ point is that He and His Word must be given the highest priority if you are His disciple, even above your deepest emotions and closest relationships.

Living as a disciple of Jesus will automatically conflict with the world, which can result in clashing with those who view life from a worldly perspective — including ourselves at times. Being a disciple of Jesus is challenging, which is why Jesus says, “whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” This should make it clear that being a disciple of Jesus will not be the comfortable way to live. This doesn’t mean that every moment of a disciple’s life will be miserable, but it does mean that we should be ready to “consider it a great joy…whenever you experience various trials.” (James 1:2) It’s quite the opposite of a miserable life because even if in the midst of trial and hardship, a disciple of Jesus has reason for hope and joy. Jesus emphasizes the importance of counting the cost to be His disciple in this passage. He uses a couple of powerful analogies to illustrate this point. First, He uses the example of a builder who needs to count the cost and make sure he has everything he needs in order to complete a project. Then, He uses the example of a king who needs to count the cost and make sure he has everything he needs in order to achieve victory in battle. In a similar way, we must count the cost of becoming a disciple of Jesus. Blindly following the traditions of man and churches is foolish without you yourself counting the cost. You must know what you are committing to when you follow Jesus.

Consider the analogies. If someone starts building a tower but doesn’t have enough resources to complete it, that person will be left with an unfinished tower and the embarrassment of not being able to complete it. “All the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’” (Luke 14:29-30) I wonder how many people have been turned away from Jesus because when they looked at the “unfinished tower” of someone who claimed to be His disciple, they thought, “Why would I want to be a part of this group of people that has built their foundation but stopped building any further?” Similarly, if a king doesn’t carefully assess the situation at hand, he may lose many men in battle, his authority as king, and even his kingdom. By not counting the cost, we tend to create more damage than what was there before. Life as a disciple of Jesus is the same way. If someone claims to be a disciple of Jesus but becomes stifled by the trials of this life, that person can do more damage for God’s Kingdom than good. Or if someone claims to be a disciple of Jesus but lives a life unchanged by God and His Word, that person is like the king who took on a battle he could not handle. Life with Jesus is the narrow way for a reason, but if you count and understand the cost, then you know that it is worth it one hundred fold.

That’s what makes Jesus’ final analogy so powerful. The example of salt illustrates a powerful point. Salt is good and can be used in many different ways, but if salt loses its flavor, it becomes truly useless. In Jesus’ time, salt was highly valued as a preservative, especially before the invention of refrigeration. But if the salt lost its ability to preserve or flavor food, it was deemed useless and couldn’t even be used as a fertilizer. Spoiled food and animal poop at that point was more valuable than salt that lost its flavor or saltiness. Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus refers to His disciples as the “salt of the earth.” If you claim to be Jesus’ disciple yet live a life without fruit of a relationship with Jesus, then you are like salt that has lost its saltiness and flavor. (Insert the wideyed emoji) 

Counting the cost of being a disciple of Jesus is crucial. Choosing to follow Jesus is not choosing the easy and smooth life. Instead, it often requires going against the grain in a culture that is obsessed with self, self-pleasing and self-glorification. In that light, choosing to follow Jesus is choosing the harder way to live; it’s choosing to deny self! This is where having an eternal perspective is so important. The choice to follow Jesus may lead to a more difficult life of bearing your own cross here and now, but it leads to eternal life with Christ after this momentary life passes away. And in the end, a life with Jesus here, even through difficulty, will be 100% more fulfilling than any life this world could ever offer you. This is a theme in the book of Luke. It’s not easy to have an eternal perspective; to choose the narrow path; to choose to be last in this life to be first in heaven; and to live a life of humility in serving and following Jesus each and every day.

Now, are you or I able to accomplish this on our own? Absolutely not. That’s the crazy part about life in Christ. Even if we respond to Jesus’ call to become His disciple, we still fully rely on Him and His character in order to be able to be faithful in our walk. Without the grace of God, we would abandon the mission, live unfulfilled lives, and walk away from the foundation we built. However, with God’s grace, we can recognize the importance of “building our tower” day after day and we can work on completing it until the day that we die. With God’s grace, we can understand the battle taking place in our lives and fight until the end. With God’s grace, we can appreciate the significance of being “salt” in a world that needs hope and continue to spread His love with His help. With God’s grace, we can recognize the significance of Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. He counted the ultimate cost and chose to pay it; a burden none of us could ever bear. Not only that, but even now He is our High Priest who is able to empathize with all our weaknesses. He counted the cost, paid the price, and continues to sustain us. When we feel like the cost to follow Him is too great, let us remember the cost paid to even give us the opportunity to follow Him. Only through His work and forgiveness can we become His disciples. No matter what the world would ever say about who you are, Jesus thought enough of you to die on the cross for your sins. That’s pretty incredible.

So I ask, is it worth it? Is it worth standing through trials and difficulties to follow Jesus? The answer is unequivocally “yes!” His goodness, boundless love and everlasting peace are not just for a moment, but for every moment as you walk with Him. The cost to follow is great, but the reward that follows is so much greater. As a disciple of Jesus, you will face trials, burdensome conflicts and temptation to walk away. However, you will never walk alone as Jesus promises to never leave nor forsake you. Rather than pursuing the fleeting pleasures of this world, we look forward to an everlasting joy that our Messiah and Savior has promised us. Yes, the cost to be Jesus’ disciple is great, but it is without a doubt, worth it.

Here’s the other part of it though. As believers, we need to stand by each other and spur each other on in being disciples of Jesus. None of us have to face the trials of this life alone. Instead, we should come alongside each other and carry each other’s burdens as well as express our need for help when we’re the ones who need it. When we do this, we can encourage one another in holding on to the eternal perspective and everlasting promises that our Savior has given us. We can forgive as we’ve been forgiven and be each other’s strength in weakness. So let us keep moving forward as disciples of Jesus, regardless of the cost, because we are moving forward with our Savior and with each other today, tomorrow, and forever.