Counting the Cost: The True Price of Discipleship
This Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 14:25–33) presents us with one of the most demanding teachings Jesus ever gave. As great crowds followed Him – perhaps hoping for healing, miracles, or comforting words – Jesus instead turned to them with a challenge:
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)
These are difficult words. But Jesus is not promoting hatred in the emotional sense. Rather, He is using strong language to make a clear and powerful point: our relationship with Him must be first before every other relationship, before every possession, even before our own desires and comforts.
He goes on to say:
“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27)
Following Christ is not a part-time commitment. It’s not something we pick and choose according to convenience. It’s a total, daily offering of ourselves – our plans, our priorities, our possessions – to the will of God. This kind of discipleship requires careful thought and a willing heart. As Jesus says, who would begin building a tower without first calculating the cost?
The Lord is calling us to count the cost of discipleship not to discourage us, but to prepare us. He does not promise an easy path, but He promises to walk it with us:
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)
“Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)
Let us take this to heart: the more we are willing to surrender to Christ, the more we discover what true life, true peace, and true joy really are.
Reflective Questions:
What areas of my life am I still holding back from Christ – relationships, possessions, ambitions?
What “cross” is Jesus asking me to carry today, and how can I carry it with faith and trust?
May we pray for the courage to follow Christ wholeheartedly, trusting that what He asks us to give up is nothing compared to what He longs to give us in return.