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? (Luke 14:28, NASB 95)
Speaking concerning discipleship, Jesus asked this both rhetorical and logical question. As the large crowds followed Jesus, many wanted to be His disciples. However, following Jesus has a cost, and it is not cheap. In a time when the miracles of Jesus sparked great emotion and motivation in the lives of men, Jesus wanted potential disciples to count the cost, to understand what it took to follow Him. This is why He asked such a question in the Book of Luke. He takes a common practice, construction, and compares it to the cost of discipleship.
Herein lies a great principle concerning our walk as disciples of Christ. This principle can be found in the word “calculate.” If one were to build a tower, they needed to calculate what it was going to cost to build that tower. This means that much thought needs to be given to the start, middle, and end of such a project. The one who would not provide thought to what he was doing was considered foolish because he would do the job wrong or would run out of funds to finish correctly. If we want to be good disciples of Jesus, we too need to calculate the cost. We need to calculate daily sacrifice (Romans 12:1,2). We need to calculate if we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). We need to calculate the cost of “faithfulness unto death” (Revelation 2:10). This means we must be constantly reflecting on our lives! As we prepare to enter this week, I’d like for us to ask ourselves two questions. What does it cost to be a faithful disciple of Jesus? What can I do better this week to pay that price? Like tower building, discipleship is not easy, but if we count the cost and pay the price, we will succeed. Let’s build a tower and live as faithful disciples of Christ.
-Bryce Mayfield