Discipleship -- counting the cost

(Luke 14:26-27)  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. {27} And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

 

      How often have you bought something and then afterward felt that you had made a bad buy – you really could not afford the item you purchased or the payments were going to weigh you down and bring problems in your life. Perhaps after you made the purchase, something happened that brought financial hardship in your budget and now you are saddled with a heavy responsibility.

      When Jesus calls us to become His follower (disciple, Christian), He cautions us to count the cost before we make a quick response. Jesus knew that many would want to be His disciple or follower for the wrong reasons. Remember James and John who wanted to sit on either side of him when He established the kingdom; and often throughout His ministry the disciples (all of them) were arguing who was going to be the greatest in His kingdom. None were really counting the cost of what it meant to be His disciple. On one occasion Jesus asked James and John if they were able to drink of the cup He would be drinking from and they rashly answered, “We are able.” Jesus responded that they indeed would drink from the cup He would drink from, but He could not grant their request of sitting on either side of Him in the kingdom.

      This caution of counting the cost is just as relevant today as it was in Jesus’ day. Jesus gave the example of a builder building a structure but then lacking sufficient funds to complete it and in the end receiving ridicule and shame for his lack of planning and preparation.

      Why would Jesus caution us to count the cost about being His disciple? For the same reason He cautioned in His days of walking on earth in human form. Many are quick to respond to His invitation but later realize they did not know what all that was involved and then turning back. Many have done just this and say they are willing to follow Jesus, but in actuality they have ceased to follow and even ceased to be Christian. They say they are following Him but they are not.

      On one occasion some said they would follow Him but had some things to do before actually following Him. Listen to Jesus’ response to them – “And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. {20} And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. {21} And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. {22} But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.”

      Jesus was not trying to discourage people from following Him but He was telling it like it is – He does not sugar-coat being a Christian. On another occasion Jesus said, “Anyone having put his hand to the plow and looking back is not fit for the kingdom.” And if we are not fit for the kingdom, then we do not enter the kingdom. Jesus knows that the enemy will do his best to keep us from continuing to follow Jesus and if he can get us sidetracked and away from Christ, then he can devour and destroy us – kill us spiritually.

      Peter spoke of this situation in his second epistle warning his readers that if they turn back from following it will be worse for them in eternity than if they had not known Christ in the first place – “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. {21} For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” If a person is never saved, they go to hell and eventually into the lake of fire, so if you have been once saved and then turn back from following the Lord, you are worse than that, what is it that is worse than hell? Jesus tells us in (Luke 12:47-48)  And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. {48} But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Having made a quick decision without a commitment to continue to follow in all our life will result in a sad and scary eternity, for we will receive greater punishment for having known and started following and then turning back.

      Jesus wants us to come to Him be saved, forgiven and delivered from sin, but he wants us to count the cost and know that it is not the “easy believism” and “prosperity gospel” many preach today. What about you, have you counted the cost?