Cost of Discipleship

 

The Cost is Everything

In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. — Luke 14:33

A large crowd was following Jesus when He turned and shocked them: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother… yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple” (v.26). Then He told two short parables: one of a man building a tower, the other of a king preparing for war.

In both stories, the point is clear—discipleship requires deliberate cost-counting. No one builds without calculating the price. No king goes to war without strategy. And no one should follow Jesus without understanding the absolute surrender He demands.

Alexander Maclaren wrote, “He warns us that enthusiasm that is not ready to endure all things will end in miserable failure.”

Discipleship is not a side project. It’s not seasonal. It’s the total reorientation of life around Jesus. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously put it, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

But death to self leads to life in Christ.

Dallas Willard wrote, “The cost of discipleship is great, but the cost of non-discipleship is far greater.”

What are you building with your life? Are you prepared to finish it? What war are you fighting—and with whose strength? Jesus never hides the difficulty. But He also never hides the reward: His presence, His peace, His eternal kingdom.

Lent calls us to examine what we cling to—security, reputation, comfort—and lay it at the foot of the cross. Because only those who give up everything can truly be free.

Prayer:

Jesus, You never offered cheap grace. You told us plainly what it costs to follow You. Help me count the cost—and pay it joyfully. Teach me to love You more than anything I’ve held onto. In this season, strip away what is false and help me walk in truth. Amen.

Reflection:

What unfinished towers are in your life? What do you fear surrendering? Ask God to help you count the cost—and find that He is worth it.