Counting the Cost

When my family moved to a place in India called “Ooty,” we rented a house that came with a helper who worked for the previous tenants from England, the Powneys. Her name was Alfonsa. She was a very sweet person but did funny things. For the first Christmas, Powneys sent £100 to Alfonsa. They sent it to me and asked me to cash it as Rupees and give her little by little. I told Alfonsa about Powney’s gifts and plans. But Aflonsa wouldn’t have it. She wanted me to cash the entire amount and give it to her then and there. I asked, “Why?” She told me she wanted to buy a washing machine like ours. I tried to tell her that perhaps it wasn’t a good idea since she didn’t have running water or electricity in her little shed in a slump. She wouldn’t budge, and I gave her the money.

Sometimes, we all make decisions without counting the cost. The Lord Jesus wanted his disciples to be not like that. So, he gave them two examples. First, anyone who wanted to build a watch tower around their property or city must have budgeted and seen if s/he had the money needed to finish the work. Otherwise, bystanders would see the unfinished tower and mock the owner (Luke 14:28–30). Second, if a king decided to go to war with his neighboring country, he should have evaluated the strength of his army first. He was sure to lose if he had half the size of the army. In such cases, he should have instead sent a delegation of peacemakers and offered a peace treaty. Otherwise, he would be defeated and become subject to the victor (14:31–33).

Giving these examples, the Lord Jesus concluded,

“Thus, therefore, everyone from you who does not set aside (apotasso) everything that s/he had kept for her/himself (upoarcho) cannot be my disciple” (14:33)

The verbs “set aside” (apotasso) and “kept for himself” (upoarcho) can refer either to material things or people. As such, the verse can also be read,

“Thus, therefore, everyone from you who does not say ‘goodbye’ to everyone who s/he ‘cherished as her/his own’ cannot be my disciple.”

Either way, the Lord told the disciples that following him to the cross was a commitment that could not be done haphazardly or half-heartedly. They had to evaluate ahead of time if they were willing to do so; if not, they shouldn’t follow him.

As history revealed, none of them went to the cross with him. They couldn’t bear the cost. They left the tower unfinished and lost the battle. Because of the Lord’s gentleness and the enabling of the Holy Spirit, eleven of them were restored to their strength, and they finished their races well.

This call can still come for some of us. He could still ask us if we will count the cost and follow him. It’s not an obligation, but once the choice is made, one must take it seriously.