“So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.”
(Luke 14:33)

I must confess that I misunderstood the teaching of Jesus in Luke 14 for many years. Within the context of declaring the extreme terms of discipleship, He slips in two stories that explain why the terms are so costly.

The first study has to do with building and the second has to do with fighting. Both emphasize the high cost of doing each correctly and the importance of counting the cost. But be careful how you read these words. We are not told to count the cost. Look again at the verses and see it for yourself. Who, in the two stories, counts the cost? Well, the one in charge of the building project does that. And the king, who is responsible for the outcome of the battle, does that. Not the construction crews, not the fighting men. No, it’s the one in charge.

Obviously, it is the Lord Himself whom Jesus has in mind. He has designed the kind of “spiritual building” that will best display His glory. He is also fully aware of the battle that must be fought to get the job done. Having that perspective, He Himself has counted the cost and determined the quality of workmanship His “building” requires. And He Himself has counted the cost and determined the characteristics His soldiers must have to win the battle which will inevitably be waged against His plan. He (not we) has counted the cost.

Does that make better sense? I recall, many years ago, preaching strong sermons on counting the cost. I even sang songs with the same idea in mind. But after looking deeply into the whole scene, I really believe it is not the Christian who determines the cost; it’s our Lord. After all, the whole arrangement is His entirely.

Why are the qualifications so high? Why are the terms so costly? Stop and think about that. The “building” He has designed cannot be erected correctly without skilled, committed labourers. To lower His standards would lessen the quality of His ultimate product. He isn’t willing to do that. And the kind of battle that must be fought cannot be handled by weary, ill-trained, noncommittal, half-hearted troops.

That explains why the terms of discipleship must remain top level...and why the ranks will always be thinned when the general, run-of-the-mill crowd of Christians is faced with Christ’s no-nonsense call for committed disciples.

Taken from Strengthening Your Grip by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2015 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Worthy Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.