Cost of following Christ

What is the Cost of following Christ?

Passages

Luke 14:25–33 LEB

Now large crowds were going along with him, and he turned around and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and furthermore, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, wanting to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish!’ Or what king, going out to engage another king in battle, does not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand. But if not, while the other is still far away, he sends an ambassador and asks for terms of peace. In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.

Similar passage

Matthew 10:37–39 LEB

The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it.

Another similar text

Luke 9:23–27 LEB

And he said to them all, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me, this person will save it. For what is a person benefited if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of this person when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some of those standing here who will never experience death until they see the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9 commentary

Luke (Comments)

Three conditions of discipleship are laid out. The first involves a need to deny oneself. This is much more radical than simply a denial of certain things. This mandates a rejection of a life based on self-interest and self-fulfillment. Instead a disciple is to be one who seeks to fulfill the will and the teachings of Christ.

Luke (Comments)

The second condition involves the need to take up one’s cross. This need not be a vaticinia ex eventu, or a prophecy after the fact, but Jesus’ own crucifixion reveals more fully to Luke’s readers that this call is for a commitment unto death. There needs to be willingness to suffer martyrdom if need be

Luke Comments

Luke added the need to do this “daily.” Whereas Mark emphasized the initial act of denying oneself once and for all (Mark 8:34), in Luke there is an emphasis on the need to make such a commitment each day.

Luke Comments

The final condition is the need to follow Jesus. In contrast to the other conditions this verb is a present imperative, indicating that following Jesus must be continual.

Commentary:

Reading Luke: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Third Gospel Mealtime Controversies (14:1–35)

“This is the point: love for Christ automatically classifies all other loves as lesser loves. Loyalty to Christ supercedes all other loyalties.

Reading Luke: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Third Gospel Mealtime Controversies (14:1–35)

The bearing of one’s cross is an expansion of the idea of hating one’s own life

Reading Luke: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Third Gospel Mealtime Controversies (14:1–35)

“Discipleship is not periodic volunteer work on one’s own terms and at one’s convenience” (Karris 1974, 59)

Reading Luke: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Third Gospel Mealtime Controversies (14:1–35)

Absolute detachment from all else and total commitment to Jesus are what is demanded of disciples. Given this rigorous demand, it would be advisable to count the cost before accepting the invitation to the messianic banquet.

Salt

Reading Luke: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Third Gospel Mealtime Controversies (14:1–35)

Salt in Palestine was obtained by evaporation from the Dead Sea. Since the water of the Dead Sea contained many substances, evaporation produced a mixture of crystals of salt and gypsum or carnallite. The mixture would taste salty even though it was not pure salt. If, however, in the process the salt crystals were dissolved, what was left might appear to be salt but would have no salty taste. This residue would serve no useful purpose and so would be thrown away. Though Matthew 5:13 addresses a form of this saying to disciples, Luke uses it to speak to a group of would-be disciples (the multitudes—v. 25). He says: “Count the cost before you accept the invitation because to fail to persevere is to be as useless as tasteless salt and to be subject to the same judgment.”

Endurance

Reading Luke: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Third Gospel Mealtime Controversies (14:1–35)

Endurance is necessary for disciples

Perseverance

Luke Context

Perseverance (8:15; 21:19) will result only after sober consideration of the cost of following Jesus.

Singular commitment

Reading Luke: A Literary and Theological Commentary Conversing with Pharisees (14:1–35)

Those who wish to follow Jesus cannot elevate property, possessions, and family kinships (14:18–20) above the urgent and all-consuming call to follow Jesus. Disciples must devote themselves to the kingdom of God, which is now breaking in through the presence of Jesus. In particular, Jesus makes it clear that devotion to possessions and devotion to Jesus are incompatible with one another (14:33). True discipleship requires a singular commitment to Jesus.

Supporting idea: Dedication to God has no limits; cross bearing means total sacrifice of everything.

exodus 32: 26-29 “And Moses stood at the entrance of the camp, and he said, “Whoever is for Yahweh, to me.” And all the sons of Levi were gathered to him. And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Put each his sword on his side. Go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill, each his brother and each his friend and each his close relative.’ ” And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and from the people on that day about three thousand persons fell. And Moses said, “You are ordained today for Yahweh, because each has been against his son and against his brother and so bringing on you today a blessing.””