The Cost of Discipleship
As large crowds travel with Jesus, he says that anyone who will not place loyalty to him above family, life, and self, and carry the cross, cannot be his disciple.
N25ow large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and He turned and said to them, 26“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be My disciple. 27And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
Jesus compares discipleship to building a tower and warns that a half-finished work invites ridicule if the builder cannot complete it.
28Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? 29Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’
He compares it again to a king who weighs whether he can meet another king in war and seeks peace if he cannot.
31Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32And if he is unable, he will send a delegation while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms of peace.
In the same way, anyone who does not give up everything he has cannot be Jesus’ disciple.
33In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.