Why Does Jesus Tell Us to Count the Cost of Following Him?
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Why is it important to count the cost? Have you ever gotten involved with a project or an organization you thought was great, only to find out it was not what you thought it was? Did it cost you more than you wanted to pay? On the flip side, have you ever done in-depth research on something that you knew would cost time and money, but you thought the result was worth it all?
Jesus Christ told his disciples exactly what it would cost them to follow him, even with their lives, because he wanted them to choose to surrender fully informed. At one point, many of those following Him turned and walked away, so Jesus asked the disciples if they, too, would leave. Peter said where else could they go? Jesus was the only one with the words of eternal life because He was the Christ, the son of God (John 6:66-69).
So, why is it important to count the cost of following him? How do we count it? Let’s look at the scripture where Jesus discusses the topic and some of the people Jesus directly told to count the cost.
When Does Jesus Tell People to Count the Cost?
Jesus was teaching and a great multitude was following him. He turned and told them:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-33 ESV)
At first glance, His words seem harsh: Give up everything, including family and your own life, to follow Him. He knew the hearts of the people who followed Him. Some were there to see the show, some were looking for healing, some were just curious, but some were hungry for the Word of God. He spoke the truth so no one could return and say they didn’t know. Jesus was also just as direct with the people who came to Him one-on-one.
Who Did Jesus Tell to Count the Cost?
Jesus was always teaching the disciples and the multitude about what it took to follow Him. He even warned the disciples that it would cost them their lives. A few times, though, he also took a more direct approach to one-on-one conversations with people. In Luke 9, Jesus confronted many people who desired to follow him, but He was met with reasons why they couldn’t follow Him immediately:
- In verses 57-58, a man says he will follow Jesus wherever he goes, but Jesus tells him that he has no place to lay his head, no home of his own.
- In verses 59-60, Jesus called a man to follow him, but he said he needed to bury his father first. The man’s father was not dead. The man was giving an excuse as to why he could not follow Jesus at that moment.
- In verses 61-62, someone else said they would follow Jesus but first needed to say goodbye, but Jesus sensed that they were also looking for an excuse to put off following Him.
On the other hand, the rich young man asked what it would cost to follow Jesus but was unwilling to pay it (Matthew 19:16-21). All of them had a surface devotion to following Jesus but were unwilling to follow if it cost them anything of worldly significance. Jesus went straight to the heart of the matter, and most of them walked away.
Why Is It Important to Count the Cost?
It is important to count the cost so that we know what we are willing to give up. The cost of following Christ is full surrender to His Lordship. All the people Jesus told to count the cost were not willing to accept His terms because they had other priorities, and Jesus knew that when he confronted them. When Jesus is truly Lord, we must give up our rights to be obedient to His Will. It sounds scary, but the truth is that God only wants the best for us. He wants to give us things of eternal significance instead of worldly goods that are temporal and will pass away. Yet, it still requires us to take that step of surrender.
It is important to count the cost because we need to not only know what we may have to give up but also what it cost Jesus. The King of Glory left the throne of Heaven, was born as a man, and endured the unimaginable pain and suffering of crucifixion so that we might be reconciled to God and receive eternal life. What we might give is nothing in comparison to what He has already done. For a more detailed look at the cost of grace, check out this iBelieve devotional by Chelsey DeMatteis or this Crosswalk article by Dr. Roger Barrier on the cost of discipleship. For now, let’s move on to the other side.
It is also important to weigh the costs against the benefits. When we accept Christ as our savior, we get so much more than just escaping hell. We gain eternal life with God in Heaven and His presence here on earth. We become children of God and co-heirs with Christ. We are fully restored and healed as we were meant to be, if not on earth, then in eternity. I could list, but any of these reasons is reason enough. As Billy Graham said it so well in his 1983 sermon on following Jesus, the price of following Christ is always worth it.
What Steps Must We Take to Count the Cost?
So, how do we count the cost? I spoke about this recently in a Christianity.com article, where I used the concept of a cost/benefit analysis to determine the cost and the cost compared to the benefits to determine if following Christ is truly worth it.
You see, in the end everyone must make their own choice about following Christ. Jesus paid a price we could never pay on our own so that we can be redeemed. As the hymn says, “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe.” Even if being saved from an eternity in hell to an eternity in Heaven were all we received, it would be far more than enough. Yet, we receive so much more. Jesus didn’t just offer a rescue; He offered a total restoration of what life was meant to be in the Garden of Eden. We don’t even have to wait until we die to enjoy some of Heaven because God blesses us now through the Holy Spirit. Total surrender is the least we can give in response to the love and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
Let’s count the cost so that we can remember why we should be so utterly devoted to Christ and thankful for all He has already done. Let’s count the cost so that we can turn our grumbling into gratitude. Let’s count the cost so that others will see in us something that will lead them to Christ. Let’s pick up our cross daily and follow Him because, as Peter said, where else can we go for eternal life but Jesus.
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Linda Lyle is a writer, teacher, knitter, and unintentional collector of cats. She has written articles for the Alabama Baptist, Open Windows, Refresh, as well as multiple novels and novellas. Her newest book, 5-Minute Prayer Plan for When Life Is Overwhelming, is set to release in October. She spins yarns on her blog The End of My Yarn at lindalyle.com.
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