Luke 14:25-35
Counting the Cost
Read the passage
25Now 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.
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.’
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.
33In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
34Salt is good, but if the salt loses its savor, with what will it be seasoned?
35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Large crowds travel with Jesus. He turns and tells them that anyone who comes to Him without hating father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even his own life cannot be His disciple. He speaks of carrying a cross and following Him. This is a demand for loyalty above every other claim, even the closest family bond. Matthew 10:37 expresses that priority as loving Jesus more than father, mother, son, or daughter. Jesus is not recruiting people into contempt for their families; he is calling them to follow him even when those they love oppose that choice.
Jesus compares discipleship to building a tower. A person first sits down and counts the cost, deciding whether there is enough to complete it. Otherwise people will mock the unfinished project.
He compares it to a king going to war. The king considers whether ten thousand can meet twenty thousand, and if not, he sends terms of peace while the other king is still far away.
Jesus concludes that anyone who does not renounce all that he has cannot be His disciple. Salt is useful, but salt that loses its taste is worthless. The crowd must reckon with what following him means. Relationships, life, and possessions cannot be held back as exceptions to his authority. Counting the cost brings that surrender into the open before a person promises to follow.
How We Know
Matthew 10:37–39 places love for Jesus above love for parents or children, then speaks of taking up the cross and losing one's life for his sake. Luke uses the sharper word “hate” alongside these same demands. Reading the sayings together helps us understand the priority Jesus claims without turning his words into permission to mistreat a family member.
Questions
1 What does Jesus ask would-be disciples to carry?
AnswerHe asks them to carry their own cross and follow Him, placing loyalty to Him above every competing relationship and even self-preservation.
2 Why should someone count the cost before building?
AnswerA builder who starts without enough to finish leaves an unfinished tower and invites ridicule. Jesus applies the picture to thoughtful discipleship.
3 What does the king consider before war?
AnswerHe considers whether his smaller army can face the larger one and seeks terms of peace if he cannot prevail.
4 What does it mean to renounce possessions?
AnswerIt means giving up our claim to keep whatever we want regardless of Jesus' command. Following him can require actual giving and loss, not only a generous feeling.
What This Means for Us
Jesus is not commanding hatred of family members as an emotion. He uses severe language to say that loyalty to Him must outrank every relationship, possession, and personal plan.
The call should not be used to manipulate someone into abandoning children, safety, or legitimate responsibilities. Count the cost honestly, then follow Jesus with a loyalty that makes every other love more truthful.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, give us honest courage to count the cost of following You. Free our household from possessiveness, strengthen our love for family, and keep every good gift beneath our loyalty to You. Amen.