“Estimating the Cost”
Luke 14:25-33
Today is indeed a busy day in the life of Hillcrest Church. It is Rally Day, the day we introduce the
multitude of programs and opportunities for fellowship and faith. How many churches offer TWO
adult Sunday school classes? Also, there are two opportunities for you to study God’s Word on
Wednesdays, so actually there are THREE classes. There are activities for children, youth, and adults.
As I have said before, as great as Sunday is, you CANNOT get it all in one 20-minute sermon. Please
think and pray about joining one of the classes so you can dig deeper into God’s Word.
Today we will also celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism, where a child will be ingrafted into the Body
of Christ called Hillcrest Church. We actually will celebrate both sacraments, with communion later as
well. Finally, we are commissioning our choirs and Sunday school teachers.
So why do we do all this? If this is Rally Day, around WHAT are we rallying? And if this Rally Day
is successful, what does success look like? Do we want to end up as followers of Jesus, or disciples?
Let’s see what Jesus has to say about such things, Luke 14:25-33. This morning, we will go thru the
passage, almost verse-by-verse. Let’s start with verses 25-26: Large crowds were traveling with
Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and
mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-- yes, even his own life-- he cannot be my
disciple.
Luke tells us large crowds were following Jesus. Last week, he was at the home of a prominent
Pharisee, now he is travelling towards Jerusalem, and the Cross.
Only Jesus knew what lie ahead. The large crowds following him were attracted to just that – the
large crowds. People were thinking, “This guy Jesus must be something great!” And, as we now
know, the disciples were also caught up in the acclaim and attention.
And what does Jesus say to all these followers? "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father
and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be
my disciple.” Ouch! We’re supposed to hate our families, even ourselves?
Let me make a comment on Eastern Semitic languages – at that time, the language was intentionally
vivid to make a point. When Jesus tells us to hate our nearest and dearest, he does not mean that
literally. He means that no love in our life can compare to the love we must bear to him. The Son of
God who commands us to honor our father and mother, and who let the children come to him is not
telling us to hate such things.
Sermon 09/08/13
Luke 14:25-33
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In first-century Aramaic, to hate is a Semitic expression meaning to turn away from, to detach oneself
from. There is nothing of the emotion we experience in the expression, “I hate you.” To hate one’s life
is not a call to self-loathing.
The command to follow Christ not only takes precedence, but REDEFINES everything else. When I
came across that line this week, it caused me to stop and think. If we really, really think about it, when
we turn to Christ, we actually don’t give up that much. In a more positive way, turning to Christ
actually re-defines everything else in our lives.
To become a disciple is to essentially give up one’s earlier life. The person who wants to be Jesus'
disciple – as he says, “come after me” – can only truly be said to "follow" him when he has made and
implemented a radical decision to "deny" himself.
In the Greek, the verb we see as “deny” is the complete opposite to the verb "confess" which has the
sense of acknowledging a thing or a person. We should therefore on the one hand "confess" Christ,
which means to acknowledge him and identify ourselves with him. But on the other hand, we should
"deny" ourselves.
This means, as Christians, we must not set our desires and our will against the right Christ has to our
lives. It does not mean cultivating a weak, nonassertive personality or merely denying ourselves
certain pleasures. We are to recognize that we now live for the sake of Christ, not for our own sake.
Verse 27: And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. More
harsh words
In Jesus’ time, a condemned criminal was forced to carry one bar of his cross to the place of execution.
He was on a one-way journey – there was no turning around. To take up the cross daily is to live each
day, not for self, but for Christ.
To make his point, Jesus offers two different circumstances, essentially parables, to illustrate his basic
point, verses 28-32: "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and
estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and
is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build
and was not able to finish.' 31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will
he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one
coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the
other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
To be a disciple of Jesus requires a conscious advance commitment, made with a realistic estimate of
the ultimate personal cost. The practical nature of the circumstances Jesus so vividly illustrates
underlines the fact that Christian discipleship is not some theoretical abstract ideal but hard reality.
And finally, verse 33: In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot
be my disciple.
Is our Savior and Lord telling us to give up everything? Are we to take a vow of poverty? (Perhaps
this would be a good passage for a stewardship sermon…)
Sermon 09/08/13
Luke 14:25-33
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In the Greek, the key word is apotassetai ("give up"). When used of persons, the verb means to take
leave of or say good-by to someone. When used of things, it means to give up or renounce.
Many of you are familiar with Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler in Luke 18. Jesus is not
saying a disciple should sell all his possessions and give everything away. He MIGHT say that, but it
is usually not so extreme. His thought probably is that of abandonment of things, yielding up the right
of ownership, rather than outright disposal of them.
As disciples of Jesus, we are given the use of things in trust, as a stewardship, but they are no longer
our own. The present tense implies that what Jesus requires in relation to possessions is a continual
attitude of abandonment.
William Barclay offers two suggestive truths within this passage:
First, it is possible to be a FOLLOWER of Jesus without being a DISCIPLE, to be a hanger-on
without pulling one’s weight. A person may claim to be a follower of Jesus, but he or she is not
necessarily a disciple.
Barclay’s second point is a much more serious one: It is a Christian’s first duty to count the cost of
following Christ. In the first parable we just read, the inference is that, if the builder doesn’t plan
properly, the building will never be finished. An unfinished building is always a humiliating thing; no
one need become a student unless he will count the cost of learning.
Finally, let us be reminded – if we become daunted by the high demands of Christ, let us remember we
are not left to fulfill them alone. God has given us the Holy Spirit to walk with us and help us.
This Rally Day, what are we hopeful for? What are you hopeful for? Do we want these pews, our
classrooms, Fellowship Hall, full of followers of Jesus? Or disciples?
But before we get all excited about the prospect of REALLY being a disciple, let me ask you…
Do you really know what you are doing? By being here, do you really know what you are getting
yourself into? Do you realize what this means? Are you really ready to pay the price?
Are you ready to become a disciple, and not just a follower?
Are you ready to lead others to discipleship, not just followership?
And are you willing to pay whatever it costs to…
#1, become a disciple yourself?
And 2, enable others to become disciples?