Counting the Cost
Scripture: “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.'” (Luke 14.28-30 ESV)
Main Point: Jesus calls us to carefully consider the true cost of discipleship, not to discourage us but to prepare us for the reality of what following Him requires.
Jesus tells a simple story about construction planning, but the implications run deep. Any wise builder counts the cost before beginning a project. To start without adequate resources leads to embarrassment, wasted effort, and public mockery when the project remains unfinished.
But notice something crucial: Jesus doesn’t tell this parable to help us determine whether we have enough resources to complete the project of discipleship. He tells it knowing full well that none of us have enough. The cost of following Jesus is everything—and that’s more than any of us possess.
So why does Jesus tell us to count the cost? Because honest assessment reveals our poverty. When we truly count the cost of discipleship—total surrender, complete obedience, perfect love—we realize we’re bankrupt. We don’t have what it takes.
This realization isn’t meant to drive us away but to drive us to grace. When we count the cost and realize we cannot pay it, we’re ready to receive the gift of One who has already paid it for us. Christ has “completed the tower” that we could never finish. He has done what we could never do.
Our counting the cost leads not to self-reliance but to Christ-dependence. It prepares us to receive His finished work rather than attempting to complete our own.
Reflection:
Ponder how honest assessment of our poverty leads us to Christ’s riches. Have you honestly counted the cost of following Jesus? Where are you still trying to “build the tower” in your own strength? How does recognizing your inability lead you to depend more fully on Christ?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for completing what I could never finish and paying what I could never afford. Help me rest in Your finished work. In Your precious Name. AMEN.
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