“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him. Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:28-33
My Summary & Reflection
Jesus asks his disciples about the foolishness of someone starting to build a tower without first counting the cost and whether he will have enough to finish it. The builder may discover after laying the foundation, that he is not able to finish it. He will be mocked by all who witness his lack of preparation. In a second story, Jesus asks his disciples about a king who’s planning war against another king. The king sits down first and sees how many troops he has when compared to his adversary. If he sees that the odds are against him, he may send an ambassador to arrange conditions of peace. Jesus ends these stories by saying that like this builder and this king who have to prepare for their endeavors, so are his disciples who forsake all that they have in preparation for the job that Jesus has for them.
These stories brought to mind a book I had read in which the author suggests that we, “begin with the end in mind.” That seems to be what Jesus is saying here. He’s saying that to be his disciple, you must be prudent and plan. The disciples that Jesus had called to preach his gospel and to go out to every nation to share what they had learned, could not fulfill their calling effectively with the entanglements of earthly things. They couldn’t spend their time worrying about their land, or their homes, or even their families. They had to forsake everything that tied them to the earth, in order to serve in the way that Jesus was calling them. They had to unburden themselves in order to reach the higher place that Jesus had in mind for them.
Your Reflection
- Are you prepared for the calling to which you have been assigned?
- What can you do to get prepared?