Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, "If any one 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 yon, 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 afoundation, 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 to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel 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 an embassy and asks terms of peace. So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."

When I was in college I was one of several young men who decided to go to work on the section gang of the railroad during the summer vacation. At that time, there was very little automation on the railroad, and most of the work was done by manual labor. Many people warned us about the job. It was a hot job ... very, very hot. It was difficult. Everything out there was heavy. It was a dirty job, and to some extent, it was dangerous. But the pay was most attractive. None of us could make as much money doing anything else in the summer. So we went to work on the railroad, and only one of the five of us lasted the first week. It was too tough or we were too weak. We thought we were ready for this tough job, but we were not. We had not accurately counted the cost.

The Invitation of Jesus

Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and to his death, and a great multitude of people followed him. Some of these people followed because it was in vogue. His was the most exciting act in town. Others followed because they were curious. They had heard about him and wanted to investigate personally to see if Jesus was everything that the people reported him to be. Others followed because they had seen what he had done, and they wanted to be a part of his ministry. Others followed him because they thought he was promising to set up a new kingdom in Israel and to push the imperialistic Romans into the sea. No doubt others followed because they were looking for a handout. No, not money, but any of the good strokes that might come as fallout from his great ministry of love.

This multitude followed after him, and Jesus thought it was appropriate to remind them of what would be required for any one of them to become one of his disciples. So he told them clearly.

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. (Luke 14:26)

That word of warning penetrated like a shot into the hearts of many of the lukewarm followers. Instinctively, some of the members of the multitude must have thought about pulling back and reconsidering. But that was not the end of Jesus’ warning. He followed with these words: "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:27) Then after a few words of reflection he gave another criteria for discipleship. He said: "So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33)

Jesus was trying to give these well-intentioned people the real picture of what it meant to be his disciple. It was a warning so they could count the cost before volunteering for discipleship. As Spurgeon said, "Jesus did not wish to win disciples by mistake."1 He was trying to do them a favor just like the old "salts" of the railroad who warned my friends and me about the hot sun and the hard work on the tracks. "Count the cost before you go out there," they said.

Jesus warned the people to count the cost before signing up for discipleship. It was not an easy trek! The same warning comes to us.

Counting the Cost

Our imaginations tell us that some of the people in this multitude took Jesus at his word and began to think seriously about what it would mean to be a disciple. One man sat for a long time thinking about what Jesus had said concerning hating his wife and children. He was happily married and the father of two sons and two daughters whom he loved very much. He had not bargained for such a high cost to discipleship. He knew he could not walk away from his wife and sever his relationships with his children. He loved them too much. Indeed, at times he loved them more than he loved Jesus. This man was aware that Jesus was talking to him and that he was not ready to be Jesus’ disciple, take up a cross and follow him to Jerusalem.

There was a young lad in the multitude who had just completed his apprenticeship as a carpenter. For months and months he had labored in his uncle’s carpenter shop learning the trade, and now it was time for him to be a carpenter. His days of preparation were past. He had paid the price. Now, he was excited about putting his skill to work. He was not going to turn his back on all of this to be a disciple of Jesus. From that moment he knew his service to this traveling preacher would be limited.

An older man heard the warnings and did not try to play tricks on himself. "First to thine own self be true." he thought. He knew himself and his fear of pain and suffering. He did not want to hear of any requirement that included taking up a cross, carrying a cross, and laying down his life. He did not want to hear of anything that would cause the shedding of his blood. He wanted to follow this Jesus and to learn from him, but he did not want to suffer pain for him.

Most of us can understand these people because we are like them. Or at least I am like them. When I hear these difficult words of Jesus I know that I am not ready to be a disciple. I am not ready to renounce all that I have to follow Christ. At times, I wish my heart was in that place, but it is not. I have a wife and children, and I am not ready to walk away from them. I have possessions that I am not ready to surrender. When I seriously count the cost for discipleship I realize that there is a great distance between the disciple, St. Francis, and me. He literally did what Jesus told him was required. He left it all, everything, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. There is a great distance between Sir Thomas More and me. I read his biography and marvel at his commitment to our Lord. He did it all. All the way to the guillotine, he held Jesus Christ to be first and foremost in his life. There is a great distance between Mother Theresa and me. She is taking up her cross daily to serve the Lord. He is first in her life.

One of my heroes is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a disciple. Leibholz was right when he concluded his memoir of Bonhoeffer with these words:

He has set a model for a new type of true leadership inspired by the gospel, daily ready for martyrdom and death and imbued by a new spirit of Christian humanism and a creative sense of civic duty. The victory which he has won was a victory for us all, a conquest never to be undone, of love, light and liberty.2

Of course, I am inspired by these disciples, but I am not one of them. I should not try to fool anyone else about this because I cannot fool myself. The demands outlined in this portion of the fourteenth chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel help me to understand that the cost of discipleship is too high for me.

Suppose It’s Too Costly

Suppose Bonhoeffer was right when he wrote, "All along the line we are trying to evade the obligation of singleminded, literal obedience."3 What is left for us for whom the cost of total obedience and sacrifice is too high? What is left for the members of the multitude who cannot hate their loved ones, accept a cross and renounce all to be a disciple of this intinerant preacher? Was there any place in the great army of Christ for the man who could not leave his wife, the carpenter who could not leave his work, and the old man who could not bear the thought of bodily pain? Are there any possibilities between the extremes of having to give everything and not being able to give anything?

There are some other possibilities. Otherwise, many of us are in trouble. Hopefully, it is possible to be a follower of Jesus without being a disciple. Only a handful have come forth in each generation to pay the high cost of discipleship. It is a select group who is willing to renounce all in order to become a part of the inner circle of the life of Jesus. We can quickly count the number of people who were willing to pay the high cost of discipleship in the first century, and we can quickly count most of those who have been willing to pay the price in the twentieth century. They are few in number.

Let’s remember the multitudes of people who have loved and served Christ but have not been in this inner circle. Let’s remember those who could not pay the high price to be a disciple but who were faithful and loyal to Christ. Countless numbers of people come to mind.

Zacchaeus was one of the converts that Jesus won along the way and was a man truly affected by the good news that Jesus preached, but he was not a disciple. The woman who came to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus and was the first to hear the good news of resurrection was not a disciple. The army officer of whom Christ said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith," (Luke 7:9) was not a disciple. There are others in this same category. Evidently, it is possible to be a follower without being a disciple. We can serve in the army of Christ without ever volunteering to be a part of the inner circle of leaders. There is work for us to do even if we cannot renounce everything for him. We rejoice in the lives of those who are willing to pay the high cost and be disciples, but we also rejoice in the lives of those who have served faithfully outside of the inner circle of discipleship.

There is no judgment in Jesus’ words in this passage. He is not being judgmental. Sometimes, I have read judgment into this text, but it is not there. Jesus is very matter-of-fact in his analysis. He simply tells the people what is required to be a disciple. He does not ridicule them if they feel that they are unable to make the kind of commitment required for discipleship. If they cannot be disciples, they can be followers and serve Christ in other ways. If they cannot be a part of the inner circle, they can be a part of the multitudes who lift up his name in praise and who offer their hands for his service.

Jesus is not angry with those of us who make up the rank and file of his army. He is ready to receive us and work with us where we are. He’ll accept the gifts we have to offer and help us grow to the place where we are willing and able to give more of ourselves and our possessions to him and his ministry. This is good news for the multitudes.