Read and discover
A crowd and the cost of following
Explore and study
Counting the cost
Jesus asks who would begin a tower without first sitting down to count its cost. The careful consideration pictured here illustrates the question of having enough to finish.
Large crowds accompany Jesus when He speaks about the cost of discipleship. The tower appears within that demanding teaching, not as a detached proverb about project planning. Jesus asks His hearers to consider what they are undertaking when they choose to follow Him. Luke 14:25-35
Read and discover
A foundation is only the beginning
Explore and study
A foundation without completion
Jesus describes a builder who lays a foundation but is unable to finish. The low stonework pictures the unfinished beginning at the heart of His warning.
A person intending to build first sits down and counts whether there is enough to finish. If a foundation is laid and the work stops, observers can see the gap between intention and completion. Jesus lets an unfinished structure embody an unfinished commitment.
Explore and study
The unfinished work draws comment
In Jesus' comparison, those who see the unfinished work begin to mock the builder. They point out that he began to build but could not finish, making the cost of an unconsidered beginning plain.
The companion comparison about a king considering war develops the same call to sober consideration. The passage then returns directly to discipleship. Reading the surrounding verses helps keep the tower from becoming merely advice about avoiding embarrassment.
Read and discover
Choose with honest commitment
You might ask what support, changed priorities, or sustained effort a faithful commitment will require. Honest consideration is not the same as waiting until nothing will be difficult. It can be part of choosing deliberately, with a clearer understanding that following Christ reaches into the whole life.
Continue with Jesus Christ
The King Considering War
Before advancing, a king weighs what he can meet. Jesus uses the decision to deepen His call to deliberate discipleship.
Open study →The Pearl of Great Price
A merchant recognizes something worth a wholehearted response. The pearl invites a careful look at seeking, discerning, and choosing.
Open study →Faithful Stewardship and the Cost of Discipleship
Continue through the connected teachings in this collection and compare their distinct settings.
Open study →