The Cost of Following Jesus

²⁵ A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

²⁸ “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? ²⁹ Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. ³⁰ They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

³¹ “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? ³² And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. ³³ So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

-       Luke 14:25-33

Reflection::

After the reading, take some time to reflect in silence on

one or more of the following questions:

• What word or words in this passage caught

your attention?

• What in this passage comforted you?

• What in this passage challenged you?

Contemplation:

Read the scripture passage again, followed by

this reflection:

How does this passage connect with the experience of

your daily life?

I encourage you to read this passage for several days to let it take root in the soil of your life.