Wednesday, August 14, 2024

The Parables of Jesus Series

Tonight’s Study – Session 29: The Parable of Building a Tower and a King Making War

Introduction: In the Parable of Building a Tower and a King Making War, Jesus is continuing to teach us about who can and cannot be in the kingdom of God. Not everyone can be a disciple of Christ. We will see in this parable that there will be many who desire to enter, but few will enter through the narrow door. This parable explores the cost of following Jesus.

The Parable of Building a Tower and a King Making War is found only in the Gospel of Luke.

Let’s Take a Look at Our Passage Where this Parable is Found

 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the 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’? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Luke 14:25-35)

 A Verse-by-Verse Exposition of Our Passage in Luke 14:25-35

Verse 25

The scene begins with great crowds following Jesus.

Great multitudes – Jesus’ aim was not to gather great crowds, but to make true disciples. He never adapted His message to majority preferences, but always plainly declared the high cost of discipleship.

Verse 26

Jesus tells those in the crowd desiring to follow Him that they must hate their families and their own lives in-order-to be a disciple of Christ.

hate – The “hatred” called for by Jesus is actually a lesser love. Jesus was calling for His disciples to cultivate such a love for Him that heir attachment to everything else – including their own lives – would seem like hatred by comparison. Jesus must have first place over all, including family.

Verse 27

When one isn’t willing to bear “his cross” (hate one’s own life), that one cannot be Jesus’ disciple.

Parallel Verses of Luke 14:27

And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. (Matthew 10:38)

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

(Mark 8:34)

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)

Self – denial is part of the cost of following Jesus. The process of discipleship is stressed here, not the decision to enter into it (verbs are in the present tense in verse 27). To follow Jesus means we will follow in suffering because the world rejects the disciple of Jesus. Bearing the cross means, we are willing to bear the pain of persecution as a result of following Christ. Discipleship is not an invitation to ease and comfort but demands sacrifice and suffering. Discipleship involves more than showing up. Jesus is calling for a passionate pursuit of Him. Only a passionate pursuit will have the dedication and resolve to give up anything to be with Jesus.

Jesus does not remove the cost of following Him but explains the cost. Unlike churches today that try to eliminate all the costs so that it is easy to follow, but this not being a disciple of Jesus but a disciple of self. Much of Christianity today is being promoted as glorified, holy coffeehouses where we can get your coffee, listen to some music, and be entertained. We must offer nothing more than Jesus. What more is there to offer? Bringing people in with anything else to not make disciples of Jesus, but disciples of self.

Verses 28-30

Jesus gives His first illustration concerning the need to count the cost of following Him. The tower that Jesus refers to in this verse likely does not refer to a fortress tower, but one more like a farming building. A parallel would be building an addition to one’s house. Not counting the cost means the project will not be completed. The building will stand unfinished, as a monument to one’s foolishness. Jesus declares that one must assess whether one is ready to take on the personal commitment and sacrifice required to follow Him. Following Jesus is not an invitation to an ice cream social. Jesus has described the cost of following Him, recognizing that all other concerns take second place to following Him. The Christian life will cost us everything to follow Jesus. Therefore, we need to sit down and decide whether we can pay that price.

Verses 31-33

The second illustration is similar to Jesus’ first illustration, and it concerns a king making or going to war. A king must calculate the cost before going into battle. To avoid an embarrassing and deadly outcome, one is to count the cost. It is foolish to not consider what it will take to be a disciple. But there is an interesting depth that is found in the illustration. The king must consider what the cost will be for not allying himself with a more powerful king. Verse 32 makes the point. If the king recognizes he will not be successful, then he will wisely send a delegation for peace. Faced with the threat of a superior army, the weaker part should consider his resources carefully before deciding to defend himself. We must consider the cost of non- discipleship. The first question we must ask is whether we can afford to follow Jesus. The next question we must ask is whether we can afford not to follow Jesus.

Therefore, we must carefully consider what Jesus is asking us to do and recognize what it will cost us if we do not follow Him. First, the cost is stated in verse 33 (“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple”). If we do not renounce all that we have, we cannot be His disciple. We are called to give up all that we have. Jesus is not asking us to make room to follow Him, He is telling us to get rid of everything to follow Him. We do a great disservice to the world if we indicate that entering the kingdom of God is easy and following Jesus is simple. It is not a question of how little one can give but how much does God deserve.

Verses 34-35

Second, we must consider the cost of not following Jesus. In Luke 14:34-35, Jesus uses the illustration of salt. He says that it is good in verse 34. But also talks about it losing its flavor and doesn’t season any longer. Jesus says in verse 35 that if it has no value, it cannot be used for anything, even a dunghill (manure pile). He says these words of warning, “but men throw it out.”

The cost of not following Jesus is enormous. People will be cast out. People will be cast out of God’s presence. People will be cast into the lake of fire and eternally perish.

Conclusion: Grace comes with demands. Jesus expects nothing that he has not already accepted for Himself. If you are a disciple, do not quit. Everything that matters is hard and costly. Do not quit. Things get tough and too often we quit because it is hard.  You and I are going to face pressure to not intensely follow Jesus. But count the cost of not following Jesus. You will lose everything anyway. You will lose everything that matters to you.       

Next Week, Session 30: The Parable of the Lost Coin