It is a mark of wisdom to consider the cost of a project before beginning it. This is why project managers are trained to evaluate every necessary resource—financial, human, and logistical demands—before they commit. Their process includes identifying the goal, examining possible alternatives of achieving the goal, determining what is required, executing tasks, and reviewing the results.
Jesus applies this principle in Luke to illustrate the necessity of sober evaluation before making a major decision.
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?…Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate 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 a delegation and asks for terms of peace” (Luke 14:28, 31-32).
The king in Jesus’ story follows the project manager’s process. His objective is war, yet he recognizes his numerical disadvantage. He considers his alternatives—engage in battle or pursue peace. He chooses negotiation and sends a delegation to seek terms. In the end, his careful consideration preserves the lives of his soldiers.
With this foundation laid, we can now turn to the heart of the lesson: how four different kinds of people consider the cost of following Christ.
Those Who Consider The Cost And Reject Christ
The first category is made up of those who genuinely consider the cost of following Christ but ultimately reject Him. Luke 18 records the account of the rich young ruler. He approached Jesus with a sincere question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus pointed him to the commandments, and the young man confidently replied that he had kept them from his youth. Jesus then revealed the true barrier in his heart: “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor… and come, follow me.” At this, the man became very sad, because he was extremely rich (Luke 18:18, 20–23).
His goal was eternal life, and Jesus clearly laid the path before him. But when the cost touched what he loved most, he chose his wealth over Christ. He wanted eternal life, but not at the price Jesus required.
Many people today fall into this same category. They want Jesus, but only on their own terms. They love the idea of Jesus, but cannot imagine leaving behind certain relationships, habits, or comforts (cf. Luke 14:26). They may enjoy Christian gatherings and the idea of discipleship, but they are not ready to give up everything to follow Christ fully. They want Christ—so long as nothing must be surrendered.
Thus, when confronted with the true cost of discipleship, they grow sad and turn away. They reject Christ in order to preserve their lives or their possessions (cf. Luke 9:24).
Yet Jesus assures us, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29).
Those Who Consider The Cost And Accept Christ
The second category includes those who carefully consider the cost of following Jesus and choose to accept Him wholeheartedly. Luke 19 introduces us to Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector. He was determined to see Jesus, but because he was too short to see over the crowd, he ran and climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view. Jesus stopped beneath the tree, looked up, called him by name, and invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ home.
The crowd grumbled. Tax collectors were despised for their corruption, and they could not understand why Jesus would enter such a man’s house. Yet Jesus’ mission was to seek and save the lost, and that included Zacchaeus. If He avoided them, He would have eaten every meal alone.
Zacchaeus responded with repentance and restitution: “The half of my goods I give to the poor…and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” Jesus declared, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:8-9).
Zacchaeus’ goal was simply to see Jesus. But when Jesus came to his home, he recognized his sin and repented. He chose righteousness over riches, and restoration over corruption. He chose to restore what he had stolen and give generously to the poor, even though he could have kept his dishonest wealth. Jesus declared that salvation had come to his household.
People in this category count the cost of following Jesus and follow through. They trade their will for God’s will. They forsake habits, lifestyles, relationships, and even family ties if those hinder their walk with Christ. They understand Jesus’ command when He says, “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). In the church, these are the believers who embrace discipleship early, understand the seriousness of their commitment, and experience genuine transformation because they counted the cost of following Him.
Those Who Don’t Consider The Cost And Fall Away
The third category consists of those who never stop to count the cost—and so they eventually fall away. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells of a sower scattering seed: some on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil.
The rocky soil represents the individual who receives the word with initial enthusiasm but lacks depth. Jesus explains that such a person “has no root in himself,” and when persecution arises because of the word, he immediately falls away (Matt. 13:20–21). This response reveals a failure to grasp the cost of discipleship.
The thorny soil represents the one who hears the word but allows “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches” to choke it, rendering it unfruitful (Matt. 13:22). Here, worldly desires, pursuit of comfort, success, and material things overpower spiritual commitment and the person eventually pulls them away.
Their desire is real—they want to follow Christ. But the cost is real too—perseverance in trial and resistance to worldly desires. Without roots, they cannot stand. Fear of standing for Christ or attraction to the world leads them away.
Today, these are the people who would rather blend into the culture and choose to assimilate over biblical conviction. They avoid being labeled or viewed as out of step with the times. They choose the path of least resistance, compromising on issues where Scripture speaks clearly—biblical marriage, God’s creation of male and female—not because they don’t know the truth, but because standing for it costs too much socially.
They fall away because they never counted the cost. They treated God’s Word loosely, and without roots, they could not stand.
Those Who Don’t Immediately Consider The Cost But Stand
The fourth category consists of those who do not initially count the cost of following Christ, yet through intentional discipleship, they remain steadfast.
Jephthah in Judges 11 illustrates this beautifully. When the Ammonites threatened Israel, the people chose Jephthah—a mighty warrior—to lead them. Before the battle, he made a vow to God without weighing its implications: ”If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace…I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” God granted the victory. But when Jephthah returned home, his only daughter and child came out to meet him with tambourines and dancing. His vow suddenly became unbearably costly. He tore his clothes and cried, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me…I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow” (Judges 11:30-35).
Jephthah had made a vow without thinking through its consequences. His daughter—his only child—was the first to come out of the house. Faced with unimaginable pain, Jephthah said, “I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.” If you were Jephthah at that moment, what would you have done? It had turned out to be a costly vow more than he would have wanted to pay.
His goal was victory in battle, and God would have granted it without such a vow. Yet after the victory, Jephthah chose to honor his word to God, even at great personal cost. He is remembered among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, likely for this very character.
This story reminds us that none of us fully understood the cost of discipleship when we first believed. Whether one came to Christ through preaching, parental guidance, evangelism, or personal conviction, the full weight of trials, losses, and suffering could not have been anticipated. Yet here we are, still standing by the grace of God. Praise be to Him.
Daily, believers must make fresh decisions to follow Christ. My prayer is that we, like Jephthah, remain firm, faithful and unmoved in our commitment to the Lord, declaring, “I have decided to follow Christ, and I cannot take my decision back.” May we daily remember the old Sunday school song, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,” and its steady vow: “no turning back, no turning back.”
For many believers, following Jesus has cost relationships, opportunities, or security. For others, it has cost their lives. Yet they didn’t turn back. Will you stand when the cost is far greater than what you originally considered? What is following Christ costing you?
Life Doesn’t Get Easier But Christ Is Worth It All
Don’t we all wish life became easier after believing in Christ? Or that God would take us straight to heaven the moment we believed? But we remain here, and our problems don’t disappear at conversion. We still face rent and mortgages, loans, doctor’s visits, and the everyday concerns of life. We still battle sin. Life remains difficult, but following Christ is worth it. We must continually consider the cost of discipleship—and after counting the cost each day, we must stand.
My prayer is that you will be the kind of Christian who weighs the cost each day and still chooses to follow Christ, knowing that eternal life is found in Him alone. And through it all, whatever comes—riches or poverty, joy or sorrow, abundance or scarcity, health or sickness—may you know with certainty that following Christ was the best decision of your life. May you stand firm until the day you see Him.
For those who have not believed, consider the gospel—the power of God for salvation. Examine its truth and respond to Christ.
Amen.
