Parable · Luke 14:28-33
Counting the Cost
A man builds a tower without pricing it out. A king marches to war outnumbered.
Also called The Tower Builder, The King Going to War
The point
Jesus is talking people out of following him casually. This is a warning, not a recruitment pitch.
28Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it?
29Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
30saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’
31Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32And if he is unable, he will send a delegation while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms of peace.
33In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Read the whole chapter
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Lectionary 23 Year CGospel, Luke 14:25-33
For a newsletter or sermon notes
The parable of Counting the Cost, explained in plain words. A tower with no budget. A king at war, outnumbered. https://freescripture.org/parables/counting-the-cost/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church
More on counting the cost
The Wise and Foolish Builders Two houses, one on rock and one on sand. The same storm hits both.The Barren Fig Tree An owner wants to cut down a tree that has not fruited in three years. The gardener asks for one more year.New Wine in Old Wineskins You do not patch old cloth with new, or pour new wine into brittle old skins.The Unworthy Servants A servant who has done his work does not expect to be thanked for doing his work.