Measuring the Cost

In college, I was required to take one philosophy course. I took a lot of courses in various disciplines as only a liberal arts education can offer, but I really had no idea what I was going to take when it came to philosophy. So I did what anyone would do. I asked as upper-classman what the easiest class was to take, and I signed up for it.

It turned out to be a class on the logic of argument. And it was exactly as boring as the title. It was all about the linguistics of arguing. And if the conclusion of the argument was based on the facts presented.

We had to write statements like:

Whereas: All Methodist Colleges need to be registered with the United Methodist Church and
Whereas: Wofford College is a United Methodist College.
Therefore: Wofford College needs to be registered with the United Methodist Church.

That was our written work. It was mind-numbingly boring and tedious. When I read this passage from Luke, it looked like Jesus was speaking in this pattern.

Whereas: Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple and
Whereas: Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Therefore: None of you can become my disciples if you do not give up all your possessions.

You can tell, the logic of the argument does not make sense. The conclusion is not consistent with the facts presented.

So, I don’t think that we can read this passage with its individual parts, but most look at the entire statement as a whole. They are all interconnected so that you can’t parse out certain aspects of it and say that this is the essence of what Jesus is saying, you must look at the entire statement.

Jesus uses repetition to get his point across. He uses different images but he says the same thing. Whether we’re taking up our cross, building a tower, or fighting a battle—we must always measure the cost of our actions. We should always think through the consequences of our actions.



What Jesus is talking about, is measuring the cost.

Have you all noticed that we have been reading the scripture out of Luke a lot?! Ever since I’ve been here actually. That’s because it is the lectionary Gospel for this ordinary time in our Christian Calendar, and all of these teachings happen on “The way to Jerusalem.” Jesus is traveling toward to holy city the entire time…and we know what happens in Jerusalem, and Jesus does too. In Jerusalem, prophets are killed. In Jerusalem, there is a very cruel punishment and execution that awaits the fate of Jesus. We know what happens there, and the entire time, that is where Jesus is headed.

And, Jesus’s teaching is so effective, and revolutionary that huge crowds are beginning to follow him along the way.

I would imagine that is what at this point that Jesus faces a pretty severe temptation, and one that we are still facing today. The temptation to settle.

People LOVE Jesus in Galilee. It says, large crowds are following him. People are traveling from miles away to see him, to touch him. They are listening to what he is saying and the crowds are growing.

So why even continue on to Jerusalem? Like we’ve already said, we know what happens in Jerusalem. So why not settle down in Galilee? That is where the people are. That is where his friends are. And that is where people like him.

I think this happens in churches all the time. Things start going well, so churches just keep doing things like they have always done them. They become satisfied and complacent with what has been accomplished. We stop looking for avenues of mission and ministry. And, ironically, it is precisely at that moment that a church settles with its ministry, that it begins to die. We are called to more. We are called to do more, and to be more. That is the cost of calling ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ.

So when Jesus has these huge crowds surrounding him, does he say, lets just sit down and enjoy being together? No, he says, its going to cost more than that to be my disciple because I am called to do more. Jesus reminds them, I am called to continue to Jerusalem where I will be mocked and executed, and rise again, because there is a greater purpose to my coming to be with you, and that is to make certain that death does not have the final word. To make certain, that you all have life and life abundantly. That is the cost of being called. Are you willing to pay that cost?

I can imagine that there was stunned silence. What does he mean take up our cross? Things are great! No crosses around here in Galilee!

What does he mean that we must sell all of our possessions? Does that include everything I have worked so hard for?

What does he mean to hate our families and our life? I love my family, I could never hate them!

I believe, first of all, hate is a strong word, but that in everything Jesus is saying as the cost of discipleship is meant to push us beyond our comfort. To push us beyond the temptation to be complacent. To push us beyond our bonds and our ties to what truly matters. Life, and life abundantly, for all.

So there it is. Its laid out before us on this table. The body and blood of Christ so that we might be for the world the body of Christ. We promised to be Christ’s disciple at our baptism, and to follow him wherever he would have us to go. And our promise to be disciples might lead us to unexpected places.

That might be in mission into the high schools, where we gather up at-risk youth under our wings to let them know that they are loved, and they are worth something in this world, because too many kids to count don’t know that.

That might be delivering food to families in our community who don’t have enough, but are too proud to say so.

That might be giving all that we have, so that someone else may live.

The cost of discipleship is a lot. But Jesus never calls the disciples to follow him, for a little while. He simply says, follow me.

We possess so many things. And sometimes it seems like our possession actually possess us.

That is the one of the problems with our global environment right now. Too many people, in too many places refuse to give up their comfort for the sake of the greater good around the world. Too many natural resources are being funneled to too few people, and as a result the entire world suffers. Not just human beings, but all of creation. We are loosening ourselves from being physical beings, and in doing so, have lost grip with being a community together. I believe it is a moral and theological issue that this is happening. That we must give up a part of ourselves, in order for another to have life and have it abundantly.

Because that is what God promised. God promised to be with us, and that we are to follow Him. So that is what we must do.

I love being a United Methodist and especially being Wesleyan. Because part of being a United Methodist means that God is never done molding us and shaping us to be the beautiful creation that we are intended to be. At all moments and on all days, God is working in our lives through his loving grace so that we might fully realize who we are as children of God. Every day is the first day in the rest of our life.

And what fool doesn’t consider the cost before building a building? Or what King would fight a battle if they didn’t think that they would win?

So Jesus puts the cost before us in being his disciple. Can we afford it?

I think we can. But not only that, I think we must. Because the world NEEDS it. The world needs redemption, and transformation. I hear too many stories of pain and hate. The world needs disciples of Jesus Christ who pay the cost not because of what it will benefit them, but what it will benefit their neighbors. To introduce them to Christ, so that they might be disciples as well.

We are going to gather at the table this morning to partake of communion. It is a very special time to me when I get to share this meal with you, and we are doing it a little bit differently this morning. When you kneel at the altar, I will come by, and give you a piece of bread, and then Chip will come by and offer you the cup. You will dip the bread into the cup, then eat it.

This is nourishment for our body and soul. Remembering who Christ is in our life. What Christ means in allowing us to be his brother and sister. And it is strength to pay the cost of discipleship. Bonding us together as one family, united by our Lord. And gives us clear vision to see the crosses around us that need to be carried, because that is what we are called to do.

Jesus says, Come, Follow Me.

Will you come?