Jesus had great crowds of people accompanying Him wherever He went (vs. 23). So He told the crowds who presumed to be His followers that to be His student or disciple they must love Him more than their own family even to the point of giving their lives for Him (vs. 27-28). Jesus then made a plea for them to consider what the personal cost of discipleship actually was. Jesus didn't try to hide anything. He told them the cost and then asked them to consider if they could afford it! Jesus used two parabolic illustrations--one involving building (vs. 28–30) and one about going to war (vs. 31–32) to teach them about calculating the cost of discipleship. Jesus asked who would start construction of a structure and first not calculate how much it would cost to complete construction. Jesus then asked who would take an army to war against a larger army and not calculate how many lives would be lost on the battlefield. Both illustrations warned against making a hasty decision to follow Jesus. The crowds that were following Jesus--those potential disciples--must first count the cost of discipleship to see if they will persevere in their faith.
Jesus doesn't just want disciples, He wants faithful disciples. In the Jesus School of Discipleship, what matters is not that you enroll but that you graduate!
