Following Jesus

Counting the Cost of Following Jesus

Jesus was never a recruiter who hid the price. He told crowds plainly to count the cost before following him, the way a builder counts before starting a tower. Following him may cost comfort, control, certain relationships, or your own plans. But he asks you to count that cost precisely because he is honest and because what he gives, his own life, forgiveness, and a share in his Kingdom, is worth infinitely more than anything it costs. It is the best exchange a person can ever make.

What Jesus said

“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:27
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”
Luke 14:28
“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:33
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Matthew 16:24-26

Hold the two halves together. Yes, following costs everything in the sense that Jesus takes first place. But he immediately shows the math: gain the whole world and lose your soul, and you have lost. Lose your life for his sake, and you find it. The cost is real; the return is greater.

What this looks like

Counting the cost is not meant to scare you off. It is meant to keep you from following on a whim and then quitting at the first hardship. So look honestly: following Jesus may mean loosening your grip on control, on approval, on plans you cherished, sometimes even on relationships that pull you from him.

But this is not a grim bargain. Jesus does not take your life to impoverish you; he takes it to give it back richer, freer, and unafraid. Whatever it costs to follow him, keeping the whole world without him costs more. He is, in the end, the pearl worth selling everything to have, and no one who trusts him has ever found him a poor exchange.

Frequently asked questions

What did Jesus mean by counting the cost?
Jesus said to count the cost before following him, like a builder before a tower (Luke 14:28). He wanted honest followers who know it may cost comfort, control, or plans, not people who quit at the first hardship.
What does following Jesus cost?
It can cost comfort, control, certain relationships, or your own plans, because Jesus takes first place (Luke 14:33). But he gives far more than he asks: his own life, forgiveness, and a share in his Kingdom.
Is following Jesus worth the cost?
Jesus said gaining the whole world but losing your soul is no profit, while losing your life for his sake is how you truly find it (Matthew 16:25-26). The cost is real, but the return is greater than anything given up.
✝

He is still saying, follow me

Following Jesus does not begin with getting your life in order. It begins with him, and with a yes as small as a mustard seed. He walked toward fishermen and tax collectors and simply said, “follow me,” and their whole lives turned on that word. He says it still, to you, today. You do not have to be worthy first. You only have to come, and keep coming, and let him do the rest.

I want to follow JesusRead the Gospel of MarkAsk for prayer

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Keep followingThe cost of following JesusTake up your crossWhat Jesus asksWhen it's hard
Enter Living Breadprayer, Scripture, a family near you