“Counting the Cost”

Sunday, January 23, 2022

“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? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 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 14.28-32)

Jesus’ point deals with the most important question of all: will you become his disciple?  He isn’t merely warning his listeners that they may not be up to the challenge—although that’s part of it.  When you consider the alternative to following Jesus it’s obvious that the cost there is unimaginably greater: the loss of your soul and everything precious to you, forever!  But if we delude ourselves into believing that following Jesus will cost us nothing, we set ourselves up for failure. 

The analogy Jesus used to make this point has a lot to teach us even after we have resolved to give up bad relationships we nevertheless treasure, the sins we enjoy for the moment, the material gain, or whatever it may be that holds our hearts captive.  Jesus describes the way that leads to life as narrow and difficult (Mt 7.14), and along that path are countless decisions about how to handle obstacles, which side to walk, and whether to take any of the abundant off-ramps to find an easier road, with a different destination.

We often desire to do good things purely on the basis that they are good, and this is a wonderful desire to have.  Whether it’s feeding a brother in need, or spreading the Gospel across the world, the good deed comes with a cost, and we often fail to consider how great it will be.  This is what happened to Mark, the author of the second Gospel, whose Hebrew name was John. 

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, [Barnabas and Saul] went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. (Acts 13.4-5)

He wasn’t mentioned specifically in the Spirit’s mandate, but he had joined them during a previous endeavor for the Lord’s church in Jerusalem, followed them back to Antioch, and decided to accompany them on their mission to spread the good news far and wide.  How did it go?  Not great.  We’re left to infer from Paul’s lack of time spent in Cyprus during his later travels that their rate of success was pretty low, and this was probably a great discouragement to the young and inexperienced Mark.  He “left them and returned to Jerusalem” (Ac 13.13).

This lack of follow-through left such an impression on Paul that he refused to work with Mark again when the opportunity arose.  This wasn’t just a slight preference against the idea; Barnabas wanted to give Mark another chance, but Paul flatly refused!  “And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other” (Ac 15.39).

In the ensuing years, Mark grew up some more, and later became one of the most trusted and helpful associates to Paul, as well as to Peter a bit later—to say nothing of authoring our second Gospel!  But think how discouraged he was by that early lack of success, and by how hard the work was; think how great a blow this was to Paul and Barnabas, whom he abandoned when the going got tough.  Think how far he fell in Paul’s eyes as a result.  It would have been better for everyone if he’d first counted the cost, and then either decided not to go along—an acceptable choice—or been ready for the struggle.  That second option would have been a better course of action in every way.

When we start counting the cost of doing good things, we often find it too high to accept—at first.  Perhaps you want to have kids and teach them to love God.  Sounds great!  But when you list the things you’re giving up, and consider the risk of failure, it suddenly sounds harder.  Perhaps you want to travel to Nigeria and preach the Gospel in an inhospitable environment.  That’s also great!  But it would be a huge mistake to fail to recognize the costs and risks involved.  Maybe your ambitions are closer to home, trying to build a business that allows you to employ Christians in a spiritually edifying environment.  This is also a worthwhile goal, but will come with significant costs and risks, including ones much more important than money.  The desire isn’t always limited to an individual; perhaps the whole church wants to build a bigger and better facility, in order to increase community visibility and in turn better spread the gospel.  That’s good, too—but count the cost and make sure you’re ready to pay it!  There’s an unlimited number of good deeds you may desire to do, and it’s important to know what you’re giving up.  But don’t be so wrapped up in the costs and risks, that you never get anything done.

He who observes the wind will not sow,

        and he who regards the clouds will not reap. (Ecclesiastes 11.4)

There are always risks.  There are always costs.  Be honest about them, but don’t use them as an excuse.  Pursue those courses of action whose consequences you’re prepared to accept.  Doing good when it hurts is far more important than when it’s easy.

In the grand scheme of things, nothing is sure except God’s promises.  He tells us what kind of outcomes we can expect eternally, and there are only two paths available.  Which  consequences are you willing to accept?

Jeremy Nettles

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