The Cost Of Discipleship

The cost of discipleship

Luke 14:25 – 34

Rabbi Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

25 Now large crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them,

26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children,

brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 “Whoever

does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 “For

which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and

calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 “Otherwise, when he has

laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who are watching it will begin to ridicule

him, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build, and was not able to finish!’ 31 “Or what

king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and

consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to face the one coming

against him with twenty thousand? 32 “Otherwise, while the other is still far away,

he sends a delegation and requests terms of peace. 33 “So then, none of you can be

My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. 34 “Therefore, salt is

good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? 35 “It is

useless either for the soil or the manure pile, so it is thrown out. The one who has

ears to hear, let him hear.”

We encounter an important narrative here in which Jesus teaches us about the true cost

of discipleship. When we look at Luke 14:25–34, we find a passage that has long

troubled many readers—its parallels in Matthew and Mark raise the same concern. The

text seems to say that we must “hate” our parents and even our children to follow

Christ. That word “hate” has always bothered me as well, so I decided to study what

the word meant in Jesus’ day.

To understand the original meaning of Scripture, we must step into the language and

culture of the people to whom Jesus was speaking. In ancient Jewish usage, “hate” did

not mean what we mean today by hatred. Rather, it meant to love less or to give

secondary allegiance. Therefore, when Jesus tells us to “hate” our parents, He is not

commanding animosity toward them. Instead, He is saying that our love for Him must

exceed even the deep and holy love we have for our parents.

This raises an important point: honoring one’s parents is one of the Ten

Commandments—one of God’s divine instructions. How then can Jesus ask us to love

Him more than our parents? The answer is that the only love greater than the love of

parents is the love of God. Scripture commands us to love God first and to love our

neighbor second. Loving God is a divine obligation, and when we align ourselves with

that command, we follow the path God intends for us.

In this teaching, Jesus is subtly but powerfully affirming His divine nature. If we are

commanded to love Him more than our parents—while Scripture says only God may

be loved above all—then Jesus is inviting His disciples to recognize who He is. Today,

we understand this through the doctrine of the Trinity, but in Jesus’ time, openly

declaring Himself to be God would have led to immediate conflict. In fact, as Luke’s

Gospel continues, we see that the religious leaders became deeply troubled when people

suggested that Jesus was divine. Jesus, however, spoke only the truth—to them and to

Pontius Pilate. The truth was that He was, and is, God incarnate. Yet at this early point

in Luke, He still had much to do before revealing this fully.

The passage continues with illustrations about kings preparing for battle and about salt

losing its flavor. What does all of this mean? Jesus is teaching that discipleship requires

serious preparation and understanding. Following Him may come at a cost. You may

face rejection from friends or even family when you give your life to Christ. To give

your life to Jesus means living as He taught—imitating His words and actions.

For those who come to Jesus later in life—whether baptized as children or arriving as

adults—the cost can be real. I know this personally. My wife and I were close to another

couple. Our children played together, and we enjoyed many good times. But when I

shared that I felt called by the Lord Jesus into ordained ministry, our relationship

changed instantly. They avoided us, always “too busy,” until eventually the friendship

faded entirely. After five years of close companionship, it was gone because I chose to