Luke 14:28-30, 28 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? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
Just as Jesus offered two pictorial statements about the cost of discipleship, now He uses two parables to illustrate that cost. They are really two sides of the same coin. In the first parable, Jesus explained that anyone in the crowds that follow Him must first count the cost. In the second parable, He gives the other side of the coin. If they chose not to follow Him, if they reject Christ, the result will nevertheless be the same: it will still cost them everything.
The first Illustration: The Foolish Builder: Jesus begins asking a rhetorical question, 28 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? A wise builder would never be so foolish as to start a construction project he could not complete without first calculating the total cost. Is there enough funds, time, workers, materials?
Daniel Block writes, “This refers to a watchtower built to guard a vineyard or to protect a house or city“. The wise builder first assesses his expenses. The foolish builder fails to count costs, and when he is unable to complete the project there is a foundation which stands as a monument of his failure and his utter foolishness. The result is being made a public spectacle, a mockery for all eyes to behold and despise.
Realize the world is watching those who proclaim Christ, and if you pay the cost of discipleship you are called a bigot, a hater, a religious fanatic, and the like. However, if you say you follow Him and show that you do not, the world will make you as a hypocrite, a fraud, a phony, and a charlatan. Hence, the world is going to mock you either way, isn’t that true? Therefore, wouldn’t you rather the world mock you for being a faithful, committed, genuine, real deal follower of Christ?
Soli Deo Gloria: Are you the real deal? Are you a wise or a foolish builder? Have you counted the cost of following Christ and are you willing to pay such a cost?