Parables week nine The parables of the tower builder and the king Luke 14:25-35 1. Prologue, or introduction: There are great crowds following Jesus. He turns to them….

2. Introduction of the cast of characters: The characters are, which of you… and the king.

3. Plot of the story: A man cannot finish a tower because he has run out of money, A king deliberates whether or not he can win a battle.

4. Conflict: Those who see the unfinished tower mock the farmer. The king has to decide whether to seek war or peace.

5. Conflict resolution ?? 6. Call to decision, or application: One must count the cost

One of the fundamental issues with all the parables is that, in most cases, we don’t really know for sure what Jesus is talking about. Some parables are very clear, one or two are explained, but the rest have hidden or at least unclear meanings. Why didn’t Jesus just say what he meant? The parable of the tower and the king – counting the cost of discipleship. These two parables, in a couplet, are of the “who of you…” variety. The first is more personal, the second more general (“What king….”)

Why would Jesus ask these questions? It’s almost as if He is discouraging people from following Him. Jesus never minced words about the cost of being His disciple. Imagine if, on the day you came to Christ, someone handed you a sheet of paper with terms and conditions and warnings and asked you to sign it. Why don’t they tell us all this ahead of time? Read through the parable – what phrase is repeated? He cannot be my disciple. From the Teacher’s Bible Commentary: What do you think would happen to us if we actually took seriously our responsibility to follow Jesus in all areas of our lives? Suppose we started to accept and associate with people of all races, classes, and moral levels. Suppose we started to go to the kinds of places and do the kinds of things that he did. Suppose we suddenly became totally generous, completely dedicated to serving others, entirely oblivious to thoughts of selfinterest and advancement. What kind of criticism, misunderstanding, and even hatred do you think would beat against us from a scandalized society? Do you think that we would begin to understand what it means to “bear a cross” after Jesus? What is the setting of the parable, i.e. to whom are these words addressed? There is a large crowd following Jesus, and His words are to the crowd. Many are part of His entourage, going to Jerusalem. This is mixed company spiritually. Compare the parables of the tower builder and the king going to war with the parables of the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure. What major contrasts do you see? In the former parables Jesus asks us to consider carefully the price of being His disciple, or follower. In the latter parables, the point of the message is that, once the kingdom of heaven is found, the finder abandons all to have the treasure. Certainly Jesus is throwing down a challenge. How have you felt challenged as a follower of Jesus? Which is harder – to calculate the cost of building a tower, or the cost (risk) of waging a war against another ruler or country? Before you became a Christian, did you count the cost? Did anyone ever warn you that there would be persecution as a follower of Jesus? Were you told that Jesus asks total commitment from us? Would this have changed your mind at that moment of conversion? What examples of discipleship can you think of in today’s world? Any other examples? In the ancient world discipleship was common – a pupil would attach himself to a teacher or rabbi to learn religious knowledge and skill. In this context, the pupil’s ultimate loyalty was to the material – the Torah and tradition. Discipleship under Jesus is very different. A Christian disciple’s allegiance is not to the law but to Jesus Himself. Jesus calls us to bind ourselves in a complete personal

commitment to Him. It is a call to fellowship with Jesus and obedient service to Him. This is made clear in verse 27: true discipleship is nothing less than the way of the cross. We are to share not only in the message of Jesus but in His mission. Is Jesus speaking to believers or unbelievers? Read Luke 9:18-27. Who is Jesus speaking to in these verses? What is His message? Should every believer be a disciple, and adhere to the level of commitment Jesus speaks of in the parable? How does Jesus teach we should prioritize Him in our lives? Read Matthew 6:33. Now read Luke 14:26. Note on the word hate: Do not think this means to literally hate your family. In the Jewish language and culture it means, more literally, to love less. Read Matthew 10:37. Jesus demands priority in our lives, and He demands a decision. The message of the parable is reflected in Matthew 10:38-39. This is kingdom living. Does this sound like a message you may have heard in church lately? On to the parables…. Jesus is cautioning against rash decisions. Impulsive decisions often lead to a lack of endurance or commitment. Can you think of an example in your own life when a hasty decision resulted in a failure? In the first part of the parable, the message is clear. A farmer does not want to leave an unfinished project because he ran out of money. He would be mocked. At this point in the parable the audience may have chuckled at Jesus’ humor. The point of the story is that we must consider carefully our decisions. The second parable is just the opposite – one cannot delay making a decision without considering the consequences of the delay. Consider that the king is up against a deadline – the troops are already marching against him. He must weigh the options carefully but quickly. A delay would be costly. Question: What picture does the warring king paint of the need to make the decision for Christ quickly? What are the consequences of delay? The two pictures are complementary - count the costs of discipleship, and consider the consequences of refusing discipleship. Not to decide is to decide not to become a disciple.

Then Jesus lowers the boom: one cannot be my disciple without giving up everything, relationships, possessions. This does not mean we should sell all our stuff, but it does mean to re-order our priorities. Does this remind you of another story? The poor rich man. Note that discipleship is not the same as salvation. Every believer should be a disciple, but not everyone is, in the sense that Jesus lays out in the parables. So: can one be saved and not be a disciple? If being a disciple is so difficult why would anyone want to go that extra mile? Look at Matthew 6:3, 6:6, 6:18. These are just a few examples of reward Jesus has for us if we follow Him. There are rewards in heaven for us as we follow Jesus. Remember the difference is commitment versus mere attachment. Another example: Jesus calls His disciples to go the extra mile, as a disciple, to enter into service to God. How have you been blessed in service to God? I wonder if Jesus is saying, if you REALLY want to follow me, you must do A B and C, at a great cost. If not, there is still eternal life heaven, but your rewards are fewer and I will hold you accountable for not doing more for my Kingdom. What is the temperature of your commitment? Red hot, lukewarm, or cold? Now, on to the salt. How salty are you? How much seasoning, how much of a difference do you make, in the world? This is the essence of the verses on salt. Salt had great value in the ancient world. It was a commodity of great value. It was seen as essential to life and was used in the preservation of food, as a seasoning, and even as fertilizer for certain plants and types of soil. Jesus warns against salt that loses its saltiness. In those days salt was not the clean refined product we know today. It contained impurities and lumps of other material that look like salt. Once the actual sodium chloride leaches away, all that’s left is useless junk – the salt has lost its saltiness. Jesus refers to believers as the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). If we are to be true salt, very salty, living a kingdom life and making a difference in the world, we have to be strong disciples. If we are lukewarm or cold Christians, we will lose our saltiness and our effectiveness in the world. In order to do the work that God has set before us, we must be salty. We must be strong, well-grounded, kingdom-prioritized disciples of Jesus. How do we do that? A disciple is one who follows a master, learns and grows in knowledge, and becomes effective in that knowledge in the world to make a difference. Notice we call it discipleship night – we are raising up not just believers (that’s easy) but disciple, who will go out and follow Jesus and the Great Commission.

Our usefulness to God depends on our spiritual distinctiveness, and our distinctiveness is our unqualified commitment to our Lord. Are we very salty, committed disciples, or has our salt lost its flavor, leaving just attached Christians? “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”