The Cost of Discipleship: A Focused Committment

Luke 9:57 - 62

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was an outspoken opponent of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime on their rise to power in 1933. He resisted the Nazi attempt to impose anti-Semitism on the church and society. He wrote ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ centered around an exposition of the Sermon on the Mount where he explained what it meant to follow Jesus.

Listen to a brief portion of his writing:

“Cheap grace is grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing...Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian 'conception' of God. An intellectual assent to that idea is held to be of itself sufficient to secure remission of sins.... In such a Church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin… Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin...Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”


“Costly grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price”. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us.”

Someone once asked Tom Landry why he had been so successful as a football coach. He said, "In 1958, I did something everyone who has been successful must do, I determined my priorities for my life — God, family, and then football."

It is important that you know that our Lord is not indifferent about your priority list. Some assume that Jesus, since He is so meek and forgiving, appreciates our need to get things done. Jesus, we think, would never judge us for looking after our family. Jesus would never judge us for working too much even for sake of the Kingdom. Jesus would never judge us for wanting some time to relax. Or would He?

As we will see in our passage today, Jesus insists that nothing is to take priority over following Him. Taking time to relax, looking after one's family, and working hard are commendable so long as they are not done at the expense of following Christ.

The key to this passage of Scripture is found in the verb follow. Note that follow appears in verses 57, 59, and 61. The word follow literally means “to follow as a disciple.”

Jesus is on His journey to Jerusalem. Luke places this incident here at the start of the journey to Jerusalem. Why? He would not pass that way again. It would be now or never for those who wished to accompany Him.

Jesus interacts with three individuals—would-be—wanna-be disciples. The dialogue between Jesus and the three stresses the requirements of true discipleship. YES—discipleship costs something. Discipleship requires a focused commitment to be a disciple.