What does sitting down to calculate how much money is needed to build a tower have to do with renouncing possessions and following Jesus? What does a king knowing how many men he needs to defeat his enemy have to do with carrying the cross?
While urging his disciples to renounce all their possessions, to carry the cross and to detach completely from their mothers, fathers, children, brothers, sisters and their own lives, Jesus gives as worthy examples a builder buying materials to build a tower and a king gathering troops to go to war. At first glance Jesus’ references to the builder and the king seem out of place in the Gospel of Saint Luke since they are sandwiched in between a call by Jesus to radical discipleship.
Through these two simple images Jesus teaches his followers a great lesson. In the same way a builder should begin construction work with full knowledge of the task he is starting and in the same way a king should be aware of his strength before battle, all disciples of Jesus must be aware of what their discipleship will entail.
The builder knows before he starts working what challenges constructing a tower will bring, so he prepares accordingly. It would be absurd for him to complain that the project took too many bricks; he should have known from the start how many bricks he would need. In the same way a king should not be surprised by the outcome of the battle if he prepared appropriately.
Jesus clearly teaches us that being his disciple will require the carrying of the cross. We should prepare accordingly and appropriately. We should not be caught unprepared nor should we complain when the cross gets heavy since the Master has been clear from the beginning as to what following him will entail.
One who complains about the challenges of living out the radical demands of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is like an irresponsible builder or an unprepared king. He or she did not understand before starting what discipleship would demand.
As the builder gathers materials and the king enlists men, Christians must gather opportunities for grace that the Lord gives. It is through the sacraments, prayer and faithfulness that a disciple of Christ prepares for the journey. It is through these encounters with Jesus that we prepare for the Christian journey of discipleship.
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