Single lesson
The Tower Builder and the King
Luke 14:28–33
Jesus uses two examples, a builder and a king, to make listeners think before acting. This lesson helps children notice what each person considers and then hear Jesus’ own conclusion about being his disciple.
Before you teach
In Luke 14:28–33, Jesus asks one question about building a tower and another about a king meeting another king in war. Each example focuses on stopping first to assess the situation. Jesus then states his conclusion plainly about discipleship.
Students will be able to explain that Jesus uses the builder and the king to point to his conclusion that a person who does not renounce all that he has cannot be his disciple.
Welcome: Things people think through first
5 minAsk children to name ordinary tasks that need planning before starting. Then explain that Jesus asks two comparison questions. In each one, the person sits down first and thinks about what is needed. Tell the group to listen for what each person must work out before acting.
Luke 14:28, Luke 14:31
Read and explain: The builder and the unfinished tower
7 minRead the builder example aloud. Jesus says a person wanting to build a tower first sits down and counts the cost, to see if there is enough to complete it. If only the foundation is laid and the work stops, onlookers mock the failed attempt.
Luke 14:28, Luke 14:29, Luke 14:30
Discuss: The king weighs his situation
6 minRead the king example aloud. Jesus asks about a king going to meet another king in war. He first sits down and considers whether ten thousand can meet twenty thousand. If not, while the other is still far away, he sends an envoy and asks for conditions of peace.
Luke 14:31, Luke 14:32
Make and respond: Compare the two examples
8 minChildren make either a small tower model or a simple paper scene showing the king sending an envoy. As they share, ask what each person had to consider first. Summarise that both examples show careful assessment before action, and then connect that observation to Jesus’ final statement.
Luke 14:28, Luke 14:31, Luke 14:32, Luke 14:33
Closing: Jesus states the meaning
4 minRead Jesus’ conclusion slowly and clearly. Explain that the main teaching is not hidden in the examples, because Jesus says it directly. Invite children to say, in their own words, what Luke 14:33 teaches about being Jesus’ disciple, while keeping close to the verse.
Luke 14:33
Questions to explore
What does the builder do before starting the tower?
Look for the two actions in the verse: he sits down first and counts the cost to see whether he has enough to complete it.
Luke 14:28
What exactly does the king consider before deciding his next step?
Stay with Jesus’ question in the verse: he considers whether ten thousand are able to meet the one coming against him with twenty thousand.
Luke 14:31, Luke 14:32
What does Jesus himself say these examples are teaching about his disciple?
Read the conclusion rather than guessing from the pictures alone. Jesus says that whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be his disciple.
Luke 14:33
Make, think or respond
Tower or Envoy Scene
What you’ll need
- building blocks or recycled boxes
- paper
- pencils or crayons
- sticky tape or glue
Try it together
- Choose one scene to make: an unfinished tower with a foundation, or a king sending an envoy.
- Build the tower from blocks or boxes, or draw and fold a simple paper scene.
- Add a label from the passage. You may use the exact words 'count the cost' from Luke 14:28 or 'conditions of peace' from Luke 14:32. If you use 'consider', explain that it summarises what the king does in Luke 14:31.
- Show the scene and explain what the person needed to think about before acting.
- Finish by reading Luke 14:33 together and saying how Jesus’ conclusion connects to the scene.
The scene helps children compare Jesus’ two examples and then connect both of them to his stated conclusion about being his disciple.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, let everyone make the same scene and complete one sentence aloud: 'He stopped to think first.'
- For older or stronger readers, ask them to list the matching actions in the two examples, such as 'sit down first' and then assess what is possible before acting.
An optional closing prayer
Proposed words: 'Lord Jesus, please help us listen carefully to your words and understand what you say about being your disciple. Amen.'
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Luke 14
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?
29 Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation and isn’t able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy and asks for conditions of peace.
33 So therefore, whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.