The Tower Builder and the King

Jesus asked his listeners to picture someone who wants to build a tower. Before beginning, that person sits down and counts the cost, to see whether there is enough to complete it.

If he lays a foundation but cannot finish, people who see it begin to mock him. They say that he started to build but was not able to complete it.

Then Jesus gave another picture. A king is going to meet another king in war. First he sits down and considers whether he can face the one coming against him with ten thousand against twenty thousand.

If not, while the other king is still far away, he sends a group to ask for terms of peace.

Then Jesus gave the meaning. In the same way, a person who does not renounce all that he has cannot be Jesus' disciple. Following him is not a small extra choice. It asks for everything. What might it mean to count that cost?