The Tower

The next parable is about assessment and sufficiency. It may be found in Luke 14:28-33. Christ spoke to his disciples about the cost of discipleship. Do you want to be a disciple? Check first to see if you have what it takes. It is not a thing that one may take lightly. It is not a mere title that allows one to sit on imagined laurels, rather it is an undertaking, a task, an ongoing endeavor.

If you intend to build a tower, you sit down first to count the cost. Do you have the resources to finish what you begin? If you lay the foundation, but the tower sits unfinished, you will be mocked as someone who had no clue about the real work or financing that goes into such a matter.

If you are a king at war with another king, you sit down first with your counselors to see if your 10,000 soldiers even have a chance against those 20,000 enemy combatants. If not, you send an ambassador seeking terms of peace while the enemy is still a great way off. This is your ship, and if you must, you will go down with it. First, however, you must ensure the safety of your people. There is no place here for bluster or pride.

We must question the tower builder and the king. What must they have drawn on to accomplish each task at hand? What sacrifices would they have made to ensure the completion of their hopes and plans? If the tower builder had seen an insufficiency of funds, he might have borrowed from a lender, or sold some possessions. The fact that he wanted a tower suggests that he already had possessions: a farm with fields, and crops that required enhanced storage, or else a business that needed surveillance, else a means of communication with other towers.

The king is shown to have 10,000 troops. That number is indicative of the population from which the soldiers were drawn. A kingdom suggests powers and assets from which to draw further. There are businesses paying taxes – take some extra in time of need. There are citizens which may be drafted and trained to fight – do so.

Sacrifices are sometimes needful. The builder might not want to sell his possessions or place himself in debt, but if he is really committed to his hope, he will even give up all that he has. The king may not wish to strain the relationship he has with the citizenry, he may be having his reputation tested. He will have to make choices, even sacrifices. He will have to choose between his reputation and his kingship. He may be called upon to give, or to give up, all that he has. It was common knowledge that losing kings did not fare well.

Christ made a strong case: forsake all that you have or you cannot be a disciple.