Luke tells us in his gospel that on the road to Jerusalem, “Great crowds were traveling with Jesus…”
Up to this point a lot of people were just hanging around with Jesus to see what might be in it for them.
So far, the journey has cost them nothing. The crowds had not yet made a commitment to discipleship
with Jesus. Jesus turns around and faces the crowds and puts them on notice. If they are going to
continue to follow him to Jerusalem, it is going to cost them. But, what might be the price of admission to
a road show such as Jesus is putting on? Can one really put a price on discipleship? The gospel is a
grace given and so the face value of the ticket must be “free”. The gospel and God’s grace is freely
given. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs his disciples as he sends them out on a mission, “As you
go, make this proclamation: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse
lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” (Mt 10,7f) The
problem with making something “free” is that people begin to see it as something that is cheap and of low
value. God’s grace is freely given. It costs a person nothing to hear the gospel and to experience the
power of the Word at work in the healings of Jesus. The cost of admission is free. It doesn’t cost
anything to watch and hear from a distance. However, if one wants to be a disciple and follow Jesus all
the way to Jerusalem it will cost them dearly. God’s grace may be free but it isn’t cheap.
The face value of a new life in Christ Jesus is free but the hidden cost of discipleship is costly and
asks a person for everything that they have. The gospel that is freely given is not just cheap words but is
a true treasure that gains for a person the kingdom of heaven. Jesus tells parables about the treasure in
the field and the pearl of great price in which a person that discovers the true treasures of the kingdom
must recognize its value, even though it is hidden, and be wiling to give everything to attain this one
treasure. We must be willing to pay the price of discipleship. It seems cheap at first glance because
entrance is given freely to anyone who seeks it, and yet there will be a cost and that cost is dear.
The kingdom of heaven cannot just be one more possession that a person can attain for themself. We
cannot just be collectors of spiritual experiences. The life of discipleship is costly and requires a
detachment from all other things. We must be willing to give up everything that we have collected in our
lives and that has influence over us. The demands of a family life or of one’s career cannot take
precedence over the life of discipleship. We must seek God’s will alone. The grace of God is costly
grace because Jesus has paid a heavy price for our forgiveness and our freedom.
We need to be able to assess the true value of our discipleship. It may have come to us freely but it
has a priceless value that requires our willingness to give everything to attain it. Paul reminds his
Christian communities: “For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.” (1
Cor 6,20) “Were you a slave when you were called? Do not be concerned but, even if you can gain your
freedom, make the most of it. For the slave called in the Lord is a freed person in the Lord, just as the
free person who has been called is a slave of Christ. You have been purchased at a price. Do not
become slaves to human beings.” (1 Cor 7,21ff) “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for
oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or
die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14,7ff)
God has paid a price for our salvation. He sent his only Son into the world to lay down his life in
sacrifice. The road to Jerusalem has a steep toll for Jesus to pay. Salvation doesn’t come cheap for him
for it will cost him his life. If his disciples are to follow him down that road to Jerusalem then they also
must be willing to pay the price. They must be ready to give up everything and carry their own cross up
to Jerusalem. Before continuing on the journey with Jesus, the disciples now must first count the cost
and decide if they can pay the price. It will cost them dearly but what is to be obtained is priceless!