Bible Parables S2E9 : The Cost Of Discipleship
This is a live session recording where we delve into the timeless wisdom of The Parable Of The Cost of Discipleship and its practical application in our daily lives. This session is part of an ongoing series where we explore how biblical teachings can guide us in living fulfilling lives. In this session, we will explore the deeper meaning behind the parable and offer practical insights for bringing more compassion and connection into our daily lives. This session includes a guided reflective meditation which will gently lead you through a journey of inner reflection and healing. Come prepared to reflect on your own journey, engage with thought-provoking ideas, and leave inspired to create a life filled with purpose and abundance. This session is welcoming to all, regardless of religious background or familiarity with the Bible.
Transcript
The parable is the cost of discipleship.
And the parable goes,
For which of you,
Intending to build a tower,
Does not sit down first and count the cost,
Whether he has enough to finish it?
Lest,
After he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish,
All who see it begin to mock him,
Saying,
This man began to build,
But was not able to finish.
Or what king,
Going to make war against another king,
Does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
Or else,
While the other is still a great way off,
He sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.
So likewise,
Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.
That's the parable of the cost of discipleship.
It talks about commitment,
Preparation and sacrifice.
And the tower builder is someone who starts a spiritual journey but hasn't fully considered the cost of discipleship,
What needs to go into it.
The king waging the war represents someone who wisely assesses their ability to win before engaging in war.
And the emphasis is that true discipleship requires full dedication,
Self-denial and a willingness to let go of anything that hinders complete devotion.
And that's traditionally how we can interpret it.
And we will go now into the parable line by line to see what meaning we can get from it.
The parable starts,
For which of you,
Intending to build a tower,
Does not sit down first and count the cost,
Whether he has enough to finish it?
The tower can represent any great endeavor.
The tower can represent any great goal.
It could be spiritual enlightenment.
It could be healing.
It could be a new career.
It could be a relationship or it could even be self-transformation.
And before starting something big,
We need to count the cost.
Counting the cost means honestly assessing the inner work and the outer work that is required to succeed.
In our daily lives,
Before committing to any goal,
Before committing to any goal,
You can ask,
Am I truly prepared for this?
What sacrifices in terms of what do I need to let go of?
What kind of discipline is required?
What kind of mindset shift is required in order for me to attain this goal?
Don't rush into commitments simply based on emotion.
Ground yourself in clear intention and take the time to make a practical plan before rushing into any commitment because sometimes we move into things emotionally without looking at the practicalities of whatever we need to do.
So before committing to anything,
Keep emotion aside and take the time to plan.
As an example,
Before you're starting a spiritual practice,
Whether it's meditation,
Whether it's self-healing,
Whether it's the work of forgiveness,
Recognize the persistence that is needed and accordingly prepare yourself.
So you can try to think currently in your life,
What is the tower that you are trying to build?
Whether it's building a strong relationship or building a new relationship or making a change in your career or maybe making a huge investment,
Buying a house,
Buying a car.
What is the tower that you are trying to build?
What is it that you are trying to achieve?
And more importantly,
Have you counted the cost?
What goes into building this tower?
Are you internally prepared to do what needs to be done?
Are you externally prepared in terms of what resources you need to have?
So what tower are you trying to build right now?
And have you taken the time to count the cost?
And the parable goes on.
Lest,
After he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish,
All who see it begin to mock him,
Saying,
This man began to build but was not able to finish.
Starting something without the commitment to finish,
Starting something without the commitment to finish can lead to self-doubt,
It can lead to discouragement and it can also lead to external criticism.
It's like,
I want to read a book and I start reading the book but I am not committed to finishing it so I keep that book aside.
After a month I pick up another book and I start reading it and I put that also book aside.
And when this keeps happening,
I automatically start sowing the seeds for a belief to be born.
And the belief that would get born is I never complete anything I start.
So starting something without the commitment to finish can lead to self-doubt,
It can lead to discouragement,
It can plant the seeds of a limiting belief.
So this line simply warns us not to be impulsive,
Not to be half-hearted in any of your major life's pursuits.
In our daily life,
How we can apply this?
Follow true in everything that you do.
Instead of simply jumping from one goal to the other or jumping from one task to the next,
Try to develop that inner discipline to see things true.
Don't let failure stop you but also don't start something if you haven't fully prepared your mind and your heart for that journey.
As an example,
When we do the work of deep healing,
When we commit to deep healing,
Emotional,
Spiritual,
Physical healing,
We need to expect that challenges will arise.
We need to expect this from the beginning,
We need to prepare for this,
We need to be wary of this so that we are not caught off guard.
So we need to be unwavering.
Currently in your life,
In any of the areas of your life,
Have you started something very strong but you have struggled to finish it?
Anything that you have started strong,
You have gone all in and then after some time it loses its momentum and finishing it is a struggle.
Thinking of that thing which you struggled to finish,
Try to bring to mind what inner strength,
What inner resources did you need to cultivate.
Maybe it could be discipline,
Maybe it could be persistence,
Maybe it could be overcoming procrastination.
And the parable goes on,
A war king going to make war against another king does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with 10,
000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,
000.
War,
War symbolizes something big,
A big decision,
A big movement,
Your inner battles,
Your personal struggles,
The challenges that life throws at you.
To win this war,
Your inner kingdom should be strong,
Clear vision,
Self-awareness,
Mental resilience.
Before making any decision,
Whether it's a career change,
Whether it's leaving a relationship,
Whether it's embarking on a new path,
You can consider,
Am I mentally,
Am I emotionally,
Am I spiritually,
Am I physically equipped for this?
Life has the habit of always presenting greater challenges,
The 20,
000.
But our inner preparation,
That makes all the difference.
As an example,
Anyone who is on the path of personal growth,
Expect resistance.
This resistance comes from yourself,
From your limiting beliefs,
From your fears,
From your doubts,
From your judgments.
This resistance can also come from others,
From their fears,
From their doubts,
From their judgments.
And your army,
Your army of 10,
000 is your mindset,
Is your faith,
Is your discipline.
So what army are you building?
To do what you need to do,
To win the war that you need to win,
What army are you building?
Are you working towards cultivating the spiritual and mental strength to face whatever challenges come?
And the parable goes on.
Or else,
While the other is still a great way off,
He sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.
So this can be interpreted in two ways.
There is a war that is about to be waged and there is an army that is coming your way.
So you have two options.
You send your army out to fight or you send a delegation to maintain peace.
And this sending a delegation to maintain peace,
This can be interpreted as we trying to stay in our comfort zone.
Because sometimes when things become overwhelming,
We may get tempted to give up.
We may get tempted to lower our goals.
We may get tempted to avoid pushing forward.
How can I let things stay the same?
Because I like being in the comfort zone.
So sometimes the wisest choice is not to fight but to negotiate,
Adapt and to seek wisdom.
True power is in knowing when to push forward and when to pause.
So know when to step back,
Reflect and refine your strategy because not every battle needs to be fought head on.
If you are pursuing a certain goal or you are pursuing a certain direction and you find that it's not going quite the way you want it to,
Then that's the time to step back.
That's the time to reflect.
That's the time to look at your strategy.
Does something need adjusting?
Am I doing something wrong?
Seeking guidance,
Whether it's through prayer,
Through mentorship,
Through inner wisdom and sometimes simply surrendering can lead to bigger breakthroughs.
So trying to keep the peace.
Negotiating,
Adapting,
Seeking wisdom first.
That's essentially what this sentence is trying to tell us.
And the parable ends with So likewise,
Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Discipleship.
Discipleship is the practice of fully committing.
Committing to a higher truth.
Whether it's spiritual enlightenment,
Whether it's personal growth,
Whether it's self-realization.
Discipleship requires discipline,
Faith and the willingness to release anything that contradicts your chosen path.
A disciple could also be defined as someone who learns from,
Who follows and who lives out the teachings of a teacher,
A leader or a philosophy.
A disciple can be anyone who dedicates themselves to learning and practicing a specific discipline or the way of life.
So a martial artist,
Someone who practices martial arts is a disciple of their master.
They learn discipline,
They learn skill.
A musician is a disciple of music.
A student of personal growth is a disciple of wisdom.
Whatever life philosophy that you follow,
You're essentially a disciple of that.
But most importantly,
A disciple is not just someone who listens,
But a disciple is someone who lives what they learn.
So the last sentence.
It talks about radical commitment to your highest path.
It talks about letting go of what is not serving you.
Whether it's the ego,
Whether it's limiting beliefs,
Whether it's distractions,
Whether it's attachments,
Something has to be released to make the space for true transformation to take place.
So if you're looking for spiritual enlightenment,
If you're looking for success,
If you're looking for deep love,
You need to be ready to let go of whatever keeps you small,
Whatever keeps you stagnant,
Whatever keeps you fearful.
True transformation needs detachment from the old self.
Whether it's old habits,
Whether it's toxic relationships,
Whether it's outdated mindsets.
If you want peace,
Release resentment.
If you want prosperity,
You need to let go of scarcity thinking.
If you want spiritual growth,
You need to let go of distractions.
So all of us at this moment are on a certain path of our life.
And the question that you could reflect on is,
What is that one thing that I need to release to fully commit to the path that I'm on?
So this parable,
To summarize it,
Or rather,
What can we take away from this parable?
And this parable is essentially a blueprint for conscious living.
So the takeaways,
Firstly,
Before committing to anything,
Count the cost.
Am I truly ready for this journey?
Secondly,
Follow through with discipline and consistency.
Do not be half-hearted.
Thirdly,
Strengthen your inner resources.
Build that inner army of faith,
Of resilience,
Of wisdom.
Fourthly,
Know when to pause,
Know when to reflect,
Know when to adjust.
Strength comes from wisdom,
Not from force.
And finally,
Be willing to release anything that holds you back.
Detachment creates the space for transformation.
So we'll now go into a guided meditation based on the same parable.
If you're sitting relaxed in your seat,
If you're sleeping,
Try to get a bit more comfortable.
And bring your focus to your breath.
Simply notice the air as you inhale and exhale.
You can close your eyes.
And with every exhale,
Let go of any tension in the body.
Let go of any thoughts that are on your mind.
This time is for you.
This is a time for you to reflect,
To align,
To step into your highest path.
And take a deep breath in.
And as you exhale,
Allow yourself to sink into a deep state of peace.
And imagine yourself standing in a vast open field.
You're standing in a vast open field surrounded by a golden light.
And before you,
A great tower is being built.
You recognize this tower.
It is the representation of your highest vision.
It stands for your dreams,
Your spiritual path,
Your transformation.
What is the tower that you are currently working on in your life?
What is the tower that you are building in your life?
It could be a strong relationship,
A successful career,
A life of joy,
A hobby or financial abundance.
You approach the tower and you place your hands on the cool,
Solid foundation.
This is the work you have already done.
The steps you have already taken.
The faith that you have already planted.
But as you look upward,
You notice that the tower is unfinished.
And a voice within you asks,
Have you counted the cost?
Are you truly ready to build to completion?
The materials to finish the tower are not outside of you,
They are within you.
Your thoughts,
Your beliefs,
Your commitment form the brick and mortar that will build this tower.
A scroll appears in your hands.
As you unroll it,
You see two lists written in glowing ink.
On one side you see everything that strengthens your tower.
Your faith,
Your passion,
Your vision,
Your alignment with divine intelligence.
On the other side,
You see what weakens your foundation.
Your doubts,
Your fears,
Your inconsistencies,
Your old limiting beliefs.
You realize now that to build your tower,
You must choose which materials will you use.
Which thoughts will you build upon?
Which beliefs will you leave behind?
Take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale mentally release the doubts,
The fears,
The hesitations that weaken your structure.
Watch them dissolve into golden dust carried away by the wind.
And in their place,
Affirm your new foundation.
I build my life upon faith,
Commitment and divine truth.
I am ready to see my vision to completion.
As you stand before your tower,
Two royal figures appear before you.
One wears a crown,
Shining with confidence.
This is the embodiment of your higher self,
The one who already believes,
Who already knows,
Who has already won.
The other is wrapped in shadows,
Whispering doubts,
Hesitation.
Fear.
This is the ruler of your old self,
The voice that resists change,
The voice that holds on to limitations.
A deep knowing arises within you.
This is the battle between faith and fear.
You have a choice.
Do you step forward and place the golden crown upon your own head,
Claiming your vision as your reality?
Or do you listen to the whispers of fear,
Asking for conditions of peace,
Delaying your transformation?
You know the answer.
With courage and certainty,
You step forward.
You take the golden crown.
And the moment it touches your head,
A radiant light fills your being.
A voice within speaks.
The war is over.
You have chosen.
You are ready.
You feel a dash of energy,
Knowing that you are already victorious.
To step fully into this new reality,
You must leave the past behind.
A burning flame appears before you.
In your hands,
You hold a scroll listing old beliefs,
Past failures,
Lingering doubts.
You take a deep breath.
You release the scroll into the fire,
Watching as the flames consume it.
As the smoke rises,
You feel lighter,
Freer,
Fully committed.
The past is gone.
The hesitation is gone.
The only thing left is your commitment to your vision.
You turn back to face the tower.
This time you see workers completing it with ease,
Brick by brick.
It is happening.
Your vision is being built.
Your future is already unfolding.
You whisper to yourself.
I am ready.
I claim my highest path.
I commit fully to my vision.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it for a bit and exhale slowly.
You feel a new energy within you.
A profound sense of purpose and certainty.
You know that when you open your eyes,
You will move forward differently,
With more confidence,
With more clarity,
With full trust in your ability to see your dreams to completion.
You own your vision now.
You build your tower now.
You wear the golden crown now.
Breathe in.
Hold and exhale.
And bring your awareness back to your normal breath.
Bring your awareness back to the present moment.
Wiggle your fingers.
Wiggle your toes.
Feel yourself here.
Now.
Fully grounded.
Fully awakened.
And when you are ready,
You can open your eyes.
So call to action.
And call to action,
As we discussed earlier and as the Padma talks about,
It's discipleship.
Because discipleship is simply putting into practice the things that you learn.
So call to action.
Firstly,
Define your tower.
What is your tower?
What is your great vision?
What is your greatest vision?
What is the goal that you are looking at?
What is the transformation that you are looking at?
What is the manifestation that you are committed to bringing into reality?
Secondly,
Identify what needs to be released.
Doubts,
Fears,
Limiting beliefs,
Old habits.
What must be released?
What must be left behind?
In order for you to build your tower.
Thirdly,
Take one aligned action today.
What is one action,
One step that you can take today that will take you closer to completing your tower?
If your tower is spiritual growth,
Then take some time to meditate.
If your tower is abundance,
Take a financial action that aligns with wealth.
If your goal is love,
Express gratitude for the love already in your life.
If you are looking at success,
Take that one step towards your vision with confidence.
And finally,
Affirm your own reality.
Affirm that you are fully committed to your highest path.
Your vision is already yours.
You act with faith.
You think with clarity.
You persist until your tower is complete.
Affirm.
So,
That one step,
That one action that you need to take today.
Thank you everyone for being here.
Love,
Light,
Blessings.
Namaste.
