Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 14:29

"Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him," — Luke 14:29 (ASV)

Jesus uses two different circumstances to illustrate his basic point: discipleship requires a conscious advance commitment, made with a realistic estimate of the ultimate personal cost. The practical nature of the circumstances Jesus so vividly pictures underlines the fact that Christian discipleship is not some theoretical abstract ideal but hard reality.