John Calvin Commentary Luke 14:33

"So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." — Luke 14:33 (ASV)

So then every one of you. This clause shows what is meant by the calculation of expenses, with which Christ instructs his followers to begin: it is to lead them to consider that they must forsake all. In vain do persons who are delighted with an easy, indolent life, and with exemption from the cross, make a profession of Christianity. Those persons are said to forsake all who prefer Christ so greatly, both to their own life and to all the wishes of the flesh, that nothing deters them from the right course.

It would be absurd to insist on a literal interpretation of the phrase, as if no one could be a disciple of Christ until he threw all that he possessed into the sea, divorced his wife, and said farewell to his children. Such idle dreams led foolish people to adopt a monastic life, as if those who intend to come to Christ must abandon their humanity.

Yet no one truly forsakes all that he possesses until he is prepared at any moment to leave all, gives himself freely and without constraint to the Lord, and, rising above every hindrance, pursues his calling. Thus, the true self-denial that the Lord demands from his followers does not consist so much in outward conduct as in the affections; so that everyone must use the time that passes without allowing the things he manages to hold a place in his heart.