Whereas the Parable of The Tower Builder represents Christians on the DEFENSE, the Parable of the Warring King represents Christians on the OFFENSE. The Warring King immediately follows The Tower Builder. It is found only in Luke 14:31-33.
The Story
"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:31-33, New International Version).[Jesus then concludes his teaching on the cost of being a disciple in the next two verses]:"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out."He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Luke 14:34-35, New International Version) Jesus tells another illustrative story about a king who is about to go to war against another king. After the king finds out the strength of the other king’s army, he must determine the odds of his defeating the other king. If the other king has twice the number of soldiers (20,000 to 10,000), he must assume that he will be defeated in battle. So, rather than be defeated, he will send a negotiating team to the other king, hopefully to gain peace at some settled cost. Just as the king carefully analyzed his situation, so must the one who would become Jesus’ disciple. Unless everything is surrendered to God, one cannot become Jesus’ disciple.
The Interpretation
Jesus fully knew the terrible battles that his disciples would face in the future. He knew that they would fall in battle if they had not made a total commitment to God. The battles that his disciples faced, and still do, are not physical battles. Paul tells us plainly the nature of these battles:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:10-12, New International Version).
Clarke comments,
He that will be a true disciple of Jesus Christ shall require no less than the mighty power of God to support him, as both hell and earth will unite to destroy him. (Clarke, COMMENTARY ON THE HOLY BIBLE, p. 878).
Less than total commitment to God indicates a lack of faith in God. We must trust God:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6, New International Version).
Unbelief hinders God from working in our behalf and through us for others. Unbelief also gives Satan a legal hold in our lives.
Disobedience to God will hinder our prayers from being answered, and may give Satan a legal hold in our lives.
God requires that we give up everything for him. This means that we must be WILLING to give up everything that he asks us to give up. He may require that we give up some things now that he may give back to us when we are more mature.
Solomon said that "... the way of the unfaithful is hard." (Proverb 13:15, New International Version).
On the other hand, Jesus said that the way of the faithful is not hard: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light." (Matthew 11:28-30, New International Version).
Jesus has promised never to leave us. He will be with us in both the good and bad times:
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the very end of the age." [Italics mine] (Matthew 28:18-20, New International Version).
The cost of discipleship is high, but the cost of rejecting Christ is extremely high. Satan is a deceiver and a manipulator. He will bait his hook with the desires of the flesh, material gain, the desires of the mind, etc. He will use and abuse people and when he is finished, he will cast them aside like a child would a broken toy. Then, they must spend an eternity with evil people. Here are some scriptures describing Satan and his schemes:
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. (Ephesians 2:1-3, New International Version).
And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26, New International Version). The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. (Revelation 12:9, New International Version).
Central Truth
GOD REQUIRES THAT WE PLACE HIM FIRST IN OUR HEARTS.
Conclusion
After we have made the decision to trust God and surrender all to him, we look back. What did we give up? We gave up (1) the lordship of Satan, for the lordship of Christ; (2) we gave up false friends and gained true friends;
(3) we gave up hatredand were given love; ( 4) we gave up bondage to sinful habits, for freedom; ( 5) we gave up poverty, for true wealth; (6) we gave up guilt, and God gave us peace of mind; (7) we gave up sickness, for health; (8) we gave up despair, for priceless hope; (9) we gave up self-destruction, for self-preservation; we gave up eternal separation from God, for eternal joy with our Maker.
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