₂₅Once when large crowds of people were going along with Jesus, he turned and said to them, ₂₆“Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more than they love father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and themselves as well. ₂₇Those who do not carry their own cross and come after me cannot be my disciples.

₂₈“If one of you is planning to build a tower, you sit down first and work out what it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job. ₂₉If you don't, you will not be able to finish the tower after laying the foundation; and all who see what happened will laugh at you. ₃₀‘This man began to build but can't finish the job!’ they will say.

₃₁“If a king goes out with 10,000 men to fight another king who comes against him with 20,000 men, he will sit down first and decide if he is strong enough to face that other king. ₃₂If he isn't, he will send messengers to meet the other king, to ask for terms of peace while he is still a long way off. ₃₃In the same way,” concluded Jesus, “none of you can be my disciple unless you give up everything you have.