A multitude of people went with the Lord; And he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and moreover his very life, he cannot be my disciple."

And whoever does not bear his cross and follows Me cannot be My disciple.

132. Lessons on the Way: Parables on the Building of a Tower, War, and Salt

Lux. 14, 15–24

For who among you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, whether he has what is necessary to complete it, so that when he lays the foundation and is not able to complete it, all those who see will not laugh at him, saying, This man began to build and could not finish?

Or what king, going to war against another king, does not sit down and consult first, whether he is strong with ten thousand to resist him who is coming against him with twenty thousand? Otherwise, while he was still far away, he would send an embassy to him to ask for peace. So whosoever of you does not renounce all that he has, cannot be My disciple.

Salt is a good thing; But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be corrected? it is not good for earth or dung; throw it away. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!

133. Parables of God's Mercy to Sinners

a) About the lost sheep

Lux. 15, 1–10

All the publicans and sinners approached the Lord to hear Him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, He receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. But He told them the following parable:

Which of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will take it on his shoulders with joy, and when he comes home, he will call together his friends and neighbors, and say to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.

I say to you, that thus in heaven there will be more joy over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous men who have no need of repentance.

b) On the Lost Drachma