²⁶ “If you come to me but will not leave your family, you cannot be my follower. You must love me more than your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters—even more than your own life! ²⁷ Whoever will not carry the cross that is given to them when they follow me cannot be my follower.

²⁸ “If you wanted to build a building, you would first sit down and decide how much it would cost. You must see if you have enough money to finish the job. ²⁹ If you don’t do that, you might begin the work, but you would not be able to finish. And if you could not finish it, everyone would laugh at you. ³⁰ They would say, ‘This man began to build, but he was not able to finish.’

³¹ “If a king is going to fight against another king, first he will sit down and plan. If he has only 10,000 men, he will try to decide if he is able to defeat the other king who has 20,000 men. ³² If he thinks he cannot defeat the other king, he will send some men to ask for peace while that king’s army is still far away.

³³ “It is the same for each of you. You must leave everything you have to follow me. If not, you cannot be my follower.

Don’t Lose Your Influence^(A)

³⁴ “Salt is a good thing. But if the salt loses its salty taste, you can’t make it salty again.