Count the Cost Cleanly

The Lord who received the offerings of Israel is the same Lord who sat at table, healed the afflicted, and commanded men to count the cost of following Him. His mercy is not careless. In the holy things of Leviticus, uncleanness was no light matter; one did not approach as he pleased. Cyprian warns, "and whatever soul eats of the flesh of the saving sacrifice, which is the Lord's, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people." Therefore the man who would draw near must not only pray for deliverance, as in the psalm, but also come with repentance, thanksgiving, and a disciplined life.

In the psalm, the righteous man is opposed by strangers and violent men, yet he does not answer craft with craft. He asks God to hear, and he promises a freewill sacrifice of praise. This sacrifice is now fittingly offered in obedience: humility instead of self-exaltation, alms for the poor and maimed who cannot repay, hospitality without bargaining, and steadfastness when faith brings loss.

Our Lord cuts through all excuses. He tells us to take the low place, to invite those who have no return gift, and to reckon soberly what discipleship demands. As Tatian records, "Or what king goes to the battle to fight with another king, and does not consider first whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that comes to him 49 with twenty thousand?" Christ does not flatter hearers; He bids them renounce possessions, pride, and every attachment that wars against obedience. Better to begin with fear and truth than to make a show of religion while the heart remains unclean. Let your prayer, your table, and your goods all confess that God is your helper and Christ your Master.