“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” ( Luke 14:26 26 If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. –27)

Jesus is unashamed and unafraid of telling us up front the “worst” — the painful cost of being a Christian: hating family (verse 26), carrying a cross (verse 27), renouncing possessions (verse 33). There is no small print in the covenant of grace. It is all big, and bold. No cheap grace! Very costly! Come, and be my disciple.

But Satan hides his worst and shows only his best. All that really matters in the deal with Satan is in small print on the back page.

On the front page in big, bold letters are the words, “You will not surely die” ( Genesis 3:4 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: ), and “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me” ( Matthew 4:9 9 and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. ). But on the back page in small print — so small you can only read it with the magnifying glass of the Bible — it says, “And after the fleeting pleasures, you will suffer with me forever in hell.”

Why is Jesus willing to show us his “worst” as well as his best, while Satan will only show us his best? Matthew Henry answers, “Satan shows the best, but hides the worst, because his best will not [counterbalance] his worst; but Christ’s will abundantly.”

The call of Jesus is not just a call to suffering and self-denial; it is first a call to a banquet. This is the point of the parable in Luke 14:16 16 But he said unto him, A certain man made a great supper; and he bade many: –24. Jesus also promises a glorious resurrection where all the losses of this life will be repaid ( Luke 14:14 14 and thou shalt be blessed; because they have not `wherewith' to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just. ). He also tells us that he will help us endure the hardships ( Luke 22:32 32 but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren. ). He also tells us our Father will give us the Holy Spirit ( Luke 11:13 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall `your' heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? ). He promises that even if we are killed for the kingdom, “not a hair of your head will perish” ( Luke 21:18 18 And not a hair of your head shall perish. ).

Which means that when we sit down to calculate the cost of following Jesus — when we weigh the “worst” and the “best” — he is worth it. Abundantly worth it ( Romans 8:18 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. ; 2 Corinthians 4:17 17 For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; ).

Not so with Satan. Stolen bread is sweet, but afterward the mouth is full of gravel (see Proverbs 20:17 17 Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man; But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. ).