(1) He demands too much.
In John 16:1, Jesus told His disciples that He was sharing “all these things” so they wouldn’t be offended by Him. Some of those “things” were stern warnings that they would be hated by the world and persecuted.
The Lord made clear that following Him wouldn’t lead to a bed of roses. Suffering and loss are involved. He promised thorns.
Unfortunately, some people today present a gospel that leaves the hard parts out. The result: Christians get offended when they realize what they’ve gotten into.
But Jesus lets us know up front what following Him entails. Even in His own day, some of His followers stopped walking with Him because they considered the cost too high.