Would-be Followers of Jesus
Scripture Reading — Luke 9:57-62
A man said to [Jesus], "I will follow you wherever you go." Luke 9:57
One day several people said they wanted to follow Jesus, and they sounded sincere. Yet each one turned away from the cost of discipleship.
The first man said, "I will follow you wherever you go." But his enthusiasm waned when Jesus said, "Foxes have holes ... but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Jesus was saying that following him meant doing without the comforts of home.
The second man seemed interested but said he first wanted to go and bury his father. If his father had already died, however, the man would have been doing that. Apparently he wanted to wait to follow Jesus until after his father died. So Jesus implied that the spiritually dead should bury the physically dead, while the spiritually alive should proclaim God's kingdom.
The third person said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Doesn't this seem reasonable? But Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." By this Jesus meant that discipleship means focusing on things that promote God's kingdom, without distraction.
Jesus practiced what he preached, giving his all for the kingdom of God. May we follow where he leads us today, without excuse.
Lord, forgive us when we offer you our second-best. Guide us to follow you and serve you with our whole lives. Help us increasingly to be your loyal disciples. Amen.
About the author — Roger S. Greenway
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