Jesus knew the three would-be disciples in Luke 9 and their situations well. He gave insightful and appropriate responses they needed to hear if they were ever to become genuine followers of His and be helpful in His Mission. We see these same three today.
The Hasty Would-Be Disciple
“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’” (vv.57-58)
This follower is too eager to follow and so Jesus makes some of the costs plain. One’s lifestyle would be severely altered in following Jesus; it would become one of self-denial. Jesus is not necessarily rebuking, nor inviting, this man; He is simply stating the nature of the case. His mission would involve an unsettled and often uncomfortable lifestyle.
Whenever it is popular to follow Jesus many say they want to join though they fail to count the cost. It is important that the Church put forth the hardships of discipleship, as Jesus did. We must be careful not to hastily accept hasty assertions of faith in Christ. In our evangelism we want to call people into true discipleship according to Christ Jesus Himself.
The Hesitant Would-Be Disciple
“To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’” (vv.59-60)
Jesus calls this man with His famous words, “follow me,” but this man seeks to postpone his enrollment. His excuse for delay seems reasonable--family duty. But, it also could be that he is one of those people who is very good at using very good excuses. He is too slow for Jesus and is told to follow now if he is going to follow at all.
To follow Jesus “someday” is not acceptable. Jesus’ disciples must place the interests of the Kingdom of God above all other interests, prioritizing their priorities correctly, with Jesus as first priority. Jesus refuses to accept hesitancy in disciples, but calls them out of hesitation into true discipleship. Likewise, we as the Church need to challenge people to the rigors of genuine faith in Christ.
The Half-Certain Would-Be Disciple
“Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” (vv.61-62)
This potential follower also says he will follow, but he must say “good-bye” to his family first. Perhaps we are to look a little deeper and see that this is an excuse to double-check with others before following. He is too tied to others’ opinions, or to his past and still present life, in order to move full speed ahead. He still is only half-certain that following Jesus as a disciple is the thing to do.
Jesus is very strict with this man in telling him that he must keep moving forward. This kind of discipleship--always looking back--is no true discipleship at all. To follow Jesus only after checking it out over and over again with others is not allowed. Such would-be followers must be challenged to give to Christ Jesus an undivided loyalty, a decisive single-minded discipleship.
Helping Them and Helping Ourselves
There will always be those who are too quick in promising, too slow in performing, or too unsure about it all. We help them best by being honest about what Jesus requires from His followers, as well as encouraging them that such a life is truly worth it. We help ourselves by presenting this kindly and directly, and being hopeful that we will recruit those helpful in moving forward in His Mission.
This passage calls us to self-examination just as much as the examination of other followers. We are encouraged to stay the course, even re-align our own discipleship, or perhaps become a real disciple of Jesus. As His genuine disciples, we also know that He will assist us by His grace, and make it all worth it as we go along proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom until the very end.
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