THE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS

Passage: Luke 9:57-62

Key verse: 62

NIV

The Cost of Following Jesus(A)

57 As they were walking along the road,(B) a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man(C) has no place to lay his head.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”(D)

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”(E)

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”(F)

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Cost of Following Jesus

57 As they were going (A)along the road, (B)someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 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.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus[a] said to him, “Leave (C)the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and (D)proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, (E)but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, (F)“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

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Footnotes
  1. Luke 9:60 Greek he
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Jesus has extended a gracious and wonderful invitation for each of us to follow him. We might be quick to answer “Yes, Lord!”, but how close are we really willing to follow him? How far is the distance between him and us? One man said he would follow Jesus wherever he went, but was he willing to follow Jesus into discomfort and self-sacrifice? Was he willing to live as a mere traveler in this world? Jesus, the Lord and Creator of the whole universe, forsook the comforts of the world to serve God and others. Are we willing to do the same?

Followers of Jesus must have their priorities in order. There must be a sense of urgency in serving Jesus and proclaiming the gospel. Jesus invited a second man to follow him, but the man wanted to wait until a better time. Apparently, his father was elderly, and he wanted to care for him until he passed away. This was a good priority, but not the most important one. The Kingdom of Heaven was at hand and the man needed to proclaim it with all his heart. A third man wanted to follow Jesus after saying goodbye to his family. He, too, was rejected because Jesus wants his disciples to be wholly committed to him. Our eyes must remain on Jesus, and we must follow him with no regrets. The costs of following Jesus are high, but the blessings and joy we have in him are far greater.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are everything to us.

One Word: Follow Jesus and never look back