Look Before You Leap.

Matthew 8:18-22; Luke 9:57-62

But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head." – Matthew 8:20 NLT

So you want to follow Jesus? That's wonderful. But why? Is it because He can perform miracles, heal the sick, raise the dead, feed thousands of people by replicating bread and fish out of thin air, confound the religious leaders, walk on water, or cast out demons with just a word from His mouth. Or maybe you want to follow Him because He offers eternal life. Not a bad choice, when you consider the alternative is an eternity separated from He and God in hell. People choose to follow Jesus all the time. And they did so in His day as well. He was always attracting crowds, and in those crowds there were those individuals who decided, for whatever reason, that they wanted to become official followers of Jesus. It was a common practice in those days to do so. But normally, a respected rabbi would hand pick his followers, just as Jesus did the twelve disciples. But it would not have been rare for someone to voluntarily offer to become a follower. And usually, when they did, they would have had to meet a certain amount of criteria. They would have had to measure up to the rabbi's standards. A good rabbi wouldn't accept just anybody as a follower.

In these two passages, we are given a look into how Jesus handled these occasional "volunteer" disciples. You'll notice that Jesus doesn't tell them that they can't follow Him. He doesn't turn them away. He doesn't reject them as unworthy or under-qualified. He simply asks them to think about what it is they're doing. But He does it in His own inimitable way. When one of the teachers of religious law comes to Him and exclaims, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go," Jesus doesn't ridicule his enthusiasm or question his sincerity. He doesn't ask him for qualifications or require him to take an entrance exam. He just makes a simple statement. "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20 NLT). Luke does not include the fact that this is a teacher of religious law, a Scribe, but I think it is vital to understanding why Jesus says what He does. As a scribe, he would have been an expert in the law of Moses, judicial proceedings, Jewish life, and would have been considered both a teacher and authoritative leader in the community. Their role was vital to keeping the integrity of the Scriptures because they acted as copyists, making sure that the word of God was duplicated accurately. They were men who were well taken care of for their efforts and who lived relatively easy and cushy lived. So when this man tells Jesus that he is willing to follow Him wherever He goes, Jesus knows the truth. This man is used to living in relative luxury. His job is easy and His life is good. He is well-respected and well-compensated for his work. So rather than reject Him, Jesus simply tells him the truth. If he becomes one of Jesus' followers, he will have to leave behind the comforts of home. He will have to give up his comfy bed, regular paycheck, well-appointed house, and respected position in exchange for a life of uncertainty and anonymity. Following Jesus is about emulating His life. Jesus had no place to call His home. So neither would this man. Jesus didn't have a regular nine-t0-five job with a paycheck, so neither would this man. Jesus was obligated to follow the will of God each and every day of His life. And the same would be true for this man – if he decided to follow Jesus. But he didn't. The passage seems to infer that the man's enthusiasm dwindled when he heard the truth. He lost his zeal when he discovered the reality of what it meant to follow Jesus.

It would seem that Jesus was interested in followers who knew the whole truth regarding discipleship. It was not easy. It was not always comfortable. In fact, it was costly. Perhaps we do too many people a disservice today because we fail to tell them the entire truth regarding a life committed to Christ. We paint too pleasant a picture. We go out of our way to make following Christ look like it is going to be a romp in the park. We accentuate the ease by which one can follow Christ, because is it is based on a gift, offered freely to any and all who will accept it. But we fail to tell them that there is also a cost. While eternal life is the ultimate benefit of following Christ, there is still the fact that we must continue to live our lives here on this earth, complete with the presence of indwelling sin, the reality of an enemy who is out to destroy us (John 10:10) and a world that hates us. When someone follows Christ, they will be required to die to self, put off their sin and put on Christ every day, pursue righteousness, and submit to the Holy Spirit's rule over their lives. They will have to learn to "seek the Kingdom of Godabove all else, and live righteously" (Matthew 6:33 NLT), and trust God to meet all their needs. Jesus was honest with this man. So shouldn't we be with those to whom we share the Good News of Jesus Christ. It isn't that the Good News has bad news attached to it. It is that the Good News requires that we open our eyes to just how bad things are around us. There are temptations galore, trials of all kinds, troubles around every corner, our own sin natures to deal with, and daily decisions that will require us to obey God's will rather than our own. Our salvation requires our sanctification. We must be transformed into the likeness of Christ, and that is a lifelong, ongoing process that will not end until God calls us home or His Son returns for us. Following Jesus requires a commitment. It is not just about a ticket to heaven. It is a recognition of and dedication to having Jesus Christ take over our lives and transform us into His likeness, through the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Word of God. And it is well worth it – both now and for eternity.

Lord Jesus, thank You that You are always helping me understand the cost of following You. It is not a burden. It is part of the process of dying to my own will and learning to submit to that of our heavenly Father. I am slowly learning that His will is better. His Word is trustworthy. His Spirit is always right and worthy listening to. My way is wrong. My heart is wicked. My desires can be too selfish and my outlook on life, too limited. But You are changing all that, one day at a time – as I continue to follow You. Amen.

Wrong Priorities.

Luke 9:46-62; John 7:2-9"And Jesus' brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and to to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! Youcan't become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!’" – John 7:3-4 NLT

Jesus had all kinds of followers – from faithful to flaky. There were the curious and the committed, the miracle seekers and the down-and-outers. He had those who wanted Him to start a rebellion, others who were looking for a free meal, and some who were like rubber-neckers at a car wreck, just attracted by the excitement of it all. But as Jesus' time on earth began to draw to a close, the call to commitment for His followers was going to increase dramatically. Things would begin to heat up and, as a result, many of His followers would choose to drop out. Even the twelve who Jesus chose could prove to be a challenge and a disappointment at times. One minute they're healing the sick and casting out demons in the power and authority of Jesus, then they suddenly find themselves unable to do so, and instead of turning to God in prayer, they simply turn the person away. When they see someone who isn't part of their entourage casting out demons in Jesus' name, instead of rejoicing, they get jealous and demand that he stop. When they are passing through a Samaritan village with Jesus and the citizens refuse to welcome them, they ask Jesus for permission to call down fire from heaven to destroy them. These men could be exasperating at times. They spent more time worrying and arguing about who was the greatest than listening to what Jesus was saying about His upcoming death, burial and resurrection.

Jesus' own family members offer us another insight into the kinds of "followers" He had. John makes it clear that Jesus' brothers didn't believe in Him, but they were all for Him becoming famous. They simply saw Jesus as their ticket out of the obscurity of Nazareth. So they pushed Him to take His miracle show on the road and head to the big time in Judea. They wanted Him to go where the crowds were. "Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles!" (John 7:3 NLT). These guys were more like PR consultants than true followers. They didn't actually believe Jesus was the Messiah, but they couldn't deny that He could do miracles. They had known it since the day He turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, an event they probably attended. For them, it was all about the miracles and making a name for Himself. In essence, they told Jesus, "if you’re going to perform signs to authenticate yourself as Messiah, you should do them at Jerusalem" (NET Bible notes). The Greek word they used actually means: the deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity. They wanted Jesus to make a name for Himself and as far as they were concerned, the best way to do that was to head for Jerusalem. "You can't become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!" (John 7:4 NLT). And Jesus' family members were not alone. There were others, including the disciples themselves, who wanted Jesus to become famous. They wanted Him to set up His kingdom and establish His authority, with them serving alongside Him, sharing in His power and prominence.

There was hardly a day that someone didn't come up to Jesus and offer to follow Him. That was a common occurrence for all rabbis. Luke records three such incidents. As Jesus and the disciples were walking along one day, an individual approached Jesus and said, "I will follow you wherever you go" (Luke 7:57 NLT). But Jesus made it clear that following Him would be costly. The life of a disciple would not be easy. Jesus then invites another person to follow Him. This man initially agreed, but then said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father" (Luke 7:59 NLT). That sounds like a valid and reasonable excuse, but it would appear that the man's dad was not dead, but that the man was asking for a leave of absence from following Jesus until some time in the future when his dad actually would die. Jesus tells him his priorities are out of whack. He says, "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead" (Luke 7:60 NLT). This man's father was not physically dead, but he WAS spiritually dead. The greater priority was telling him and everyone else about the Kingdom of God. Finally, a third individual approached Jesus and said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family" (Luke 7:61 NLT). Again, sounds like a reasonable request, but Jesus knew that this man would never come back if he went home. The pull of family, the pressure of other commitments, and the distractions of every day life would keep him from following Jesus. Following Him required all-out commitment. You couldn't be half-hearted and there was nothing part-time about it.

The day was coming when all of His followers, including His own disciples would flake out on Him. He would later tell them, "All of you will desert me, For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’" (Mark 14:27 NLT). Peter would vehemently deny it, claiming, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will!" (Mark 14:29 NLT). When Jesus would break the news to Peter that he would not only desert Him, but deny Him three times, Peter would angrily respond, "No! Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!" (Mark 14:31 NLT). And Peter was not alone. Mark tells us that all the others agreed with him. And we all know how that story worked out. Following Jesus is costly. And the closer Jesus got to the cross, the more costly it would become. He would become famous, but not in the way His brothers were thinking. He would provide one last miraculous sign, but it would be His own death and resurrection. He would bring judgment on all those who rejected Him, but that is reserved for a future time, yet to come. Following Jesus requires that we set our priorities aside and embrace His instead. He was and still is focused on the spread of the message concerning His Kingdom. "Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:60 NLT). That task takes precedence over all else. It will require commitment, dedication, determination, perseverance, focus, faith, and the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit. He alone can help us put our hands on the plow and not look back.

Father, there are so many things that distract us from following Your Son. The cares of this world can overwhelm us and pull us away from the task at hand. We can get so busy building our own little kingdoms that we lose sight of the fact that we are to be spreading the news regarding the Kingdom of Your Son. Help us remain faithful. Keep us from looking back or longing for something other than Him. Make us faithful, persevering followers of Jesus. Amen.