How do we respond to the call of Jesus, "Follow Me." (Luke 9:59)? The call could not be more simple or clear. It is a simple call to stop pursuing whatever it is you are after and follow him. In Luke 9 we see three individuals who fail to take this call of Jesus seriously. By the grace of God they are allowed to remain nameless faces. Nameless as they may be, they offer us three examples of how not to respond to Christ.
The first is to hasty in his response to Jesus. "I will follow you wherever you go" (Luke 9:57). Jesus tells him, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Luke 9:58). Jesus makes it clear that following him comes at a very high cost. Make sure that you have given consideration to this fact before you make an empty committment.
The second individual puts family before the Lord. Jesus calls him to follow and he says, "Let me first go and bury my father" (9:59). Jesus responds, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead" (9:60). To be clear, Jesus is not some cold-hearted dictator that is asking this man to skip his father's funeral. His father is not dead yet. He is saying, let me stay home until my parents have died and then I can follow you.
The third individual fares no better. The third individual's response is, "Let me first say farewell to those at my home" (Luke 9:61). Again, Jesus is not trying to prevent someone from bidding friends and family an honest good-bye. This is someone who is putting home, friends, and family before the Lord. In other words, don't make me give up the lifestyle I am accustom to.
Jesus final response is a penetrating one and deserving of our full attention. Jesus says, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). When responding to the call of God we must approach it seriously, knowing that it is no small commitment. Second, the call of God must be approached prayerfully. The call is a high call and must not be taken lightly. Third, the call of God must be approached humbly. This is not a call that we will fulfill by our own strength.
The call to salvation is a beautiful call. It is a call that is above all calls. It should not be approached presumptively and without consideration, "Sure, I'll go with you." But, it also is not a call that should not be taken casually, "after my dad dies." Further, we should not be dismissive about the call, "let me go square things away with my friends, make a fair-well tour and then I'll follow."
Respond seriously, prayerfully, humbly, but definitively.
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