It Costs To Follow Jesus

Luke 9:57-62

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, 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.” Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

In the ninth chapter of Luke, we find Jesus busily ministering in Galilee. In this passage above, Jesus finds Himself meeting three different people while journeying on the road

1. The first person – Here was an unnamed disciple. He had the right mind to follow Jesus. In fact, that is what Jesus always commands us to do.

John 10:27 - My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

In fact, it must be appreciated that Jesus did not call this person and ask Him to follow Him (unlike how he called Peter and the disciples; Matthew 4:19 - Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men). This man volunteered all by himself.

What was the Lord’s reply?

Luke 9:58 - 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.”

Jesus did not give a direct, straight-forward answer to his question. Rather, he described the situation in which he was living. Jesus explained to the man, the level of his comfort and possessions. In other words, Jesus was trying to explain the man that following Jesus may require that even his basic needs be sacrificed.

Later, we do not hear anything about this man. Probably he left the place and that is why nothing is mentioned about him thereafter.

Perhaps, this man wanted to follow Jesus thinking that that would bring him fame and comfort. Jesus, knowing the intent of his heart, explained his situation instead of replying with a yes or no. When his man learnt about the difficulties, he was not willing to follow.

We read of another such person in the Bible. In Mark 10, there was a young man who was confronted by Jesus with a choice between Himself and worldly possessions. However, the young man left the place saddened because he preferred his material possessions over Christ. Many of us today are guilty of the same. How often have you been unwilling to give up something for the sake of Christ and His kingdom?

Following Jesus is costly. Luke 9:23 - If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me

2. The second person

Next, Jesus met another person on the road. This man was called by Jesus to follow Him.

Luke 9:59 - Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” This person was not unwilling but rather said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

The usage of the word ‘first’ shows the priorities of that person. He wanted to perform all his commitment to his family before following Jesus. However, it doesn’t sound like an unreasonable request. It was the duty of the eldest son to bury the father.

Notice the reply given by Jesus. Luke 9:60 - Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

Sounds harsh? We may wonder… It sounds correct that he must go first and bury his dead father.

We must understand that Jesus would definitely not forbid the man from attending to the funeral arrangements for his father. He Himself went to visit the grieve with family of His friend Lazarus after Lazarus’ death. (John 11:1-16).

Then, what was Jesus trying to mean here?

To understand the true meaning, we must know the Jewish cultural background. On a first reading, it seems like that this conversation took place sometime between the death of the man’s father and his proper burial. However, in those times, Jewish people buried their dead usually within twenty-four hours, and family members sat around the deceased body until it was buried. If the father had died already, his son would not be walking on the road and communicating with Jesus. Rather, he would be sitting at home with his family in mourning. What, then, was the nature of the request? There are two possible situations.