December 16 Now

Luke 9:57-62 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man 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.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
 
“BUT” is often a very impactful word, isn’t it? Do you notice it is spoken in each of Jesus’ three short conversations here?
   The first “but” comes from Jesus. In effect, a man said he is eager to follow Jesus “wherever”. That sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Jesus, though, warns him. Our Lord, who offers free grace, makes it clear to the eager new follower that there is a great cost to follow him. Discipleship is often lonely work. It saps your emotional and physical energy. Discipleship can cost you financially. When you say, “I want to follow you, Jesus.” be aware you will sacrifice much. Even the King of Kings experienced these things in his earthly ministry.
   The second “but” is one we all can understand. This one comes from a man Jesus specifically invites, “Follow me.” It seems this man’s, “Let me go and bury my father.” is a valid reason to tell the Lord, “Wait.”  It is likely, though, that the father is still alive. In the very rigid customs of the day, if the father had already died, the man would not have been out listening to Jesus. Thus, he was asking for an indefinite delay. Jesus called the man to minister to the living in the moment – now – while there was still time. When you say, “I follow Jesus.” you must be urgent to do so in the moment. The time for telling is short. Yes, you can attend to family matters at the appropriate time. Those matters should not, though, be so overwhelming it keeps you from Jesus’ call.
   Family is the focus, too, of the third man who said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Again, this may seem to be valid. Surely Jesus can wait for a bit – even a day or so – while the man bids his family goodbye. But again, this, too, could take time. In contrast, Jesus is urgent with good reason. Remember he is on the way to the cross. He knows his time is short. Thus, when he says, “Follow me.” he means, “Be attentive. Be purposeful. Let’s go.”
   Following Jesus requires an urgent heart. We all have limited time on earth. The Lord of Life calls us to minister his gospel of life while we can for as long as we can.
 
Prayer: Lord Jesus, when I say, “Lord.” I pray my heart submits to following you with an urgent passion to minister your gospel. In your name I pray, amen.