The Cost of Following Jesus

Rev Gideon Lee

Luke 9:57-62

The Cost of Following Jesus

57 As they were walking along the road, 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 has no place to lay his head.”

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

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.”

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

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”These few verses tell us that there is a cost to following Jesus.

Luke records for us of these three men as Jesus travels with his disciples. Two of them came to see Jesus, one of them Jesus summoned and called out.

What immediately strikes me is that some of the requests these people have made are relevant. Jesus' reply however was different and radical. 

Jesus was using what I would call in today's language, reverse psychology. Jesus was saying that "Following me would cost you". 

We are not in the business of making converts, we are in the business of making disciples. 

We need to tell people of the cost of following Jesus and the price to pay so that people make an informed decision. And it is so that they will stay. There is a responsibility to preach the whole counsel of The Word. 

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

Jesus walked from town to town. The crowds were following him. He came up to Jesus and said wherever you go, I will follow. I find it strange as if I want to follow someone, I would want to know where he is going. 

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

Jesus was really saying to that man: "Are you sure what you are asking me for?" 

When Jesus was entering Jerusalem triumphantly, He had to borrow a cloak. He didn't own cars or have any property.

1. The follower of Jesus has no earthly security. 

Jesus himself had no earthly securities. When he died, even his tomb was borrowed. 

When we follow Christ, our security is not on earthly things. Our faith is in Christ, and not in this world. We need to make sure the things of this world do not have a hold on us. Our faith must be put solely in Christ, then we will last. 

This message is for everyone who wants to follow Christ, not just for those who want to go into fulltime ministry.

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

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

Let me share with you the burial proceedings  in the Jewish tradition. A person who passes away is buried on the same day, followed by a period of mourning. As per their tradition, after one year, the eldest child (usually, a son) will have to re-bury the person into a smaller place. 

What this young man was saying to Jesus was that I will follow you, only after one year later.

What Jesus was saying to that man in verse 59 is that, let someone else take care of that, you need to proclaim the gospel of the Lord. 

At this moment, Jesus is asking you if you will follow Him today, not a year from now. God's call to us is today.

Not only do we not have earthly security,

2. A follower of Jesus has no earthly ties.

When push comes to shove, Jesus must always take priority, even above our family. Following Christ will require a price from us. 

Being a Christian is not for sissies, we need to be tough and stand up for what is right. 

When we stand up for a Christ, we will need to pay a price. 

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

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”These few verses tell us that there is a cost to following Jesus.

If you made a commitment and you don't keep to it, God's people will suffer. Remember Lot's wife? You know why she looked back? Her heart was still in Sodom and Gomorrah.

When you decide to follow Christ, don't look back. You cannot move forward if you keep looking back. 

When you make a commitment to follow Jesus, go all the way. Count the cost, pay the price. I pray we will have the courage to follow Him. 

3. A follower of Christ should have no earthly distractions.

Don't be distracted by the gold and silver, or even by ambition (all of which are good things). 

Will you still choose to be God's follower in knowing that all you know today? 

I pray that you will, because I want to see you at the finish line.

Many thanks again to Melissa Cheah for standing in the gap in my absence to transcribe this.