The Cost of Discipleship:
"Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him (Jesus), '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.'" Luke 9:57-62
These verses challenge our commitment to Christ in three areas. Jesus explains that His disciples will have no guarantees of personal comforts (vv. 57-58), family relationships (vv. 59-60), or the continuation of a previous way of living (vv. 61-62). Contrary to the prevalent "health and wealth gospel," we cannot assume that we will maintain or increase our wealth, or have good health. Oftentimes, rich people are distracted by their money and tend to be self-reliant, instead of seeing the Lord as the satisfier of their needs and worthy of our praise. And even though it is appropriate for children to care for the needs of their parents, Jesus exhorts us to let others take care of the mundane matters, so we can be about the business of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God has precedent over all human relationships, and our love for Christ must exceed the love in all other relationships. Jesus then uses an agricultural example to caution against extended farewells or the nostalgia of remaining with our families . We are called to a single-mined focus in following Jesus.
Matthew 19:29 provides another look at discipleship: "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters, or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life." The disciples had left everything to follow Jesus, and they were promised eternal blessings. Even though there are no guarantees about personal peace and influence in this life, we have the assurance that we will be reimbursed amply in the life to come.
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