Daily Devotion

Luke now tells about people who offered to follow Jesus, but somehow could not pay the price. To one man Jesus' advice was, "If you are going to follow Me, you must first count the cost." He did not want someone swept way in a moment of emotion. He told this man that there would be times of hardship, inconvenience and probably contempt. In other words, if he became a follower, he could not count on living in luxury.

 

Matthew tells us that this man was a scribe (Matthew 8:19). If the scribe followed Jesus, it would mean the end of all the narrow legalism upon which the scribal religion was built. For him to see anything lovely or desirable in Jesus was truly a miracle. This shows the impact of the personality of Jesus on a Jewish scribe.

 

In Jesus' reply, He stated that the animals have homes, but the Son of Man has no permanent lodging. The statement was meant to encourage the Scribe. He was ready to leave all and follow Jesus. Jesus as much as said, "Yes, that is what you will have to do to follow Me because that is what I have done.

 

The scribe could be called "eager." But the man in this verse was "reluctant." Jesus called upon this man to be His follower. There may have been some peculiar quality that made Him want to enlist him immediately.

It is possible that the man's father was not yet dead. In this case, he was saying, "When my father dies then I am free to go and follow you." Jesus wanted the man to act while his heart was stirred.

 

No excuses should prevent us from immediate obedience to Jesus. We see this principle in Matthew 10:37, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." Seeking first the Kingdom means putting God first above all that may be nearest and dearest to us. The Christian can allow no conflict of interests where the work of God is concerned.

 

At first, this command seems harsh. To the Jew, it was a sacred duty to see that his parents received a decent burial. But Jesus knew the heart, and He evidently requested an immediate decision for a reason. It may have been that if the man returned home, pressure from friends and family would turn him away from following Jesus. There were others who could bury the dead, but perhaps no one could take this man's place in the Kingdom.

 

The Greek implies that Jesus had already asked this man to follow Him and he had set out to do so. Then he thought about the people back home. What were they doing? Did they miss him? He was not quite certain that this was the right time to leave them. He wanted to serve Jesus, but he wanted to cling to his old life, too.

 

Life Application: Do you fit with one of these men? Excuses cannot be used when God calls someone to follow. It may seem hard, but the experience of being with Him is beyond measure.

Praise/Prayer: Dear Father, I am so thankful that You called me to follow You. I didn't know what that would mean but now as I look back, all I can say is, "Thank You for the walk with You even to places I never thought about. It has truly been 'Joy unspeakable!' Amen!