Luke 9:57-62

Luke 9:57-62

Radical Commitment

I. Jesus calls us to prioritize Him over all things through radical obedience, so we must count the cost of following Him (Vv. 57-58)

a. As Jesus traveled to Jerusalem, He encounters a would-be disciple who eagerly declares that he’ll follow Jesus “wherever” he goes. The man saw the big crowds around Jesus, was aware of His miracles and fame, and would benefit greatly to be identified with Him. But Jesus knows the man’s heart, is aware of his misguided motives, and makes sure he knows what he’s signing up for. Jesus is up front about the cost of following Him, and calls the man to consider that his pursuit of notoriety and fame will cost him all his comforts. There’s no way the man will be willing to make the investment required to follow Jesus because his motives and desires in following Him are wrong. He doesn’t understand who Jesus truly is, and what He truly came to do, so he won’t be able to accurately count the cost and see that following Jesus is worth far more than any worldly comfort. We too must weigh in the balance, the empty promises of comfort and the pursuit of pleasure with which the world entices us, against the promises of God in Christ and the fruits of living for Him. The only way we’ll be able to properly calculate the cost of following Jesus, is to properly consider the cost He paid for us, why He had to pay it, and His commitment to do so. Then it won’t matter if we’re living in comfort or need, we’ll trust in Him, value Him first over all things, and have all we need at all times in Him. Many declare that they desire to follow Jesus, however our lives declare that many of the earthly comforts we treasure have much higher priority for us. Jesus put us first in His sacrificial work of redemptive love, do we prioritize Him over all things? Do we truly value Him over all the temporary comforts of life the world says are important? Do we trust Him to be everything we need in all things, and demonstrate that trust through radical obedience? (Vv. 57-58; Ps. 22:12-18; Isa. 53:3-9; Matt. 6:19-21, 24-32; 8:18-22; 13:20-21; Luke 9:23-25; 14:28-33; Phil. 2:5-8)

II. Jesus calls us to prioritize Him over all things through radical obedience, so we must commit all things to Him by committing to Him over all things (Vv. 59-62)

a. Jesus then turned His attention to another man in the crowd, this time calling the man to follow Him, to which the man responded by asking to first go and bury his father. Jesus responded with what seems to be a harsh statement, telling the man to let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead, and calling him to proclaim the Kingdom Gospel everywhere. It seems like the man made a reasonable and good request, but again Jesus sees through to the man’s heart. Whether the man’s father is has already died, was somewhere near dying, or wasn’t expected to die for years, the man was using his commitment to his family as an excuse not to give Jesus first priority. We’re called to love and care for our families, but our love for Christ and His priority in our lives must be so strong that it makes the intense love we have for our families seem like hate in comparison. Nothing we can do for our families or anyone else means anything if it’s not motivated by and active in proclaiming the gospel into their lives and the world. The gospel is the only source of spiritual eternal life for all people, so Jesus must have first priority over all things. Too often we give the first fruits of our attention to family, friends, education, work, social service, and even recreation. All of those are good things which we should enjoy, but they’re only fruitful when done through the priority of Christ and His gospel in our lives. If we truly cared for our family, ourselves, and others, we’d prioritize all things through the lens of the gospel. (Vv. 59-60; Exod. 20:12; Matt. 6:33; 10:28-39; Luke 14:25-27; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 9:16-19; Eph. 1:9-13; Col. 1:15-20)

b. The last would be disciple Jesus encounters declares his intention to follow Jesus along with his stipulations. He’s ready to go, he just needs to go home and tell his family bye first. Jesus replied that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God. It seems like a harsh retort at first, but again, Jesus knows this man’s heart. The man desired to hold onto things in his life which are truly good, but which are lesser than Christ. He likely meant that he would follow Jesus after he had his family all squared away, secure, and provided for, however long that took. But what he does is declare his lack of trust in Jesus to care for His obedient servants. Jesus calls for Kingdom Gospel urgency and focus, and the faith that Jesus is the greatest good for all people. We must commit all things to Him by committing to Him through radical obedience over all things. (Vv. 61-62; Exod. 19:17, 26; Josh 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21; Matt. 13:22; 1 Cor. 9:23; 2 Cor. 5:14-21; Phil. 1:21; 3:7-16; Col. 3:1-4; Heb. 12:1-3)