Luke 9:57-62
57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
There are ten movies in the Fast and Furious movie franchise. Another one is on the way. The eleventh was going to be the final movie in the series, but fans wanted more. The studio is working on that. Who knows, by the time you read this it might be out in theatres. If it’s popular and making money, the studios will want to keep it going. It’s been a box office powerhouse. Television works the same way. When I was a kid, I remember my parents and grandparents watching Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show before bed. Well, at least his monologue. The show was so popular that it lasted for thirty years. It started seven years before I was born and lasted until the year after I 
graduated from college. I remember sitting and watching Carson with my best friend in the summer of 1991, we had no idea Johnny was soon going to be gone from TV. Johnny, Ed and Doc Severinsen had been a part of my entire life up to that point.
When someone is very popular and everyone enjoys them, they become a fixture, a real part, of daily life. John Wayne, Marlon Brando and Burt Reynolds were movie stars from my childhood. I remember being surprised to hear they had died. I will never forget in 1977 when the news of Elvis’ death came on the radio. My Grandma Russell was making us breakfast and she stopped and sat down, clutched her chest and cried. I was just eight years old and will never forget that moment. Elvis was more than just a singer
to her. He was a war hero and an inspiration.
You might be wondering if I’m ever coming back to the scripture in this post. I am, and I want to make an important point about the passage I started with. I want to plant this concept deeply in your mind, to help us comprehend the full weight of the Lord’s words. Jesus is powerful, direct and honest here. He knows where He is going and what He must do. In this chapter He has already told the disciples twice, He is going to die soon. In verse 51 Luke writes, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”
Jesus knows His condition is terminal. He is quickly heading to Jerusalem. It’s imperative that He be there for the Passover. That is when the lamb is slain. That is when His earthly ministry will come to a close. But no one else can see this. It’s hard to blame them, even though He keeps telling them about His condition and explaining to them how it will end.
Jesus had stopped storms with a word, fed multitudes with His hands, cast out demons with ease and had thousands of people following Him around. He had become a fixture of daily life. Even King Herod heard about Jesus’ fame and said, “Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.” (Luke 9:9)
Who would think someone so strong, so loved and so famous would be gone soon?
Surely the first man in this passage thought the Lord’s fame would bring comfort to Him. A large house, luxurious surroundings, all the comfort such a great speaker and public figure might expect. Jesus dispels this idea right away. He did not come to be comfortable here. That is not what He came to do. That’s what an entertainer receives from those he performs for. If you are going with Him to Jerusalem, it won’t be comfortable or easy for you. Jesus is honest. It’s going to be a tough trip. There will be no place to find comfort for Christ.
The next man is the saddest of the three for me, because he isn’t volunteering, Jesus invites him to come along. What a great honor. This man, like many of us, doesn’t understand the Lord’s timing. There is no time for him to go anywhere. The Lord has a deadline that must be met. The Jewish young man was probably past the point where his father had died and been buried in the ground. The custom of this time was to dig up the bones a year after the burial in the ground and place them in a bone box or ossuary to be put in the family mausoleum. Jesus did not have months to wait on the man’s return. He knew His ministry was nearing its conclusion. Other things would need to be dealt with later.
Finally, we have the third and final man who just wants to say goodbye to his family after he volunteers to walk with Christ. It’s a simple request. But Jesus takes this opportunity to let everyone know how important and short lived His ministry will be. You can’t look around, you can’t be distracted. You have to watch Me closely, Jesus says. He’s very serious. His ministry is worth everything. His sacrifice will mean more than you could ever imagine. Matter of fact later on in Luke 14:26 Jesus will say “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”
We often think the Church is always here, I can go anytime, the Bible will be there for me tomorrow. And I
can pray to the Lord any time. After all, they aren’t going anywhere. It’s true, they are here to stay.
But the truth is, you aren’t.
Jesus knew there was a termination date to His earthly ministry. You have one too.
Do what the Lord has given you to do, without always seeking your comfort.
Do it now without putting Him off.
Do it, even if your family thinks you’re putting them second.
Am I telling you to be like Jesus?
Yes, because we all have a time when we go off the air.
I know you will never regret the moments you walked with Him.
If you were encouraged by this devotional, head over to our website and track along with our current series on discipleship. We are going through the Gospel of Luke for this series of six messages, each with a study guide available. Every week I will be posting a devotional here that relates to the topic we are covering.
This week, It’s important to walk with Jesus today. Do you follow the Lord as He directs your steps?
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