Devotional: The Cost of Discipleship

The Cost of Discipleship

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "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).

If Jesus walked the earth today, I wonder how people would react to these sayings. Even as I read His words, I scratch my head and think "hmmmm..." But then I remember what I've always said: "The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it." However, that doesn't mean I understand it all. Therefore, I have to seek understanding.

My Bible sub-titles this passage as The Cost of Discipleship. I believe that is accurate. When a certain person told Jesus he would follow Him anywhere, it seems Jesus' response was curt, meaning it was abrupt and to the point. The Message Translation uses this same description: On the road someone asked if he could go along. "I'll go with you, wherever," he said. Jesus was curt: "Are you ready to rough it? We're not staying in the best inns, you know." People are often eager to jump on the bandwagon before they have even counted the cost. Jesus knew this.
Peter is another example of such naive eagerness. "Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, where are You going?' Jesus answered, 'You are not able to follow Me now where I am going, but you shall follow Me afterwards.' Peter said to Him, 'Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for You.' Jesus answered, 'Will you [really] lay down your life for Me? I assure you - most solemnly I tell you - before a rooster crows, you will deny Me [completely disown Me] three times'" (John 13:36-38, Amplified). Can you hear Jesus' tone with Peter? "Will you really lay down your life for ME?" Jesus wasn't intending to sound rude, but once again, He knew the cost of what Peter was declaring, while Peter did not.

To another person, Jesus said, "Follow me." This word follow is defined as coming after somebody or something, or to take the same route behind another person. It can also mean to pay close attention to somebody or something. Jesus' instruction, both figuratively and literally, meant to come after Him by following in His footsteps and by paying close attention to His words and deeds. The man's response: He said, "Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father's funeral." Jesus refused. "First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom" (Luke 9:59-60, Message)! Again, I wonder how people today would take these strong statements of seemingly little concern for personal needs or responsibilities. But was that really at the heart of Jesus' words?

"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.' I vividly remember my reaction the first time I read in God's Word that Christians were required to hate their families in order to be Christ's disciples. My heart was instantly grieved because I did not understand this. I loved my family very much. How could I ever love them less, much less hate them? "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). I greatly desired to be a true disciple of Jesus in every way possible. This instruction to leave all was a stumbling block for me... until God opened my understanding.

Turning again to the Message Translation of our previous text, I believe we will find clarification: "Then another said, 'I'm ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home.' Jesus said, 'No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day' (Luke 9:61-62). Jesus understood the deception of procrastination. He knew the ways in which Satan used love to distract people from the path of true discipleship. Remember God's Word to one of the seven churches in Revelation? "I have this against you, that you have left your first love" (Revelation 2:4). "Do you have any idea how far you've fallen? A Lucifer fall" (Message Translation)!

We may not always understand why Jesus said things the way He did, but we can be confident that He is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of every heart and therefore, His instruction is for our safety and victory. In counting the cost, Jesus explained: "Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish'" (Luke 14:27-30).

Jesus knew the risk of offending others with His words, but He also knew the consequense of incomplete Christians -- they are the reason the world mocks. Jesus took the risk to find true disciples. I pray our response to tough instruction will be like Peter's when he said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).