THE COST OF FOLLOWING Luke 9:57-62

Intro:

As Jesus traveled ‘along the road’, there were people who were eager to travel with Him.

there were many who did not believe He was the Messiah, however there were other who did, and some who were just curious.

But - not all of them understood what it meant to actually follow Jesus.

Picture it! - Jesus coming through town, New and exciting - you want to follow. what are you truly getting into?

That is what we are looking into tonight! Looking at 3 people tonight.

Luke 9:57-62

Luke 9:57–62 CSB

57 As they were traveling on the road someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 Then he said to another, “Follow me.” “Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.” 60 But he told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

1. Count the Cost Luke 9:57-58

Luke 9:57–58 CSB

57 As they were traveling on the road someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Luke 9:57- pretty self explanatory.

Luke 9:57 CSB

57 As they were traveling on the road someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

This man is willing & eager to follow Jesus.

That is great! There is nothing wrong with that! We all should be so eager.

But the following reply from Jesus shows us that this man didn’t fully understand what living a life following Jesus would truly mean.

For example, lets take a look at baseball.

Imagine you are a really great baseball player in HS, and you go to college on a baseball scholarship.

you do awesome and you want to go pro.

You get drafted to the Seattle Mariners. (only team to never make it to the world series)

You think its going to be a great time, but do you know what being a pro baseball player truly entails?

Training almost every day

162 games (28 are home)

Constant travel.

Being away from home/family.

So, what does it truly mean to follow Jesus?

Lets add Jesus’ reply.

Luke 9:57–58 NASB95

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Luke 9:57-58 - What do you all think Jesus is getting at here?

Foxes have holes / birds of the air have nests.

all the animals have their place to call home.

They have the place that they inhabit.

They always have somewhere to go back to/hold on to.

However, The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

this is a glimpse at the cost of following Jesus.

Once you truly follow Jesus, you have no where that you truly belong on earth, because your residency changed to heaven.

Why do you think Jesus tells this man that, or tells us that?

Because He wants disciples that understand the fact that their identity is not found in things or luxurious living, its not found in comfort or security, it is found in Christ.

Let me ask you this. what is your identity and comfort found in?

When people who understand what it means to follow Jesus decide to follow Him, that is when true disciples are made.

People who WANT to follow Him and be more like Him.

2. Prioritize the Call Luke 9:59-60

Luke 9:59–60 CSB

59 Then he said to another, “Follow me.” “Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.” 60 But he told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.”

There are two ways to look at these verses.

The mans father was about to die, which means that he would have had to wait to follow God for an undertermined amount of time.

If the father was already dead, it would make the mans request more urgent than ever. The Jewish thought burial was more important than anything else.

The duty of burying the dead took priority over studying the law, temple service, sacrificing animals (to include for the passover), the observance of circumcision and even the reading of the Megillah (5 books - Song of songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Ester)

Look at Jesus’ response in Vv. 60.

You have two types of people, the spiritually dead, and the spiritually alive.

Let the dead bury their dead.

Once you have seen the vision of God and His Kingdom, let nothing delay the work that He has called you to.

Kingdom priorities come first, above ALL.

3. Secure in Sacrifice

Luke 9:61–62 CSB

61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

This man desired to follow Jesus, but first he wanted to say goodbye to his family.

Does not seem like an unreasonable request.

especially since Elisha did just this when he followed Elijah.

1 Kings 19:20–21 CSB

20 Elisha left the oxen, ran to follow Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you.” “Go on back,” he replied, “for what have I done to you?” 21 So he turned back from following him, took the team of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s wooden yoke and plow, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he left, followed Elijah, and served him.

But we are not called to follow people. we are called to follow God.

Jesus points out very plainly that the Kingdom of God has no room for people who are focused on looking back when they are called to go forward.

Each follower MUST be focused on moving forward with their faith, not looking back at to what they had before God. Everything they had before was sinful and lead to death.

Conclusion

In order to follow as a Christian we must…

Count the cost.

Prioritize the call.

Secure in Sacrifice.

What does Jesus mean when He says that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head?

In the context of the sermon, what are the two types of people Jesus refers to when he talks about letting the dead bury their own dead?

What is the significance of Jesus’ reply to the man who wanted to say goodbye to his family?

What does it look like to prioritize the call of God in our daily lives based on the message?

In what ways can we shift our focus from looking back at our past, to looking forward in faith?

How can you practically count the cost of following Jesus in your own life?

What specific actions will you take to prioritize God’s call over other distractions?

What sacrifices are you willing to make to ensure you are moving forward in your faith?

How can you encourage your friends to understand the cost of following Jesus?