The Call to Follow
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A Call to Follow
A Call to Follow
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, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
When we consider the men who are known as Jesus’ disciples they all have a few things in common:
1)Jesus called them to follow.
2) They responded in obedience.
3) Their lives were transformed.
In we read about three would be disciples eager to follow Jesus. The first one makes an offer without waiting to be called.
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.”
Luke 9:
Why is it so important for Jesus to extend the all? Jesus is God incarnate, God with us, therefore he has authority to extend the call. He bridges the gap between faith and obedience. Jesus calls another man “follow me.” This man tried to postpone the call by desiring to adhere to the law and fulfill his responsibility to his father and family. Jesus responded to his request quite directly. “Let the dead bury the dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
This man did not consider the cost.
This man did not consider the cost.
Jesus extends invitation to the next man.
To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Luke
This man goodbye was going to be a long one, and may have been convinced to not follow Jesus
This man goodbye was going to be a long one, and may have been convinced to not follow Jesus
Another approaches Jesus
Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:61-
This man desires to follow but had one stipulation ‘but let me first...’
This man desires to follow but had one stipulation ‘but let me first...’
And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
Levi aka Matthew left his nets at the request to follow Jesus
Simon and John responded the same way. There is no evidence to show they knew anything about Jesus.
Christ calls, the disciple follows: that is grace and commandment in one.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
and I shall walk in a wide place,
for I have sought your precepts.
Psalms 119:
Answering the call produces a new situation. Peter had to leave the nets and boat. The man had to leave his dad and tradition behind.
Why does it matter if the call is
Why the different responses, you may ask? Three men approached Jesus eager to be apart of what Jesus was doing and then walked away. Jesus approaches Matthew while he was working his tax booth, James and John were along side their dad, Jesus walks up and says “follow me...” and they go.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
John
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
The men in Luke chapter were approaching Jesus with the wrong, motivation, a half hearted commitment, and had stipulations. They were not ready, they were not drawn by the Father, they were driven by their own desires.
The power of the call can be seen in the life of Saul
Paul is on mission to stop the church from growing, to put an end to this Jesus business then He gets a call.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Have I received the call? I propose that everytime you have heard the good news about Jesus you have been given the call to believe. How have you responded?
I want to point out that when Jesus called his disciples their was petition from Jesus to believe he was the Christ, the Savior of the world, he only said “follow me.” It was another year or so before Simon-Peter confessed “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.
The call to believe is free, the call to follow costs you something. Are you ready to deepen your relationship with Christ?
Have you taken that first step of obedience?