The passage of Scripture that came to my mind yesterday to inspire this post is verse 60. These verses may sound extreme and like they are asking too much…but we will talk about them.

Luke 9:57-62 

(1st possible disciple) As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” 

(2nd possible disciple) He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” 

(3rd possible disciple) Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” 

So after reading that, you are probably thinking, “Wow! Jesus has some pretty strict guidelines or requirements.” But that isn’t it at all. Let’s break this down by each “possible disciple.”

1st possible disciple. So after doing some further reading, this first man was probably a scribe, and from what I understand, this man was probably used to living very well. Now don’t forget, Jesus knows our heart and our mind more than we do, He knows our exact thought before we speak. So in this mans case, Jesus said what He said because He knew the reaction that He would receive back from this man. Jesus was just warning him of the kind of life and dedication that it would require to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ. This man was unable to give up the comforts of his life and the commodities that he was used to and was attached to.

2nd possible disciple. This is the verse that brought me to this point. Jesus actually called this potential disciple out and told him to come and follow Me. Now the response that came from the man sounds more than reasonable. “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” Jesus didn’t say, “sure, that’d be ok, catch up with Me later.” NO! Jesus told him to let the spiritually dead bury their own dead. In no way do I believe that it is wrong to be apart of a funeral or to be there and mourn with and for your family, however, I do believe it is wrong to put other things or other people in front of God. 

So the verse that fits perfectly in with idea, is Luke 14:26. “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.” Again, we see Jesus being very extreme in the way we ought to live our lives and the way that we are to think and love. 

3rd possible disciple. Let me say goodbye to family…that is all the man wanted to do. But Jesus again informed him that once you choose Jesus, you can’t look back. We are to press onward toward the goal which is Heaven. The sentence that I read that I believe has a huge impact on my life and the life of my family, “There is nothing wrong with a loving farewell, but if it gets in the way of obedience, it becomes sin.

Two instances that stand out are found in Luke 10:2 and Matthew 7:14 when Jesus is talking about the workers being few and also the gate to life (Heaven) is small and narrow and not many people find it. Jesus warns us that not everyone who has said “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven…I believe there are going to be a lot of shocked and disappointed people when the Lord is finished with them here on earth. 

I can’t stress this enough…if you are concerned, questioning, a little scared, confused, convicted, whatever the case may be, please comment and I would love to touch base with you. 

Jesus commands and demands our all, anything less…He doesn’t want.