The Would-be Followers Of Jesus

What busy lives many of us seem to lead! Often, our free time is so scarce that giving a few minutes to someone else is too big a sacrifice to make.

As Jesus walked along a road he invited others to follow him:

• The first said, “I will follow you wherever you go”. Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head”.
• A second replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father”.  Jesus replied, “Let the dead bury their own dead…”
• A third the man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family”. Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”.

The men’s responses may have seemed perfectly reasonable but they also implied doubts existed in their thinking!

Was the first man too hasty; did he understand his own promise? The second and third, were they too slow; was their attitude one of, “I will do that tomorrow?”

When we really want to do something, we don’t delay; we rush to get the job finished, regardless of all other personal costs. (Matthew 8:18-22, Luke 9:57-62)