The Cost of Following Jesus
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.”
Observations and Reflections
From the perspective of just us humans, we look at this passage and may think what Jesus is saying is a bit extreme. However, Jesus went to the extreme to pay for our sins and to show us just how much He loves us, therefore our response to following after Him should also be as well.
Jesus wants for us to realize that having a good job, house, friends, and a family is not a bad thing. However, those things are a blessing from Him and it is not what is going to ultimately satisfy us. He wants to know that He has to be at the forefront of all those things or else life will be meaningless.
Following after Christ basically means to love Him more then your earthly possessions and realizing that those things He gave you, ought to be used for His glory and purposes only. The cost of following Jesus is great, there is no denying that. There have been some that had to give up their jobs, homes and even their families on account that Christianity is not widely accepted in many countries and cultures. The road is not easy but it is well worth it when we begin to experience God’s overwhelming sense of peace, joy and satisfaction.
[Featured image by Stanley Spencer, titled: “The Foxes Have Holes”]