"THE THREE LOSERS"

 The Cost of Discipleship  Luke 9

⁵⁷ Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, 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 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Follow one; He is a passionate man, there is something he sees in Jesus, his words of authority, the miracles performed and his unconditional love. In searching the scriptures we find out this man was a scribe, his life had order, a man of great success, a comfortable life. A well known keeper of the law.

He believed that Jesus was in fact the one promised, but to save them from Rome, not from their sins.  Where he would be rewarded on the day of this imagined conquest over Rome. The answer by the Lord, revealed the heart of the man, and what really motivated him."“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Jesus was telling him that following him will not be an easy road, in fact unpredictable, and often times all comforts he  came to rely on would be gone. He never followed Jesus.

Luke 9:23

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

 

Follow two; There is not much conversation between Jesus and this person called. "another man,". To this man Jesus gets right to the point "follow me". This man for years had heard Jesus proclaim the kingdom of God, and now Jesus tells the man to go and do the same. The answer; “Lord, let me first go and bury my father,”and the answer from Jesus,  “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”would on the surface make Jesus seem cruel and hard of heart. Jesus knew that the man's father was not dead. Jesus knew that what he was actually saying, was when my father dies, and I receive my inheritance. Then I will follow you. "He should have known that the nature of God is love. "He never followed Jesus"

1 John 2:15

 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

 

 Follow three; This man is the most troubled of all three, he uses that cautious word "but". “Lord , I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” This man looks back, he is clearly not ready or willing to just follow Jesus, he must make known this noble mission he is about to embark on, to all his family and friends. Perhaps, he desires a special send off, a celebration of sought. His flesh causes him to fail to see that the things of the past, is not worthy to be compared to following Jesus, and being appointed as one who is called to proclaim His kingdom. He needed to look back, in order to move forward. “ Lord,  I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” He never followed Jesus.

Matthew 10:37
 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Luke 9:23

 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

 

"Father in Heaven;  May this word bring us to our knees, broken and desperate, until we truly are your followers, never to look back! Amen.