At first glance Jesus sounds very harsh as He addresses someone that sincerely wanted to follow Him. What’s wrong with wanting to tell His family goodbye? In 1978 the Little River Band wrote a song that describes a great tendency that many of us have. Listen to these few lines from this song. “Each time we hear our favorite song, the memories come along. Older times we're missing, spending the hours reminiscing.” We all like to look back and reflect fondly on those days gone by. Perhaps that’s why we call them the good old days. If the truth be known, the good old days always seem to be better than today. Our past experiences and upbringing has shaped us into the people we are today. There is one huge problem. Our reminiscing always seems to make those good old days seem better than they really were. There is nothing wrong with looking back fondly on the past and reflecting on those great memories. Isn’t that what reminiscing is all about? However, I want to issue a great word of caution. There is always the risk of becoming stuck in the past when we begin to believe that those good old days are better than today. When this happens looking back keeps us from looking forward. Could this be the reason behind Jesus’ answer? Today, let’s examine Jesus’ words and look at them in their proper context. By doing this we will be able to discover exactly what point Jesus is trying to make.
I. Jesus’ answer on the surface sounds very harsh.
A. The passage makes it clear that Jesus is extending an invitation to follow Him.
1. In the text a man comes forward and volunteers to follow Jesus.
2. The man makes a very simple and seemingly reasonable request. “Let me go back and say goodbye to my family first.”
3. When you think about this it isn’t really an unreasonable request.
4. This is exactly the reason that Jesus’ request catches us by surprise.
5. This guy is volunteering to follow Him, so you would think that Jesus would bend over backward to accommodate this guy. Volunteers don’t exactly grow on trees.
6. In the church we know this all too well. In our world volunteers are in short supply, so we tend to do nothing that would discourage those who are willing to volunteer.
B. This request has many parallels to Elijah’s call of Elisha in 1 Kings.
1. When Elijah called Elisha a similar request was made by Elisha.
2. Elisha wanted some time to go back and say goodbye to His family.
3. Elisha who is working in the field immediately drops everything and organizes a party to allow him to exchange goodbyes with his family.
4. If Elijah would allow Elisha to do this during one of Israel’s darkest periods, then what’s the deal with Jesus?
C. When you understand the cultural context there are some things that are not noticed on the surface.
1. More than likely this would have involved more than simply saying goodbye and putting his affairs in order.
2. There could have been parties that would have gone on for several weeks.
3. There would have been family members that were begging him to reconsider His decision.
4. The bottom line is that a lot could happen during this time of partying that would cause this man to ultimately back out.
II. Jesus is making an important point in regard to the Kingdom.
A. Jesus stressed that the call to discipleship was an urgent matter and requires one’s undivided attention.
1. There is absolutely no room for anything to be put ahead of Jesus.
2. True discipleship requires immediate action; following Jesus cannot be put off till a “better time.”
3. It’s funny…when we are waiting for that right moment; it never seems to come along.
4. More than likely Jesus senses a sense of reluctance in the man’s heart and a desire to hang on to some aspects of his past life.
5. The call issued to Elisha did not seem to be as urgent as the one Jesus issued.
6. However, there doesn’t seem to be any reluctance on the part of Elisha.
B. The cost of discipleship requires that we put absolutely nothing ahead of Jesus’ call.
1. Jesus has been preaching that the Kingdom of God was at hand, so naturally the call required immediate action.
2. Notice some of the things that Elisha did when he accepted God’s call through Elijah.
a. He stopped plowing.
b. Broke up all the wood plowing equipment and built a fire.
c. Killed his twenty-four oxen and cooked them over the fire to provide a feast for his family.
3. Elisha’s actions show that there was no looking back. He was willing to make a complete break with his old life.
4. Those who choose to follow Jesus must be willing to make an unconditional commitment to Him.
C. When called to follow Jesus, one must step out in faith and not look back.
1. When Jesus makes the statement, “That whoever puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for service in the Kingdom,” He is making a significant point.
2. This word phrase in the Greek literally means “to look unto things behind.”
3. This illustration shows that looking back while following Jesus would result in a person beginning to head in the wrong direction.
4. Elisha quit in the middle of plowing a field and never looked back.
5. The call was for now. The harvest was ready and the work needed to be done without delay.
6. Jesus never asked His followers to do anything that He wasn’t willing to do Himself.
III. How are these words applicable for us today?
A. There is a cost to following Jesus and it always includes sacrifice.
1. Sometimes old relationships and habits are some of the things that must be left behind.
2. There times that we are required to give up the things in which we find our earthly security in.
3. Sacrifice does not mean that we always will have to give all our stuff up. The point is that sometimes we need to give up some good things to receive the best things.
4. Jesus is teaching that discipleship involves a radical shift in one’s priorities.
B. When we look back while following Jesus, we will lose sight of where He is leading us.
1. Discipleship requires focus.
2. When we look back longingly at what we have given up we run the risk of giving up all the Jesus has given.
3. Too many people and churches have become stagnant because they are looking back and living in the past instead of pressing forward.
4. The Lord wants us to see that greater things are always on the horizon. The best days are still ahead.
5. If we are constantly looking we will miss out all the great things that the Lord wants to do through us.
C. Service in the Kingdom is of such vital importance that it needs to be our top priority.
1. Service in the Kingdom isn’t our second job or a hobby. It requires our undivided attention and needs to be a priority.
2. God’s calling should be pursued with appropriate seriousness.
3. The call to follow is call to do it without delay and without excuses.
4. Remember, what was said earlier. If you are waiting for just the right time to follow Jesus it will never arrive. The right time is always right now.
D. Jesus expects His followers to accept the cross along with the crown and judgment as well as mercy.
1. Never once did Jesus promise that when we started to follow Him everything would be fine.
2. What Jesus wants from His followers is not a halfhearted commitment but complete and total dedication.
3. Jesus is the greatest example of committing yourself to wholehearted service.
4. We cannot allow anything to come in between us and our service in the Kingdom.
Cassie Bernall was a 17 year old with long blond hair, hair she wanted to cut off and have made into wigs for cancer patients. She was active in her youth group and was known for carrying a Bible to school. Cassie was in the school library reading her Bible when the two young killers burst in. According to witnesses, one of the killers pointed his gun at Cassie and asked, do you believe in God? Cassie paused and then answered, “Yes, I believe in God.” Why? The gunman asked. Cassie did not have a chance to respond; the gunman had already shot her dead. Cassie’s martyrdom was even more remarkable when you consider that just a few years ago she had dabbled in the occult, including witchcraft. She had embraced the same darkness and nihilism that drove her killers to such despicable acts. But two years ago, Cassie dedicated her life to Christ, and turned her life around. Her friend, Craig Moon, called her a “light for Christ.” According to the Boston Globe, on the night of her death, Cassie’s brother Chris found a poem she had written just two days prior to her death. It read:
Now I have given up on everything else
I have found it to be the only way
To really know Christ and to experience
The mighty power that brought
Him back to life again, and to find
Out what it means to suffer and to
Die with him. So, whatever it takes
I will be one who lives in the fresh
Newness of life of those who are
Alive from the dead
