“JESUS, CAN I BE YOUR FOLLOWER?”
What does it take to be a “follower” of Jesus Christ? If you go to church every Sunday, does that make you His “follower”? If you make it a point to do a “good deed” every day, does that qualify you as a “follower” of Christ? What about if you go to Church regularly, do “good deeds,” read the Bible and pray —all these things combined—every single day? Surely, that must make you a follower of Jesus—right? Well, NOT REALLY! Yet, that may have been the mindset of three “would-be” followers of Jesus who approached Him as He and His disciples were walking along the road to Jerusalem. Luke’s Gospel describes it like this: 57 “As they were walking along the road, a man said to [Jesus], ‘I will follow You wherever You go." 58 Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.’ 59 He said to another man, ‘Follow Me.’ But the man replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ 60 Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.’ 61 Still another said, ‘I will follow You, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.’ 62 Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.’” Luke 9:57-62 (NIV)
Have you ever noticed that, when people are in a dialogue with Jesus, sometimes His comments seem a bit odd? When you are reading the Bible, if that ever appears to be the case, then take a closer look at what Jesus is saying. You’ll find that what may seem to be an odd remark was exactly what that person needed to hear. More importantly, it could be exactly what you need to hear as well. That was the case with these three men who had the opportunity to be followers of Jesus. The problem was they misunderstood what being a true follower is all about. Jesus told these men what was holding them back from being His follower. Let’s consider each of them separately.
The first man who approached Jesus also appeared in Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew, he was described as a “teacher of the Law.” [1] In other words, he was an expert in Old Testament Scriptures. In all likelihood, he was probably a member of the Pharisees.[2] Many of the Pharisees opposed Jesus and sought to kill him. So, if any Pharisee actually became a follower of Jesus, he would be exposing himself to great risk. The man would likely lose his position of security and worldly honor that the Pharisees enjoyed in the Jewish society of 1st century Palestine. As a result, his fellow Pharisees would have treated him as an outcast. By following Jesus, he would be subjecting himself to suffering and a notably less privileged worldly lifestyle.[3] From what we read, this man never mentioned his honored background to Jesus. But, he didn’t need to mention it. Jesus already knew everything there was to know about him because Jesus could see into his heart. That’s why Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” What did Jesus mean by this?
Well, Jesus wanted to make sure that this man understood what he would be getting into by becoming His follower. Jesus was telling him that wild foxes (with their dens) and birds of the air (with their nests) would likely have better homes than he might enjoy if he chose to follow Jesus. Unlike the foxes and birds, Jesus was, for all practical purposes, homeless. As one of His followers, this Pharisee could end up homeless as well. In other words, Jesus wanted the man to count the costs before making his decision. Yes, following Jesus in this world is a very risky thing. Not only that—it is an all-or-nothing thing! You can’t step forward and follow Christ while holding one foot back with the “Pharisees” of this world. If you are unwilling to accept the risks, then you cannot be a follower of Jesus.
There is a story about Warren Buffet—a man who is now one of the wealthiest men in the world. Back in the late 1960’s, he started his first investment plan and needed to attract investors to provide sufficient capital to make his plan successful. So, Buffet approached several doctors who were willing to invest $105,000 in what would be Buffet’s first stock fund. In a gesture of his personal commitment, Buffet contributed $100 of his own money. It was a small amount, but it symbolized the fact that (as Buffet described it) he had “some skin in the game.” Legend has it that this now familiar phrase was derived from Buffet’s description of his own personal risk in seeing his plan through to completion. Now, when someone says they have “skin in the game,” it means that they are fully committed to whatever enterprise they have joined no matter what the down-side risk may be.[4]
Jesus was telling this man that he could not be a disciple unless he was fully committed to putting his “skin in the game.” He would have to risk the security of whatever worldly “fox holes” or “bird nests” this man called home. Stated a bit differently, it is one thing to be a fair-weather follower of Christ as opposed to being a fully committed follower. A fully committed Christian is willing to abandon worldly shelters and endure the storms of life through faith in God alone. Apparently, Jesus’ message got through to this man. But, sadly, the man opted for the security of this world, and abandoned the prospect of eternal security in the world to come. This would seem to have been the outcome—for there is no indication in either Luke’s or Matthew’s Gospels that this Pharisee ever ventured beyond his own comfortable, worldly “fox hole” or “bird nest.” This reluctant Pharisee chose a life of temporal comfort and earthly wealth over eternal life and heavenly treasures. It was a poor decision on his part and one he would come to eternally regret.[5]
Now, let’s move on to the second man Jesus encountered while walking on the road to Jerusalem. Notice that Jesus directly addressed him and invited him to: “Follow Me.” Matthew’s Gospel indicates that he was likely already a “disciple” in the sense that He was tagging along with Jesus.[6] But, it appears that he had not really “put his skin in the game” anymore that the first man Jesus encountered. But, what a privilege! What an amazing opportunity! The Savior of the World had turned to this man and invited him to become a truly committed disciple. In other words, Jesus requested him to stop “playing” disciple and start being a real disciple.
Jesus is making this same request to many people today. For years, they have considered themselves to be Christians when, in fact, they are merely “playing” at being a follower of Jesus. Jesus wanted the man, as well as all the so-called Christians of today, to stop deluding themselves. And yet, how did this man respond? It was a very unusual response. He delayed making any immediate commitment to Jesus by stating he needed to first go bury his father. Presumably, the man’s father died in Jerusalem and that was where this quasi-disciple was headed as he walked along the road with Jesus. Now, his attitude was a bit different than the first man Jesus encountered. It does not necessarily appear that this second man refused to “put any skin in the game.” Rather, he was simply unwilling to do it at the time Jesus requested. Jesus adjusted His reply accordingly and said: “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” So, what did Jesus mean by this? How would “the dead” be able to bury anyone?
Well, Jesus was very fond of using metaphors to emphasize spiritual truths. That is exactly what He was doing here. The “dead” who were to do the burying was a reference to people who are “spiritually dead.”[7] They are people who have been offered Christ’s invitation, but who find it inconvenient to respond at the present time. And so, they put off any decision of becoming a committed disciple until, in their view, it is more suitable to their lifestyle or circumstances. They want to delay making that most critical of decisions to some unspecified future date. That is always a risky proposition because that “someday” may never come. No one—young or old alike—is guaranteed they’ll live into another day.[8] When you feel the call of Jesus Christ, to delay can end up being eternally fatal.
This man’s reason for delaying his decision to follow Christ, on the surface, sounds legitimate enough. But, the truth is that we are called to respond to Jesus on His timetable, not on our timetable. When people give their wants and desires priority over God’s plan for their lives, they might as well be dead—because they are behaving like spiritual corpses. Jesus is saying that they might as well be engaged in the burial of physical corpses because they will be directing their efforts to where they are headed. And where they are headed is the graveyard without the prospect of eternal life. Warren Wiersbe states it well when he said: “The second man was called by Jesus (what an honor!), but he was rejected because he would not take up the cross and die to self. He was worried about somebody else’s funeral when he should have been planning his own!”[9]
Now, moving on to the third man. He approached Jesus and said: “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus, in turned, offered him a farming metaphor: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.” In 1st century Palestine, farmers plowed their fields with a single-point plow pulled by a team of oxen. The farmer couldn’t let anything distract him from his work. Otherwise, rocks in the ground could easily deflect the plow and cause it to zig-and-zag over the field. Or, if he wasn’t paying close attention, the oxen might meander to the right or the left. So, to plow a straight furrow, the farmer had to concentrate on what he was doing. If he kept looking back over his shoulder, he’d end up doing a terrible job. He needed to grip the plow handles tightly and keep looking straight ahead if he wanted to be good farmer. That’s the kind of commitment Jesus requires of His followers. Bear in mind that Jesus was not saying that a Christian must abandon their families. After all, the only thing this man wanted to do was to say goodbye before heading out with Jesus. Obviously, that act, standing alone, would have been perfectly fine. But, to allow even a good thing to stand between you and Jesus is always a bad thing. That was Jesus’ point. His followers must put Him first over everything else in this world—including family!
In summary, Jesus required these three men to be completely committed to Him. He requires the same of you and me today. He wants to take the priorities in your life and re-order them in a way that puts Him first. C. S. Lewis, in his classic book, Mere Christianity, captured this well when he wrote: “[Christ says:] ‘Give Me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there. I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think are innocent as well as the ones you think are wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: My own will shall become your [will]!”[10]
But, here’s the thing to keep in mind: The world in which we live scoffs at these requirements that Jesus demands of His followers. The world doesn’t want you to follow Jesus. The world wants you to follow whatever your own desires may be. Satan uses your desires to distract you from being a true follower. We are reminded of this by Thaddeus Williams, a professor at Biola University, who encourages us to stand strong against this worldly trend. In his new book entitled, “Don’t Follow Your Heart,” he identifies the cultural mindset in our society that mocks a true Christian’s commitment to Christ. In a recent review of this badly needed book, Christian writers, John Overstreet and Jared Hayden observed: “[The phrase] ‘Follow your heart’ is a slogan popularized by Disney movies, pop psychology, and social media. Ultimately, it is just another version of the oldest lie in the world: That you and I can be our own god. . . In the end, however, like all bad ideas about God and self, this lie dehumanizes us, leaving us empty, unsatisfied, and isolated.”[11]
With all of this in mind, is it possible to be a true follower of Jesus Christ in the culture in which we live? Yes, it is certainly possible, but it is often difficult to do it publicly. And yet, notice that a public commitment was emphasized by Christ when He spoke to that second man he met on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus demanded of him to “GO AND PROCLAIM THE KINGDOM OF GOD.’” Luke 9:60 (NIV) And yet, there are those today who say, “I love Jesus, and I follow Him. I just can’t do it publicly. My faith is a private thing.” But, just as Jesus turned to those would-be followers and let them know their commitment was insufficient, so too does he turn to those today who refuse to openly proclaim their faith. Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of Me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26 (NIV) In other words, if you can’t stick up for Jesus publicly in this life, Jesus isn’t going to stick up for you on Judgment Day! So, yes!—we are called to “proclaim the Kingdom of God” openly to all those around us.
Perhaps one of the most difficult places to do that today is in the entertainment or sports industry. But, it was so encouraging last Sunday during the N.F.L. playoffs to hear God being given the credit for His faithfulness. For example, after the Kansas City Chiefs upset the Baltimore Ravens, the A.F.C. championship trophy was presented to the Chiefs’ Chairman and CEO, Clark Hunt. As the TV cameras were focused upon him, Hunt could have started off by praising the Chiefs’ fans for their support, or by giving credit for their victory to the Chiefs’ players or coaching staff. But, that was not the primary focus of his praise. Rather, Clark Hunt proclaimed: “FIRST OF ALL, I want to GIVE GOD THE GLORY. . .”[12] That’s what a follower of Christ does—they give glory to God openly for all to hear!
Next Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will be playing the San Fransisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. It’s going to be hard for me to pick a favorite in that game. You see, the Chiefs are not alone in having true followers of Christ in their organization. Following his team’s victory in the N.F.C. championship game, the San Francisco 49ers’ star quarterback, Brock Purdy, was interviewed on national TV. Again, you can’t get much more public than that. This is what he had to say: “When I’m down 17 [points] at the halftime, honestly, I'm just thinking, ‘All right God, You've taken me here, and win or lose I’m going to glorify You.’ That's my peace, the joy, the steadfastness—that’s where I get it.” He went on to proclaim: “Honestly, I think it’s just a testament to God and where He’s taken me in life. I’ve never been the biggest, the fastest, the strongest, or any of that. I feel like I’ve always had to sort of fight for what I get and work for what I get. But God’s always given me an opportunity, whether that was in high school, college, and then obviously in the NFL. Getting drafted last, people overlook you and all that kind of stuff, and then all you need is an opportunity and watch and see what He does. I put my faith and trust in Him and He’s gotten me where I’m at.” Now, listen carefully to this. Purdy emphasized: “MY IDENTITY CAN’T BE IN FOOTBALL, IT CAN’T BE IN THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD. . . IT’S GOT TO BE IN HIM.”[13] This is the attitude Jesus was trying to instill in those three men mentioned in Luke, chapter 9. That’s the same commitment that He demands of you today.
Jesus wants you to follow Him. He also wants you to understand that following Him isn’t going to be easy. It comes with the high price of always putting Him first in your life. But, those who count the cost and follow will never be disappointed. On the other hand, those who want to follow at a distance and never bear the cost may as well stay right where they are. For as Billy Graham once said: “Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything you have.”[14] Are you willing to bear that kind of cost? Maybe you are telling yourself you are a follower of Jesus. But, the reality is you identify more with those three would-be disciples than a truly committed follower. Perhaps you are beginning to realize you can’t save your own skin, in the eternal sense, unless you are willing to fully put your “skin in the game” with Christ. If so, now is no time for delay. There is no time to bury the dead or compose your good-byes to family members—no half-times to regroup. Christ calls you to make up your mind for Him right now. So, what’s it going to be? Will you put your hand to Christ’s plow and never look back, or forever regret this missed opportunity to step forward this morning and follow Him?
Let us pray.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
February 4, 2024
©2024 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] Matthew 8:19 “Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” (NIV)
[2] Weber, Stuart. Holman New Testament Commentary - Matthew. Edited by Max Anders. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2000. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
[3] MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible—Matthew. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2006. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
[4] PreachingToday.com, citing as its source: Adapted from Rick Lawrence, Skin in the Game (Kregel, 2015), page 13.
[5] Blight, Richard C. Exegetical Summary of Luke 1-11, An. Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2008. WORDsearch CROSS e-book, p. 443.
[6] Matthew 8:21 “Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” (NIV)
[7] Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
[8] Proverbs 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” (NIV)
[9] Wiersbe, Warren. Bible Exposition Commentary-Be Compassionate (Luke 1-13). Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2003. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
[10] Lewis, C. S. 2001. Mere Christianity. London, England: HarperOne. p. 196-197.
[11] John Stonestreet and Jared Hayden, “How NOT to Follow Your Heart (even though That's Cultural Heresy),” BreakPoint, BreakPoint, published in Christian Headlines, ttps://www.christianheadlines.com (January 31, 2024).
[12] Talia Wise, “‘First of all, Glory to God’: How Brock Purdy Led Stunning Comeback to Take 49ers to Super Bowl,” Christian Broadcasting News, https://www2.cbn.com/news/entertainment/first-all-glory-god-how-brock-purdy-led-stunning-comeback-take-49ers-super-bowl (January 29, 2024).
[13] Ibid.
[14] Draper, Edythe. Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World—“Discipleship.” Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992. WORDsearch CROSS e-book, p. 156.
