Lucas 9

The cost of discipleship

57 Now as they journeyed on the road, it happened that someone said to Him, "Lord,*Perhaps 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit "Lord" (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). I will follow you wherever you go." 58 So Jesus said to him, "The foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of the Man has no place to lay His head."*Jesus does not offer comfort and a ‘good time’.

59 Then He said to another, "Follow me!" But he said, "Lord, permit me first to 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."*Dear me, how unfeeling! Those who are not committed to Christ and His Kingdom are as good as dead, and a true disciple of Jesus must not allow himself to be held back by such. Of course such an attitude will not be understood by the ‘dead’, but the disciple needs to side with the Kingdom. What if that father had lived for another ten years? If you put off doing God’s will for things like that, you may wind up never doing it.

61 And another also said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first allow me to bid farewell to those who are at my house."*If you go back to say goodbye, they will cry and carry on and do all they can to make you change your mind. 62 But Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to ‘the plow’ and looks back is suitable for the Kingdom of God."*Again, the Lord is calling for total commitment.