The Call of Christ Luke 9:57-62 Fog is as regular as rain at Monterey, California. Great white clouds of it roll in off the Pacific. So sunshine is rare. But it was sunny that Sunday afternoon. Still, it was day like any other. I walked down the hill past wind warped cypress toward the dock where shrimp boats bobbed on little waves that lapped against salt soaked piers. But my goal was not the harbor. Instead, I walked down the main street of town and ducked into a theater. The film was nothing special. It was a black and white B movie, highlighting the life of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. The film did not speak to me. But deep inside, God did. And by the time I walked back out into the sunshine, I was completely convinced. God was calling me to serve Him just as Dr. Peale did: as a preacher and pastor. I was a brand new Christian. Since I was saved by reading a Bible tract, I did not know any other believers. And I had never read more than a few verses in the Bible. But none of that mattered. The Lord who loved me and saved me from defeat and despair had spoken to me. No one could argue that out of me. God was calling me to serve Him. Even after all these years, I remember it as a shining day, the day of all days. There is no greater honor or higher privilege than having the God of all creation call you to serve Him. And on a day when you least expect it, He must might call you. Somewhere near the Sea of Galilee, Jesus did just that. He called three men just as He called me. But those men never experienced the excitement and lived the life of joy Jesus had for them. And if you are anything at all like them, you will not either. The Expense As He walked the foot paths and donkey trails of Galilee, Jesus called many men. But the Bible only records a few. Matthew remembered that the first man was a temple scribe. And that was more than merely unusual. Most of the scribes were Pharisees. And they bitterly opposed Jesus. But not this man. Somewhere, he heard Jesus speak. And something began to glow within him. Dimly at a distance, he could see a shining new life that was waiting for Him when Christ invited him to follow along as a disciple. So he reached out to grasp that new beginning. As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, I will follow You wherever You go. Verse 57 However, Jesus could read the man s heart. And our Lord knew he had some hidden fears and unrealistic expectations. And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Verse 58 Our Savior is nothing at all like an overeager Army recruiter. He never makes promises He has no intention of keeping. Neither does He allow anyone to accept His call who does not fully understand the price following Him entails. Jesus wanted that man to know, just as He would warn us, that following Him is not a path to power, prestige and plenty.
If the scribe was to become Christ s disciple, he had to abandon the allure and addiction of worldly wealth. And so do we. That was what also stopped another young man. This man was not only wealthy; he was also powerful. And he wanted to follow Jesus, too. But he could not bring himself to pay the price Christ demanded. He said to him, One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Luke 18:22-23 The Savior said it Himself. We cannot serve both God and money. So if we are to follow after Jesus Christ, we must abandon every desire we have for worldly wealth. We are not even to worry about supplying our basic needs. We are to trust God to do that....seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 Turning away from all wealth does seem radical. But it is nothing compared to what the Master demanded of the second man. And He said to another, Follow Me. But he said, Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father. Verse 59 Do not be misled. The man s father was not yet dead. However, he was old. And both his age and infirmity were clear indications his time on earth was limited. No, the man Christ called did not want to go home, dig a hole, and bury his father s body. He wanted to go home and take care of his aged father until the old man died. Then when all his family obligations were satisfied, the man would come and serve Jesus. But He said to him, Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God. Verse 60 Matthew said this man was already following Jesus as a disciple. But he had never made a commitment to serve the Savior. So Jesus invited him to become His herald, His holy messenger. The man was called to share the life and love our Lord has for all men. He was to go and invite men, women and children to turn away from their sin and trust only in Christ s blood. Just as we are, this man was called to live a life of loving Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord, and Friend. And our love for God must be far greater than any and every other love. Even love for our family. 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. Matthew 10:37 In this man s case, Jesus knew he was not the only person in his family who could take care of his aged father. We know that because our Lord always exalts and encourages us to take care of our families. The apostle Paul made that abundantly clear....if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8 But we dare not place responsibility and regard for our families ahead of loving and serving the Lord. Or we cannot serve Him. On the surface, the third man s request seems reasonable and realistic. Another also said, I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home. Verse 61 However, a closer look at the words the man used show his purpose was not merely to kiss his mother goodbye. He wanted to put all his business affairs in order. He wanted to go home and give instructions to his servants. He was not willing to do what
Matthew Levi did when Christ stood before Levi s tax booth and called him. He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, Follow Me. And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him. Luke 5:27-28 Matthew did not take time to sell his lucrative business to someone else. He did not even bother to scoop up his coins and close out his books. He simply stood up and left absolutely everything behind. In the light of the Lord s presence and the shine of His service, he could see all he owned as clearly as Paul did when Christ called him....whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, Philippians 3:7-8 Paul did not waste any time weighing his options. He could see things as we must if we are to follow Jesus Christ. Anything short of serving the Savior is as worthless as rubbish. Jesus said it again and again. Serving Him is exceedingly expensive. He must not merely be first in our lives. He must be our all in all. So if we are follow Him we must carefully count the cost. The Example When armies are arrayed for war, soldiers steel themselves for battle. They endure unspeakable hardships, suffering from intense heat and freezing cold. And they sleep when and wherever they can. But the generals who command them do not. Their commanders are far from the din and danger of battle. They sleep in safety in comfortable quarters and eat hot meals. But our eternal Commander is nothing at all like that. The Lord Jesus never demands any price from us which He Himself has not already willingly and gladly paid. So our Savior did not merely demand that the scribe live a life of selfless sacrifice. He was already doing the very same thing. And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Verse 58 Jesus left His warm bed back home in Nazareth. He did not even bother to pack provisions to carry along with Him. When our Redeemer yawned and stretched each morning, He had no idea where He would sleep at night. He is Lord of all creation. But during His days on earth, He did not even allow Himself the basics birds and animals enjoy. And we dare not expect to live higher or enjoy more honor than the Savior we serve did. He is our example. And we are to live out our life imitating Him. So we are not merely mistaken to expect to be rewarded with riches for following Him. We are both ungrateful and unfit to follow a Savior who gave up absolutely everything to serve God. Jesus also faced the same dilemma that stopped the second man. After all, the Master s mother depended upon her sinless Son to provide for her needs. But our Savior did not shy away from the cross out of His duty to His mother. Instead, as He hung on the cross, He entrusted her care to one of His disciples. No, Jesus did not allow family responsibilities to keep Him from fully following His heavenly
Father. So we cannot either. The last man worried and fretted about his business back home. But our Lord left His business behind in Nazareth. And there is no record He sold His carpenter business and His shop full of tools. No, He walked down the hill out of town and left everything. Just like James and John did. He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. Matthew 4:21-22 Jesus demands no more and no less of us than He did of Himself. He left everything behind without a backward glance. And if we are to answer His call, we must do the same. The Excuses Jesus once told a parable about a wealthy man who prepared a great banquet with a rich feast. Then when the food was ready and the tables were all set, he sent servants out to invite his friends to enjoy the feast. But they all put the messengers off. One man was worried about wealth. He had just purchased a parcel of land and wanted to go and appraise it. Another was concerned about his business. He had a new yoke of oxen he wanted to go out and try. A third had just gotten married. And he was reluctant to leave his new wife to attend the banquet. All of those excuses might seem reasonable to us. But the lord of the feast did not think so. I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner. Luke 14:24 In much the same way, our Savior has a feast of peace and purpose, of serenity and satisfaction, and of joy and jubilation prepared for us. And in a quiet moment, His precious Holy Spirit bids us to leave everything behind and come to Christ. Our great and gracious God has infinite patience. But when Christ s Spirit calls, He expects us to come without question. And He will accept no excuses from those of us He calls. No matter how reasonable our reasons for requesting a delay might seem, Jesus will not accept our excuses. God s Son was the Prince of Heaven. And He left unimaginable splendor behind to come to earth as sin s sacrifice. But there is not even a hint in the Scriptures that He ever looked back or longed for His heavenly home. And He will not indulge a remnant of regret or reluctance on our part, either. We cannot follow Jesus Christ halfheartedly. But Jesus said to him, No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Verse 62 Living for our Lord is like walking a narrow path. It is a path that is as straight as the first furrow in an unplowed field must be. And to plow that first furrow, a farmer must fix his eyes on a goal at the far end of the field. He dare not take his eyes from it for a moment, either. If he does, the furrow will be crooked and curved. And if we take our eyes off Jesus, our lives will be not be straight, either. Jesus demands that we leave all our worldly wealth behind and live a life of faith. We are to
live trusting only and always and absolutely in Him and Him alone to meet all our needs. The Savior also insists that we place love and loyalty to Him far above love for our families. And we can safely do so, knowing that He will provide for them, just as He does for us. There is no higher calling than to serve the Savior who gave His life for us. It is the best of all possible lives. But if we are to experience it, we must do so with a whole heart. No questions. No regrets. No excuses. No looking back.