Luke chapter 9, verses 57 to 62.
As they were going along the road, someone said to him,
I will follow you wherever you go.
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.
To another he said, Follow me.
But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father.
And Jesus said to him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead.
But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.
Yet another said, I will follow you, Lord,
but let me first say farewell to those at my home.
Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back
is fit for the kingdom of God.
This is the word of God.
One thing that really annoys me, people,
one thing that really annoys me is when you commit to something
and there's a hidden little sentence,
a hidden cost, something they didn't mention.
But now that you've signed a contract,
now that you've committed to that thing,
you have to deal with it, you have to pay it.
For example, you buy a house or a car.
I've never bought any of those things,
but I imagine it's a bit like that.
Or you subscribe, maybe.
Okay, you subscribe to Amazon Prime
and you think, Okay, now I can watch whatever movie I like
and then you find the movie you want to watch
and you have to still pay for it.
I hate that.
Maybe some of you hate that too.
You know who also hates this kind of dishonesty?
Jesus.
The Bible.
Which is why Jesus is always up front,
very straight to the point,
very clear about any cost that is involved.
And to be honest, it's a bit paradox.
It's a bit of an irony in our Christian faith
because on one side we teach that grace is for free.
There is nothing you can do,
nothing you can bring to the table.
And yet on the other side,
we teach that it'll cost you everything.
It'll cost you your whole life.
And that is very difficult to hold together.
It's very difficult to make sense of that sometimes.
But I think in this passage here this morning,
we can see a little bit of what Jesus means.
This is, by the way,
not part of any sermon series
that is happening at the moment.
I think Corey didn't want me to let me mess up
his Genesis series.
Instead, I'm doing a standalone sermon.
But it's a very important topic.
And we're here in Luke chapter 9.
It's a big chapter.
There's a lot happening in that chapter.
I recommend you go home this afternoon and read it.
There's a lot happening.
But in between these events,
Jesus is teaching what it means to follow him.
For example,
in chapter 9, verses 22 to 24,
he says,
The Son of Man must suffer many things
and be rejected by the elders
and chief priests and scribes
and be killed
and on the third day be raised.
And he said to all,
If anyone would come after me,
let him deny himself
and take up his cross daily
and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it.
But whoever loses his life for my sake
will save it.
That is a hard saying.
And then, of course,
we have today's passage.
It's a passage that I have often wondered about
because the responses of these three people
that Jesus is interacting with,
they are weird.
And they're strange.
And they seem really, really harsh.
And I've struggled with that.
And maybe some of you have struggled with that.
So let's look at that.
Let's look at these three people
that Jesus is talking to.
And the passage starts with the verse
as they were going along the road.
So just for context,
Jesus and the disciples are on the road,
on the road to Jerusalem,
to be more specific.
And on this kind of road,
you would have met a lot of different people.
It's a bit like in the UK,
every road leads to London.
In Europe, every road leads to Rome.
And I guess in Israel,
all the roads lead to Jerusalem.
And it would have been a main road.
Jesus would have talked to a lot of people.
So not all of these interactions
are written down in the gospel for us.
Luke is very specific
about what he writes down to make a point.
So let's look at this first encounter
that Jesus has with that person on the road.
So the first person here comes and asks Jesus.
Oh, not really.
He doesn't really ask.
He makes a statement.
He says, I will follow you wherever you go.
I'll be there.
I'll go with you wherever you go.
Why is he saying that?
I think it's pretty obvious.
Jesus is a fascinating guy.
He's very, very interesting,
to say the least.
You know, people would have wondered,
did you see what that guy did?
Did you see how he healed that person?
Did you see the way he preached?
Did you see his disciples?
They were given authority to even cast out demons.
It's no surprise that people want to follow Jesus.
He's very, very special as a person,
very polarizing.
And that person says,
I will follow you, Jesus, wherever you go.
It's interesting.
If we know the gospels,
if you've been a Christian for a longer time
and you've read the gospels,
then you will know that Peter says a similar thing later on
and just before he betrays Jesus.
I will go wherever you go.
And it's something,
if you're a Christian,
that you maybe have struggled with before,
wanting to follow Jesus,
come what may,
but not actually being aware of everything that entails,
of the consequences that such a decision
or such a commitment could have on your life.
Sometimes we say things,
we do things without knowing
what it will actually look like.
And that's fine.
I think part of that is very normal.
How many of you got married
without knowing how much work
a healthy marriage includes?
How many of you committed to a job
without knowing how much work
there actually was to do?
How many of you have committed to things
that you weren't really prepared for?
That is fine.
Jesus is not saying,
you have to be perfect to follow me.
It's the opposite.
Jesus wants you to know
that you will learn a lot
and it'll be hard.
Jesus' response here
is actually not very inviting.
It's strange.
But he wants to make sure
that you know what you're asking for.
He doesn't just say,
all right, no problem.
Just walk with the other 12 guys.
If we have a 13th guy, that's fine.
That is not what he says.
Instead, he says,
foxes have holes,
birds of the air have nests,
but the son of man
has nowhere to lay his head.
A very strange way
to answer a question like that.
But the point is that
even a fox,
even a bird,
have a place that they can call home,
a base where they are safe,
where they can lie down to rest,
where they can sleep.
And Jesus doesn't have that.
In the chapter before,
in the scene before,
we read that Jesus
was just rejected
in a Samaritan village.
So Jesus is saying
not necessarily
that he will never have a place
to stay at,
but he is saying
that he will be rejected.
He is on his way to Jerusalem.
We know what happens in Jerusalem.
He's got his eyes
fixed on the cross,
on the mission
that lies before him.
This is not an easy way for him.
Even the animals
have a secure space,
but Jesus says,
I'm in the open.
I'm vulnerable.
And he already has said
what needs to happen.
The Son of Man
must suffer many things
and be rejected
by the elders,
chief priests, and scribes
and even be killed.
And note how he talks
about himself
as the Son of Man.
Now, this person
that he would have talked to
would have been a Jew.
They would have been
probably fairly familiar
with the Old Testament.
In Daniel chapter 7,
it says,
Behold,
with the clouds of heaven
there came one
like a Son of Man.
That's where this term
comes from.
And he came to the
Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given
dominion and glory
and a kingdom
that all peoples,
nations,
and languages
should serve him.
Now, that's very remarkable.
We read this
and we,
as New Testament believers,
in the 21st century,
we understand
why Jesus was saying
these things,
that Jesus actually
did achieve all these things,
that he did bring
the kingdom of God,
that all peoples,
nations,
and languages
should serve him.
But for the person
standing there
in front of Jesus,
this must have been weird.
This must have been strange.
Jesus,
a rejected leader?
I thought to you
belong dominion
and power.
But now you say
you will be rejected
and killed?
So this is not just about
having a hard time yourself,
it's about
following a rejected leader.
We don't know
why exactly Jesus
chooses this picture
of the fox
and the bird,
but he probably knew
he was talking to,
he knew the person,
and he's saying,
you can't just turn around,
you can't just go back home
when you've had enough.
We are on the road,
we are doing this.
This is either
you're in or you're out.
There's no
half-heartedness in this.
So Jesus is saying,
I want you to follow me,
but I want you
to mean it.
If you want to follow Jesus,
then mean it
and do it.
The second encounter,
the second guy,
the second guy
is a little bit different.
Jesus actually goes to him
and Jesus asks him a question.
He says,
follow me.
So this time
Jesus sees someone,
he commands him
to follow him.
And the man says,
sure,
but I need to bury
my father first.
What would your reaction be
if you were Jesus?
I think 99.9%
of all of us here
would say,
your father died?
Okay,
you go home
and you go
mourn with your family
and you bury him
and you take your time.
And Jesus doesn't say that.
And it's really hard
to understand
why Jesus doesn't say that.
And I think most of us
probably struggle with that.
It's difficult.
Why does Jesus,
out of all people,
respond like this?
I thought he valued family.
I thought he wept
even when his friend
Lazarus died.
Surely he understands.
And one thing
that really helped me
to understand this passage
better is
to read a little bit
about the context
of Middle Eastern culture.
There is a scholar
called Kenneth Bailey
who has lived over there
for many, many years
and he's been teaching
over there
and he writes
about this phrase,
let me go
and bury my father.
And this phrase
to the Middle Eastern person
means something like,
let me go
and serve my father
while he is alive
and after he dies
I will bury him
and come.
So he says
the father might be
perfectly healthy.
He still has another
20 years to live.
But the phrase means
let me go and serve him
and once he dies
I can follow you.
An Arab commentator
writes this,
he says,
if his father
had really died
why then was he not
at the very moment
at home
keeping vigil
over the body
of his father?
In reality
he intends to defer
the matter of following Jesus
to a distant future
when his father dies
as an old man
who knows when?
Little does he know
that Jesus
in a very short time
will himself
give up his spirit.
Now that changes things
doesn't it?
Now if that's true
then Jesus is actually
not rude to this man
not allowing him
to mourn
over his dead father
but actually
this is about
something else.
Jesus is asking
this man
to follow him
but this man's family
is holding him back.
His cultural traditions
and customs
are holding him back.
His parents
would be angry
with him
if he went
and followed Jesus.
His neighbors
would say
oh what a bad young man
so selfish
doesn't even care
about his own father.
It's about
peer pressures.
This is very
applicable to us
not necessarily
because we have
the same culture
but
what are your
peer pressures?
What is holding you
back
to follow Christ?
What is holding you
back
to proclaim
the kingdom of God?
Will your work colleague
laugh at you?
Will your friends
think that you're weird?
Might they even be
angry?
And of course
we hear all the things
that society is
throwing at Christianity
and it's really
really hard
to stand for
what you believe
in all of that.
We can see that
in decisions
that are being made
in politics
and we can see it
in what we
watch and consume
in the media.
is that hindering
you
to follow Jesus
wholeheartedly?
It's very
very difficult.
The third encounter
we have the third guy.
Third encounter
verse 61
it's a bit like
the first one
again
he's offering
he's volunteering
to follow Jesus
but he has
some conditions.
He says to Jesus
let me first say
farewell
to those
at my home
and again
we think
okay
surely this is allowed
surely
he can go home
and say goodbye
to his family
and then catch up
with Jesus
and the disciples
on the road.
Especially
if you've read
the Old Testament
there is a very
similar scene
in 1 Kings
chapter 19
we read about
Elijah
the prophet Elijah
calling Elisha
Elisha
I don't know
how to say his name
what happens there?
Elisha
he is asked
to follow Elijah
and then he
asks him
can I first
kiss my parents
goodbye?
Can I first
say goodbye
to my parents?
And Elijah
says yes
that's fine
and Elisha
goes home
and he butchers
a pair of oxen
and they have
a wee barbecue
and everyone's
happy
and they say
goodbye
and it's all good
and then
Elisha
follows Elijah
and in this scene
Jesus doesn't
allow it
why?
That is strange
it's very harsh
and I think
the first thing
to say is
that Jesus
is more important
than Elijah
that is one
thing to say
that he needs
him to follow
him now
but again
the cultural
background
we need to
take that into
account
the importance
of family
saying goodbye
here means
not only
to say goodbye
but also
to ask for
permission
you see what
the problem
here is
the person
is saying
to Jesus
can I first
ask my father
if he actually
allows me
to go with you
the authority
of his father
is greater
than Jesus
authority
and in that
culture
the father
is supreme
and the
relationship
between parents
and the son
is so much
much more
closer than
here in our
21st century
western world
where people
don't even care
about their parents
very much
sometimes
that
would not
be the case
back in
Jesus day
Kenneth Bailey
he taught
a class
of Middle
Eastern
seminary
students
this very
text
and he
explained
to them
that
Jesus
authority
is higher
than the
father's
authority
and they
all were
just
shocked
they
couldn't
believe
it
so again
is Jesus
the highest
authority
in your
life
or is
there
someone
else
something
else
that has
a higher
authority
in your
life
Jesus
responds
to the
guy
by
giving him
a picture
Jesus
uses an
illustration
here
he talks
about
a plow
what's
that all
about
you see
a plow
I've done
my cultural
background
research
a plow
in that
time
would have
been quite
difficult
to handle
in one
hand
you hold
the plow
in the
other
hand
you
have
a
goat
like
a
little
stick
two
yards
long
with
an
iron
spike
and
you
use
that
to
spike
the
oxen
so it
goes
and
then
you
have
to
look
between
the
legs
of the
oxen
to watch
the
furrow
and all
of that
obviously
needs
attention
you need
to do
all of
that
at the
same
time
all
hands
on
if
you
look
around
the
whole
time
then
you're
not
going
straight
anymore
you need
straight
lines
because
you
would
plow
the
field
multiple
times
and
if
you
look
around
the
lines
they
wouldn't
be
straight
anymore
you
would
do
damage
to
the
field
that
is
what
Jesus
is
saying
in
that
moment
this
is
about
having
maybe
greater
authority
in your
life
than
Jesus
but
it's
also
about
looking
back
over
your
shoulders
maybe
you've
been
following
Jesus
for a
while
now
and
you've
been
looking
back
over
your
shoulders
looking
back
to
things
that
seem
more
attractive
to
you
more
desirable
things
that
are
old
sin
patterns
maybe
you've
gone
back
to
that
walking
away
from
God
and
the
lines
are
going
well
crooked
not straight
anymore
I
don't
know
if
any
of
you
watch
Clarkson's
Farm
I
like
Clarkson's
Farm
I
think
it's
a
good
show
I
am
not
getting
paid
to
say
this
but
I
remember
in one
of the
episodes
he
buys
this
Lamborghini
tractor
and
he
hasn't
quite
figured
out
how to
go
in
straight
lines
and
I
don't
know
if
Flynn
is
here
this
morning
but
he
would
probably
laugh
at
this
because
he's
probably
very
good
at
that
he
does
that
kind
of
stuff
and
he
totally
gets
what
this
is
about
you
can't
just
look
around
you
have
to
go
and
set
your
eyes
in
front
of
you
and
see
where
you're
going
in
order
to
not
ruin
the
field
so
is
this
about
family
maybe
but
it's
more
about
the
kingdom
of
God
if
you
follow
Jesus
then
he
demands
your
whole
life
all
of
you
your
whole
heart
if
there
are
any
conflicts
in
your
life
right
now
and
that's
something
to
think
about
to
pray
about
to
reflect
on
are
there
situations
where
you
substitute
Jesus
authority
with
somebody
else's
authority
or
with
something
else
these
are
hard
sayings
that
Jesus
is
giving
us
here
to
say
the
least
but
Jesus
is
interested
in
your
commitment
often
we
talk
and
emphasize
which
is
very
good
the
love
of
God
the
grace
of
God
his
kindness
and
that
is
the
very
basis
everything
that
follows
is
built
on
that
but
in
this
passage
we
also
learn
that
following
Jesus
comes
at
a
great
cost
there
are
multiple
there
are
many
examples
of
people
who
experience
that
one
that
I
like
a
lot
is
a
man
called
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer
he
was
a
German
theologian
during
the
Nazi
regime
in
Germany
he
actually
was
involved
in a
plot
against
Adolf
Hitler
and
there
was
a
book
he
wrote
which
is
called
The
Cost
of
Discipleship
and
he
writes
this
he
writes
when
Christ
calls
a
man
he
bids
him
come
and
die
most
of
you
will
not
have
to
go
through
that
but
if
you
look
back
over
the
course
of
the
last
2000
years
there
were
many
who
had
actually
they
had
to
endure
that
it's
still
happening
today
a
couple
of
weeks
ago
in
Congo
70
Christians
beheaded
we're
very
privileged
here
that
we
don't
have
to
experienced
that
but
they
have
and
so
did
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer
it's
a very
extreme
example
I know
that
and
we
also
have
to
emphasize
that
God
gave
him
the
strength
to
do
that
I
don't
want
to
scare
you
away
I
don't
want
to
scare
myself
away
I
don't
want
to
make
our
faith
unattractive
but
Jesus
is
so
honest
here
following
Jesus
is
no
part-time
business
and
yet
it
is
so
worth
it
because
apart
from
Jesus
Christ
there
is
no
life
there
is
no
truth
there
is
no
way
John
14
6
I
think
it
is
talks
about
that
okay
let's
think
about
this
more
practically
let's
apply
this
what
makes
you
look
back
when
you
plow
the
field
what
makes
you
turn
your
head
around
what
distracts
you
from
kingdom
work
what
has
more
authority
in
your
heart
than
Jesus
sometimes
maybe
that's
just
me
but
I
like
this
chair
behind
me
and
everyone
has
this
chair
in
their
lives
it's
the
chair
of
your
heart
okay
everyone
has
this
big
old
throne
okay
you
with
me
naturally
you
want
to
sit
on
that
throne
okay
when
you
become
a
Christian
Jesus
says
I
want
to
sit
on
the
throne
I
want
to
call
the
shots
because
look
where
it
has
led
you
are
not
fulfilled
you
are
not
happy
you
are
still
struggling
with
your
addictions
and
your
insecurities
and
your
doubts
Jesus
wants
to
sit
on
the
throne
every
time
we
turn
our
head
around
it's
like
we
take
Jesus
and
drag
him
away
from
that
throne
and
we
want
to
sit
on
there
that
is
the
picture
we
are
getting
here
what
is
it
for
you
!
your
!
family
pride
the
list
could
go
on
and
on
and
on
and
we
have
to
be
very
careful
and
consider
this
and
reflect
on
this
if
you
have
been
watching
back
over
your
shoulder
recently
or
are
you
more
like
the
second
guy
let
me
first
bury
my
father
let
me
first
do
this
Jesus
and
then
I've
got
time
for
you
let
me
first
finish
my
degree
it's
so
busy
and
maybe
then
I've
got
time
for
you
let
me
first
enjoy
my
life
and
then
maybe
when
I'm
old
and
weak
I
will
follow
you
let
me
first
be
successful
and
popular
let
me
first
let
me
first
or
are
you
the
first
man
you're
excited
to
walk
with
Jesus
you
want
to
follow
him
and
suddenly
you
realize
people
are
offended
by
Jesus
and
because
you
are
following
Jesus
they
might
even
be
nice
hobby
or
perhaps
you
started
reading
the
Bible
and
it
was
fascinating
but
then
you
realized
wow
Jesus
says
really
uncomfortable
things
here
and
now
this
has
become
difficult
that's
the point
of the
passage
let
me
say
being
a
disciple
of
Jesus
following
Jesus
comes
with a
cost
and
that
hurts
and
it
seems
paradox
because
we
talk
about
grace
being
free
but
grace
is
not
only
free
it
is
costly
and
just
like
Jesus
experienced
suffering
and
rejection
his
disciples
also
experienced
suffering
and
rejection
but
not
out of
their
own
willpower
depending
on
the
Holy
Spirit
Peter
you
remember
Peter
he
said
Jesus
I
will
follow
you
wherever
you
go
and
then
he
betrayed
Jesus
when
a
servant
girl
asked
him
if
he
knew
him
a
few
weeks
later
Peter
goes
and
preaches
to
thousands
of
people
and
later
gets
executed
for
following
Jesus
that
doesn't
come
just
out
of
your
willpower
that
is
something
God
gives
you
that
is
something
God
helps
you
with
and
it
still
happens
today
Bonhoeffer
had to
experience
this
too
his
cost
was
his
life
again
that
can
happen
probably
won't
happen
which
is
a
good
thing
but
for
him
it
was
worth
all
the
trouble
I
think
we
can
look
at
these
examples
and
just
stand
in
awe
and
be
inspired
by
that
and
say
wow
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer
realized
one
thing
grace
is
costly
and
he
writes
this
in
his
book
he
says
such
grace
is
costly
because
it
calls
us
to
follow
and
it's
grace
because
it
calls
us
to
follow
Jesus
Christ
it
is
costly
because
it
costs
a
man
his
life
and
it
is
grace
because
it
gives
a
man
the
only
true
life
it
is
costly
because
it
condemns
sin
and
it's
grace
because
it
justifies
the
sinner
above
all
it's
costly
because
it
cost
God
the
life
of
his
own
son
you
were
bought
at
a
price
and
what
has
cost
God
much
cannot
be
cheap
for
us
above
all
it
is
grace
because
God
did
not
reckon
his
son
too
dear
a
price
to
pay
for
your
life
but
delivered
him
up
for
us
costly
grace
is
the
incarnation
of
God
it's
in
that
we
see
that
it's
only
because
Jesus
became
like
us
that
we
can
become
like
him
so
let me
ask
you
this
morning
are
you
following
Christ
are
you
following
Jesus
if
yes
think
about
what
the
text
says
that
Jesus
is
your
number
one
priority
that
he
is
walking
against
the
stream
of
culture
that
being
a
Christian
is
difficult
and
some
people
won't
like
it
but
it's
worth
it
if
you're
not
following
Christ
yet
consider
this
all
of
these
three
encounters
with
Jesus
were
very
specific
!
He
says
follow me
today
if
you look
around
and you
will see
a lot
of
people
who
are
following
Jesus
and
I
encourage
you
speak
to
those
people
and
you
will
see
that
has
been
the
best
decision
in
their
life
you
can
talk
to
me
as
well
I'm
happy
to
testify
for
that
Jesus
says
come
to
me
all
of
you
who
are
weary
and
burdened
and
I
will
give
you
rest
take
my
yoke
upon
you
and
learn
from
me
for
I
am
gentle
and
humble
in
heart
and
you
will
find
rest
for
your
souls
for
my
yoke
is
easy
and
my
burden
is
light
if
you're
not
sure
about
him
yet
that's
okay
but
let
me
tell
you
he
was
sure
about
you
when
he
died
on
that
cross
would
you
consider
that
let
us
pray
holy
father
we
stand
in
awe
at
what
Jesus
has
done
for
us
when
he
was
on
the
road
to
Jerusalem
seeing
the
cross
and
everything
that
was
put
before
him
and
yet
he
considered
it
a
joy
and
we
give
thanks
that
he
did
that
for
us
so
we
could
live
freely
and
alive
in
abundance
father
I
pray
that
you
would
move
our
hearts
that
you
would
help
us
come
to
an
acceptance
with
this
passage
and
understand
what
it
is
you
ask
for
us
help
us
realize
that
it
is
Jesus
who
died
for
us
so
we
could
live
for
him
in
Jesus
name
we
pray
Amen!