Motivation Affects the Cost of Following Christ
As Jesus traveled throughout the land, he made quite an impression on the people. Scripture tells us that thousands of people followed him (Luke 9:11). Still, Jesus kept only twelve men in his close circle despite all the others who thronged around him. Those twelve men left everything to become his disciples before Jesus was popular. Now, Jesus was more than just a popular rabbi. Because of the signs and miracles he performed, Jesus was an international superstar. Being able to say that you were one of his disciples – not simply one of the crowd – could launch a political or religious career and would definitely give you clout within the community. Additionally, imagine if Jesus actually was the earthly Messiah the people all hoped him to be. If Jesus would have driven the Romans out of Israel and established himself as the temporal king, there would have been government jobs that needed to be filled. Presumably, his followers were expecting first consideration as the ones to fill these jobs. It is not surprising then that people often asked to follow Jesus as more than simply one of the crowd.
Today’s reading tells us about three men who weren’t quite ready to give Jesus their all. Two of these men asked to follow but then put stipulations on it. One was asked by Jesus, but he denied the invitation. When we compare these men with the twelve who walked away from everything and the women who dutifully followed everywhere Jesus went, we see two very different heart attitudes and motivation. We can see how motivation affected their commitment and how high the cost to follow Jesus was in their sight.
The heading in my Bible for today’s reading says, “The cost of Following Jesus”. To the first man, Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (verse 58). To this man, Jesus required the payment of his comfort and predictability. Unfortunately, he deemed the cost too high. If his motivation was complete commitment to the Savior of the World a little lack of comfort would have been worth the reward. He asks the same of you and I. This doesn’t mean that God will take away your home and all your material possessions, but He will challenge the way we view them. Following Jesus requires us to hold onto the things of this world with an open hand. When we understand the reward, the cost is meaningless.
The second man was asked by Jesus to join his followers, but the man refused. He replied that he needed to bury his father first. We can easily misunderstand this request. He was not asking to plan a funeral for his newly deceased father. Actually, the father was still alive, though advanced in age. In other words, he wanted to follow Christ – just not yet. George Morrison (1977) commented that this man was not sinful in his desire to take care of his elderly father. He said, “He was not torn between the right and wrong. He was torn between the right and right. He hesitated between two rival claims, both of them stamped with the seal of the divine.” This type of decision is the hardest one any of us are ever called to make. Again, our motivation defines the cost. No matter how good the other options are in our life, God must be our priority.
The last man asked to say farewell to his family and friends. This man was not asking for an indefinite, lengthy period of time before he was willing to follow. Instead, he just wanted to say goodbye to those he loved the most. Charles Spurgeon lamented, “O young man, when you are thinking of leaving the world, be afraid of these farewells! They have been the ruin of hundreds of hopeful people. They have been almost persuaded; but they have gone to their old companions just to give them the last kiss, and the last shake of the hand, and we have not seen anything more of them.” This is why Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33) When we commit to Christ, the cost often is the price of our friends and family who do not believe. God will use us to be a witness but never ask us to sacrifice our faith for their comfort. The price of fellowship with our Lord is the dissolving of the fellowship with our sinful lifestyle.
Our motivation for following Jesus affects how we see the cost of the commitment. When Jesus is our everything, nothing else comes close to comparison. If God were to ask the whole world, we could bare it because the world means nothing in comparison. Jesus asks us to follow him wherever and whenever he leads. Are we ready? Can we find contentment, peace, and joy when times are filled with danger and heartache just as we do when times are calm and overflowing with blessing? If our eyes are focused on Christ, the value of everything else will dim by comparison. What price has Christ asked of you?
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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