Luke 9:56-62
Luke 9:56 (KJB)
For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And
they went to another village.
(Luke 19:10 KJV) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which
was lost. The Lord Jesus did not come to destroy the lives of people
but to save them. The time for judgment will be on the last day but right now
today is the day of salvation. (2 Cor 6:2 KJV) (For he saith, I have heard
thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee:
behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) The
Kingdom of Christ would be ruled by love and compassion and not by the sword and
fire as James and John suggested. Then the last part of this verse states that
the went to another village. Jesus did not punish them nor did He even chide
them for not letting them pass through, instead He avoided any confrontation and
went to another village. This is also a principle for evangelism, when we are
rejected in one place, then instead of making a problem, we just quietly go to
another place and evangelize there.
Luke 9:57 (KJB)
And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him,
Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
(Mat 8:19 KJV) And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will
follow thee whithersoever thou goest. Apparently this scribe had wanted to
follow Jesus and made the declaration that he was willing to follow Jesus
wherever He went. The words “I will follow” are in the future tense. We do not
know if this scribe was sincere because maybe he saw the miracles that Christ
did and possibly thought that if he follows Jesus, there may be an opportunity
for wealth and notoriety. He may have also have gotten caught up in the moment
when Christ was healing and people were praising God for their healing. This is
another lesson for us that we must make sure that we are not caught up in the
moment of elation at evangelistic events but to make sure we know that if we do
get involved, it will cost something. Many get excited at Bible conferences and
special meetings at their church but never look beyond to assess what the actual
commitment will cost.
Luke 9:58 (KJB)
And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but
the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
The scribes declaration of the following of Jesus prompted a quick and realistic
answer from Jesus. Following him would not be a bed of roses and it would not be
a life of ease. The scribe needed to assess the cost of the commitment in
following Jesus. It cost as much as a person’s life. Jesus basically tells him
that the foxes have their dens and the birds have their nests for rest and
repose but the “Son of Man” has nothing like this. Jesus never had a permanent
residence while He was here on earth but stayed in people’s homes or outside all
night. This was the reality of following Him, it was not going to be five star
hotels and everyone welcoming them and loving them. This is the usage of the
term “Son of Man” is pointing out the fact that Jesus will suffer and die as a
human and His followers can expect the same treatment. (John 15:20 KJV)
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his
lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have
kept my saying, they will keep yours also. The scribe was probably used to
easy living and the life of a follower of Jesus was not for him unless he was
truly saved and qualified to be a follower.
Luke 9:59 (KJB)
And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go
and bury my father.
This individual disciple wanted to follow Jesus. This is not one of the twelve
but could be any of those who accompanied Jesus on His journeys. However, this
disciple wanted to follow Jesus but on his own terms. He wanted to wait until
every condition in his home was perfect. The problem here is that this man
wanted to follow but he wanted to do it in his timing. His father was still
alive and maybe he was old and the man wanted to continue to take care of him
until he had died and then he would be freed up to follow. That is not how God
calls disciples. (Mat 10:37 KJV) He that loveth father or mother more than
me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me. Matthew 10:37 gives the overriding principle of discipleship.
There can be no dividing of allegiance. If one is going to follow Jesus, it must
be done in His timing and on His terms. This is not to say that Jesus does not
care about families but a disciple’s first love must be the Lord. When Jesus was
on the cross, He committed His mother into the care of John and that is what we
must do also. If we are to follow Jesus, then we are to commit those we are
caring for into the hands of others. This verse is definitely not advocating
divorce. If there is one who is called that is married, then the both of them
would go to whatever field the Lord has chosen for them. There is no such thing
as divorce to the glory of God.
Luke 9:60 (KJB)
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the
kingdom of God.
(Mat 8:22 KJV) But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury
their dead. Here Jesus counsels that disciple to follow Him. The
words “Follow me” are in the Imperative Mood in the Greek making them a command.
The last part of that verse is also a command. Jesus is telling this disciple
that let those who are spiritually dead, bury the physically dead. The
spiritually dead do not have a divine calling on them. Those whom the Lord Jesus
makes alive through salvation have a divine calling on them and are to be ready
to go wherever the Lord commands them. The second part of that verse can also
give us a principle. Once we are in the kingdom, then we should remove ourselves
from the cares of this world. What I mean by that is the goals we had before
salvation such as wealth building or career building should be abandoned in
light of the present calling of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let the world go on with
its business and we are to be busy about the Lord’s business. (2 Tim 2:4 KJV)
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he
may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Luke 9:61 (KJB)
And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them
farewell, which are at home at my house.
Once again the would be disciple was making excuses that he wants to follow the
Lord but wants to delay that obedience when it is convenient for him. The major
principle is delayed obedience is disobedience. This man seemed to have as much
concern for his relatives back at his house as he did for Jesus. He was trying
to serve two masters and that cannot happen. It also seemed that this man wanted
to live the new life of Christianity but also wanted to cling on to aspects of
the old life. He probably wanted to settle the affairs at the house or to divide
up his estate but whatever the reasons this man had for delaying, they were
wrong.
Luke 9:62 (KJB)
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
If this man did get involved with the ministry, he probably would have been
easily diverted when other things came up and would keep going in and out of
ministry. Jesus lays down a major principle that when a person begins to till
the land and starts plowing, if he does not continually look straight ahead, and
keeps looking back, then the furrows would be crooked and the crops would not be
able to grow properly. There are many people in this world whose hearts live in
the past and are always looking at past accomplishments. I once attended a
church where their glory was their past and all they ever did was revel in the
past. Jesus is looking for those who will continually look forward as they stay
the course for the Kingdom of God. He wants those who will progress in the
Christian life and faithfully fulfill the ministries the Lord would give them.
(1 Cor 4:2 KJV) Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found
faithful.