Read Mark 1:16-20, Luke 9:57-62
There is a tension in following Jesus that each of us feels, the desire to fully commit to Christ while also enjoying the comforts and things of the world.
In Luke, three individuals show their genuine desire to follow Christ and yet experience the rub of following Christ in a world that does not place him as Lord.
Following Jesus is not going to increase a person’s security in life; there will be times where the follower of Christ may not have a place to even lay their head.
Following Jesus is urgent, and good and important things like family or grief risk displacing Jesus as the most essential part of a person’s life.
Following Jesus requires attention and focus. To focus on other things produces less than quality results.
Jesus asks us to count the cost of being all in on him. For many, they respond with disappointment, as they are not ready to give up the riches of this worldly life to pursue the surpassing worth of a hidden life with Christ. This is because my worldly life has immediate satisfaction, but satisfaction in the Way of Jesus can be hard to see at first because it is contrary to the desires of my body.
The life with Jesus often is not full with big houses, a fat wallet, with popularity, or with power. Jesus offers himself, and that is the true treasure our soul desires.
Jesus does not call us to a life without love or responsibility. He calls us to a life in which nothing, however good, is allowed to stand ahead of Him. The difficulty is real because the things we hesitate over are often the very things that have given us meaning and safety. Yet the kingdom of God advances through people who have decided that following Jesus is more important than managing the terms of their own surrender.
These three encounters press the same question the disciples faced when they left their nets and Abraham faced when he left his father’s house. What still has the power to make us say, “Yes, Lord… but first”? What “boats,” “nets,” or “father’s house” do we keep glancing back at? Is it identity, security, reputation, unfinished business, the comfort of what is familiar?