Morning Moments

Luke 9:57-62 (KJV)
57 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.
58 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.
59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Dr. M. R. De Haan told the story of how his uncle taught him to plow many years ago. He said, “I watched him start preparing the ground. First he would make a ‘back furrow’ in the middle of the fiend. If this row was straight, all the others would fall in line. Finally the time came for me to try my hand at the task. I had often seen him go across the field as straight as an arrow. So I asked him the secret of his success. He replied, “Never let your gaze wander from a fixed goal. Just look straight ahead! Then, giving me the reins, he said, ‘I’ll stand at the other end and you keep your eye on me at all times.” That is also the secret of the victorious Christ life: Keep looking to Jesus.”

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get distracted. It is easy to allow the voices, actions, or attitudes of others, circumstances of life, or situations that I feel affect me to get me sidetracked. Far too often politics, personalities, and a thousand other things are allowed to get our “eyes” off Jesus.

In the preceding verses of this chapter in Luke, Jesus leads His disciples into Samaria on the way to Jerusalem. They met with considerable resistance. Perhaps if the impression had been given that they were simply coming to Samaria, rather than through Samaria things might have been different (cf. John 4). Jesus, who later placed much emphasis on righteousness before men, and John, who later strongly emphasized the love of God for all, wanted to bring fire down from heaven and consume the Samaritans. The point is that Jesus, in the verses just preceding out text, states emphatically His purpose – “For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” We must never forget that!

Now consider the text and see:

A Scribe with Good Intentions in verse 57 – Discipleship demands a resolution to endure.
A Son with “Grave” Implications – Discipleship demands a readiness to embark – verse 59.
A Soul with Gross Ignorance – Discipleship demands a resignation to embrace – verse 61.

These are three cases of decisions, not disciples. It is easy to pride ourselves on baptisms, church membership, etc., but those making true decisions for Christ become true followers of Jesus.

BLESSINGS