The 3 Men...Part 1 - Luke 9:57-58

Following...

⁵⁷Along the way someone said to Jesus, "I'll go anywhere with you!"

 

It is unclear whether it happened one straight after the other as it appears in Scripture, or over the journey of a couple of days, but three men were on Jesus' radar. In one way or another they offered their services or were invited to be part of the journey and on the surface level their interactions with Him were above board, even positive. The first man boldly approached Jesus as He travelled by and announced to the world that "I will follow you wherever you go" - a flat out statement of commitment to the Lord and His path. What more could you ask for? He was willing, available and ready to go; surely this was a perfect fit, he was just a guy trying to do the right thing and commit his life. But there appears to be so much more to it than that.

 

 

Response Number 1
 

⁵⁸Jesus said, "Foxes have dens, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own."

Jesus never said yes or no to him, which I am sure is not what he expected at all. Perhaps he had images of the crowds cheering and Jesus welcoming him with open arms and a fast-tracked career path to the disciples' inner circle. Instead Jesus just laid out a real warning of what was to be expected. A warning that would have stopped the man in his tracks and forced him to weigh up the real reasons he wanted to be part of this, because it was now obvious that if he was looking for career advancement with great perks this was not the role for him. It was a strange way to respond to someone so keen, you would think when someone approached Him to be part of the team Jesus would be more than happy to bring him on board, that's how it would work in a church setting anyway. If someone walked up to a church on Sunday morning and announced that they were willing to follow Jesus wherever He would lead them, people would be clamouring all over themselves to sign them up to whatever ministry possible. I have never seen, nor been a part of a conversation warning potential Jesus followers of the price they would pay if they go through with the decision. Maybe we are missing something. With the ever-growing focus on numbers of new believers and church growth potentially coming at the cost of the true sense of calling and commitment required to fully follow in His footsteps. Don't get me wrong, His message is the only one for the world today It's easier to join a church than it is to sign up to most internet sites; it's easier to join a church than it is to get a coffee card in some cafes, or volunteer for any aid organisation. Whilst I am not suggesting that churches acquire personal information as people walk through the front door, (there are more than enough cults around already), the Good News that is openly preached about and force fed on Facebook to people around the globe often glosses over the sacrifice Jesus calls us to. We don't hear from this man again and we aren't told of what the outcome of this conversation was...perhaps he was spurred on by the challenge set before him, or perhaps, like many over the last two thousand years, he was confronted by the reality of Christian life and it did not meet his hyped up 'awesome' expectations. But he was only the first of the three...