Does Following Jesus Ever Get Too Expensive?
If you follow the “Daily Office” app, you may come across a strange Gospel reading today (Luke 9:51-62). Let’s set the scene: Jesus wills to walk to Jerusalem to fulfill His death and resurrection. On the way, He and His disciples make a detour into Samaria to continue Jesus’ ministry of teaching and miracles and make some new Samaritan disciples, but they are not welcomed.
So, His disciples — their egos obviously injured — ask to rain down fire of judgment upon these pagan Samaritans who did not have the decency to host this famous rabbi and His entourage. Jesus, expectedly, rebukes them. Next, Jesus comes across three would-be disciples who quickly excuse themselves from fully committing to following Him. And Jesus’ reply to these fair-weather would-be disciples is harsh. That’s unexpected! But is it?
In the first scenario, Jesus rebukes His disciples from judging the Samaritans because He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love, even to those who reject Him. If the Samaritans are judged by their one-off decision and if we are judged by just one decision in our lives, who would ever be counted as righteous? Rather, Jesus is patient with them, “not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance,” (II Pet 3:9) as we see in the Book of Acts (Acts 8:14)!
However, in the second scenario, these individuals initially show signs of accepting Christ, yet can’t follow through with their commitments to be His disciples. Issues like comfortable pillows, estates and wills to be executed and goodbye parties all get in the way. This shows that they only want to follow Jesus if it is easy. Yet, if it is tough, even as tough as accompanying Jesus to Jerusalem so that He can fulfil His suffering, death and resurrection, it’s easier to opt out.
Most likely, those who read this devotional aren’t Samaritans who don’t want to be Jesus’ disciples. Rather, we have decided to follow Him, but are there issues that get in the way of fully committing to Christ? Does the cost of discipleship sometimes seem too high? Yet, let’s remember why Jesus wills to go to Jerusalem, to suffer and be crucified. It was for us! He didn’t count the cost too high to save us. And hopefully, we see the cost He paid to redeem us from sin and death, so that we too would be willing to follow Him no matter where He leads us.
A Prayer
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first He suffered pain and entered not into glory before He was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
