The Tests of Discipleship

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62 ESV). In these verses, Jesus defines three tests of our discipleship. In each test, He calls for our self-discipline and immediate action. As you read them, remember He is talking to believers. 1. The first test is that of complete obedience. Jesus told the enthusiastic young man that he needed to “follow” Him. It was a call to complete obedience. Eugene Petersen writes in his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: “It is not difficult in our world to get a person interested in the message of the Gospel; it is terrifically difficult to sustain the interest. Millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate. Many claim to have been born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim. In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.” 2. The second test is that of complete sacrifice. In our scripture, Jesus tells us that the Son of man does not even have a place to lay his head. In this verse Jesus may well be speaking of the suffering which he is about to undergo for our salvation. His illustration of not having a place to lay his head indicates to us that even the simple comforts, which we think are absolute necessities, are not as important as our service to the kingdom of God. When the young man asked Jesus if he could go and bury his father, this was a request to wait until he received his inheritance. He asked Jesus if he could wait until he had more money to be more comfortable in his life of discipleship. Jesus’ answer is very revealing! Nothing short of a willingness to completely sacrifice everything will do. 3. The third test is that of complete trust. Looking back is always destructive to the disciple of Christ. It diverts our attention away from our future. We need to look forward in faith and trust. Regardless of our failures and missteps, the power of the Holy Spirit within us is enough to bring us forgiveness and victory. I have never been very good at second-guessing God! Just about the time I think I understand what He’s doing in my life, a wonderful surprise jumps up to greet me! These have sometimes been painful; while at other times they were very pleasant. At no time has God ever given me cause not to trust Him. How about you? Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Are you looking back today? Face forward and move confidently in trust!