Read: Follow Jesus
“As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, ‘I will
follow you no matter where you go.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Foxes
have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have
no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head.’ He said to
another person, ‘Come, be my disciple.’ The man agreed, but
he said, ‘Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.’ Jesus
replied, ‘Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead.
Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God.’ Another
said, ‘Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye
to my family.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Anyone who puts a hand
to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.’” Luke
10:57-62
Jesus was born homeless, in a stable meant to be a shelter for animals.
And after he began his public ministry, he became homeless again, by
choice. He walked from town to town, preaching, teaching, healing. He
didn’t know where his next meal was coming from, or where he would
lay down to sleep the next night. He was dependent on the kindness of
strangers to take care of him. Some of those strangers would become his
disciples.
In this passage, Jesus challenges those who say they want to become his
disciples. Following Jesus means that we cannot let anything else, no
matter how meaningful or important, come between us: we have to let go
of family, obligations, comfort, friends, money, jobs-- anything that
we would like to cling to (instead of Jesus) for security. Following
Jesus means we must give up what is comfortable and safe, and follow
him FIRST.
You will have the experience of not having your own home in these next
few weeks. You will be outside of your own comfort zone. The challenge
for each person on this team is to do this while following Jesus, to
let him use you as his disciple.
Pastor Connie |
