Key Verse: As they were traveling on the road someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:57-58 CSB)
One of the misconceptions that people can sometimes have about following Jesus is that, by doing so, all of their problems will be solved. Everything that is broken will be immediately fixed. All of the stress will be alleviated. They just need to follow Jesus and everything will get easier. But then what happens? Life doesn’t get easier. In some cases, it actually gets harder. So they end up giving up and walking away.
Jesus used the parable of the sower to describe this kind of response to Him. Like the seed sown on the rocky ground, the person responds initially to Jesus with joy. “But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away” (Mark 4:17). It’s just too hard.
In Luke 9, as Jesus and His disciples were on the road headed to Jerusalem, they encountered a man who said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” In Jewish culture, a person who was really serious about knowing and living the right way would often attach himself to a local rabbi or teacher. Some would leave everything they owned to follow the rabbi around, serving him, sitting at his feet, observing him, and going wherever he went, all in an effort to learn everything they could about pleasing God. To say to someone, ‘I will follow you’, was a pretty significant commitment for someone to make.
Notice Jesus’ response to this man. Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Does this seem like a bit of strange answer? What is Jesus trying to communicate in His response? Very simply, He’s trying to get the man to understand what it will cost him if he is really serious about what he is saying. Jesus is helping to align this man’s expectations to the reality of the hardship that is required to follow Him.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus did not enjoy the comforts of life. He didn’t have a place to go home to at night. He didn’t get to sleep in fancy hotels or eat at nice restaurants. The road that He was on was hard and uncomfortable, and ultimately it led Him to the Cross.
So to follow Him, we should expect a similar path. Following Jesus is not going to be a walk in the park. It’s not about having all of your problems solved, or about making your life easier. Following Jesus isn’t something that you just do for a couple of hours on Sunday morning or when you can fit it into your schedule. There is a cost that needs to be paid, sacrificethat needs to be made, and suffering that needs to be endured. It is a full out, all-incommitment that will be uncomfortable at times. This is the call upon every person who would truly follow hard after Jesus.
As you consider this, ask yourself: what is it costing me to follow Jesus? What sacrifices am I being asked to make? Remember that Jesus didn’t call us to a life of comfort and ease. He called us to a life of sacrifice for the sake of Him and for others, just like He did for us.
Prayer: Jesus, I know that the road you walked was not easy. Ultimately it led you to the Cross, where you sacrificed yourself for me. Give me the strength to persevere through whatever trials and hardship are required of me as I follow you. Thank you that it will all be worth it in the end when I see you face to face. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
