Call To Discipleship

 “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” –Luke 9:62

In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 9, we find a group of people walking along the road together with Jesus, who had the desire to follow Jesus. One of them goes ahead and asks, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus responded to him, saying, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,” – Luke 9:58.

Just like the first person who shows interest in following Jesus, we, too, who have the interest of following Jesus, must first be aware that there’s a cost to following Jesus and being His disciple. We must be willing to carry our own cross, leave behind our earthly comforts, and be fully committed to the course of being a disciple of Jesus. The question that Jesus wants us to ask ourselves is, “What would it cost me to follow Christ?” Once you have found the answer to that question, you must be willing to put all that behind you; it also calls for changing your way of life, changing your mindset, and bearing the cross.

We often say, “I want to be like Jesus,” but we don’t really consider the cost of following Christ’s footsteps. What are the things that are holding you back? Are you willing to put them behind you to fully be committed to the path that Christ is calling you? Are you willing to put Christ first before anything else? Jesus warns in Luke 14:33, “those of ou who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

There is plenty of work to be done in the kingdom of God, but the workers are few. Thus, Jesus continues to invite us to follow Him. When called by Jesus to follow Him and be Christ-like, we shouldn’t be like the man who was called, but he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

Choosing to be Christ-like demands our total commitment and prioritizing God’s calling before our earthly duties. The work in God’s kingdom cannot be postponed or compromised. As Jesus calls us to be His disciples, He requires that we show total dedication to fulfilling God’s purpose. Jesus does not require a half-hearted person whose mind is divided between serving the LORD and living as the world demands. Jesus is looking for people who are loyal, committed, and focused on the road ahead.

As to the third man who denied God’s calling with an excuse saying, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62.

What Jesus is saying is that, once you have accepted his call to serve in the kingdom of God, there’s no turning back, there will be no room for regrets, and no looking back to your past in longing for how you lived your past life. Jesus used a metaphor to simplify his message so that everyone listening could understand that once they decide to follow him, they would put their past, former selves, and regrets behind them.

For furrows to be straight, the plowman must fix his eye ahead while concentrating on the job without looking at the ground behind him. If the plowman continues to look behind him, the plow will veer off, and the furrows will be crooked. That’s not how Jesus wants us to operate with the work of His kingdom; he wants us to stay focused on the work at hand while looking straight ahead. Looking back indicates our strong connection to our past and our former way of life.

Remember Lot’s wife in Genesis 19:26? She was warned not to look as the city of Sodom and Gomorrah were being destroyed, and she chose to look back, and she turned into a pillar of salt. Even though she made the journey out of the city, her heart was still in Sodom and Gomorrah. She longed for the life she had in the city, which made her look back.

As we have received the call to follow Jesus, there are things we need to put into consideration.

·         Count the cost of following Jesus: as new disciples of Jesus, we are challenged to fully commit to Jesus and make certain sacrifices to walk in the path of righteousness.

·         Leave the past behind: this requires us to put our attachment to our former life behind us to effectively follow Christ.

·         Undivided focus: a disciple of Jesus must be fully committed to the course or the work of the kingdom and treat it with the urgency it requires. Our earthly concerns shouldn’t come before the work that God has called us to do.

In God’s kingdom, there’s always room for one more believer in Christ. And as we choose to answer his call to follow Him, may we be spiritually prepared to make sacrifices and continue to set our confidence in God, as we journey in the path He has chosen for us with full devotion that He requires.