Guaranteed Success & Guaranteed Failure
In Luke 9 Jesus is approached by three men who give indication that they want to follow Jesus as disciples. It is important to understand that such a request was not uncommon in that day. Rabbis of that era often had a traveling cohort of students or disciples. These followers often had other agendas, agendas that did not always reconcile with their teacher. Some were hoping to ride the rabbi’s coattails to fortune and wealth. Others liked the attention and fame that came from being connected to a famous rabbi. Not all would-be disciples had bad intentions though. Many really loved their teacher and wanted to spread his teaching. Jesus discerned that these three men had faulty motives. Last week we saw that Jesus offered some insights regarding what discipleship was all about as He spoke with these men in Luke 9:57-62. The first essential of being a disciple of Jesus was for each person to set a new priority. If we are to follow Jesus, He must be our highest priority. Unless delighting in Jesus, knowing Jesus, and serving Jesus is the highest agenda in our lives, our time is wasted. Think of it this way, what happens when two people marry and they do not love one another with all their hearts? What if John marries Sally, yet he is more in love with another woman? That marriage seems doomed to failure. So it is with discipleship; Jesus must come first.
Some folks might think that Jesus is being harsh as He rebukes these three men and challenges His disciples to think deeper. This speaks to a fairly common problem today. Most of the world does not really know Jesus. For many people, Jesus is a kind-hearted, do-gooder who does whatever anyone wants him to do. In essence, Jesus is their slave. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While Jesus is the ultimate model of compassion, while He is the greatest example of doing good that the world has even seen, Jesus never hesitated to tell the hard truth. Jesus never shied away from saying that He is the Savior that this world desperately needs. He never hesitates in claiming that He is the Lord and King who has the authority to tell this world what to do. Jesus drew many people’s attention with his miracles, but He also alienated many with his demands.
In my experience, most people do not like having to speak the hard truths or dealing with them when they are spoken. We’d rather people like us and pat us on the back. I often meet people who are at a cross-road in their life, a time when they are seeking direction. These are the times when difficulties and situations force us to rethink life. At these times, many people turn to the message of Jesus. They love the promised blessings, yet they are dismayed by Jesus' demands. How often have we heard, or said, “I’ll get around to accepting Jesus. I understand that I have problems, and I want Jesus to fix them, but I can’t follow Jesus right now”? Let me share an observation: People are often mistaken when they think they are making wise choices. If we think we don’t need Jesus right now, we do not really understand the danger that we are in. It is the same as a blind man standing on the precipice of a cliff and saying, “I’m not in danger, and I don’t need help.”
Getting back to Luke 9, these were men who rightly considered following Jesus. However, they were not sold out on the prospect of making Jesus number one. They had competing allegiances. They were not ready to make Jesus their highest priority. In another Gospel, Jesus says that anyone who builds his or her life on anything other than Him (and His teaching) is foolish and doomed to failure. The greatest decision you and I will ever make is whether we will follow Jesus. I am not minimizing the daily choices we make regarding money, jobs, time, family and the problems that come our way. I am saying that we can attempt to solve these issues with temporary solutions, or we can find eternal solutions. Most people are turning to temporary fixes that don’t work in the long run. Let us endeavor to find the ones that will work for eternity. Following Jesus does not mean that you will escape the problems and trials that are found in this world. Following Jesus does mean that we have found someone who will lead us through whatever we will face in life. As the Creator of this universe, God has the power and wisdom to guide us and protect us. Follow Jesus and keep looking up!