Count the Cost

June 26, 2022

Scripture: Luke 9:51-62

Three times Jesus had individuals come up to him that day on the road and tell him they believed in him and wanted very much to follow after him. However, every one of them offered that support with a particular condition…‘I will follow you Jesus , if you let me do this or take care of that, or if you let me hold on to some aspect of the way I currently live my life…some thing or other relating to my own personal level of comfort’.  Each one came to Jesus with good intent, and a sincere desire to join in with what Jesus was doing, to be a part of what he seemed to be all about.  And honestly, having that desire is the first step towards becoming a person of great use in the plans of our Lord…I am sure the Lord’s heart is gladdened each time one of his children say ‘yes Lord, I will follow you’…even if they may not ar first realize what that truly means. So it is a good thing to want to follow after our Lord, it is the first step towards a greater sense of just how much the Lord loves each one of us, and, it opens the door to a fuller, more enriching life in relationship with the One who first loved us.

Luke Chapter 14 and verse 28 speaks to this need to try and understand the consequences of choosing to walk along behind Jesus…Luke quotes Jesus asking, ‘For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?’ Knowing, or at least having a sense of our commitment and the potential cost of discipleship is important. Which is by no means meant to dissuade someone from taking that step, but rather to remind us that we are about things and decisions far larger than ourselves when we choose to do so.

Each of the three individuals who came up to Jesus that day had seen something in Jesus that was attractive to them.  Each one saw some sort of adventure or benefit to be gained by becoming a disciple of this man named Jesus.  Each of them thought that doing so would be a good thing to do… as long as it fit into their perception of what the costs would be… as well of course, as the potential benefits. In other words, as long as they could follow Jesus on their own terms, and within their own individual understanding of what that actually meant. 

Anyway, it seems from our text, that Jesus was in no mood to water down his radical call and the life-changing challenge he spoke of with these individuals. He was open to any who wanted to join in with him, but it was definitely a costly proposition.  There was no ‘simple’ or ‘partial’ way to be one of his disciples, no ‘easier’ way to walk along behind him.

Luke makes it very clear in the verses immediately preceding our passage that Jesus has already made up His mind and has set his course firmly towards Jerusalem.  Everybody around him knows, and everyone is aware that this bold and demanding teacher is going towards the place where he will surely meet up with his greatest adversaries, and where He will face the greatest personal danger yet in his short, and highly confrontational ministry. In choosing to go to Jerusalem, he began the journey which would soon culminate on a cross outside of the city, out on a lonely hill called Calvary.  To follow after Him at that point in his ministry, to ‘join up’ at that moment, would require a real depth of commitment and fortitude…for times would certainly be tough in the coming days and weeks.

So, it is into this setting that we find Jesus walking the dusty road that day towards Jerusalem. I imagine that His disciples must have had mixed emotions. I’m sure that some felt that the ‘final victory’ must be coming soon, sure that Jesus would demonstrate His mighty power and firm resolve to smash the occupying Roman forces of oppression and institute a new reign of Israelite supremacy. Others however may not have been so sure. Surely there would be a confrontation, probably even a fight, but would they really be a match for a full Roman garrison?  After all they were not trained soldiers; they had no horses, no armor, only a sword or two.

But on they trudged towards Jerusalem…hot, dusty, and every one of them somewhat fearful I imagine. And as they walked along a man came up to them. He had heard about Jesus, and he was confident he had what it would take to accompany Jesus to Jerusalem. ‘I will follow you, wherever you go’, he gushed, anxious to be seen as one who was ready to make a real commitment. He had made his decision, but he may not have fully counted the cost. For you see he was used to a certain level of comfort, and Jesus knew it. ‘Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head’, Jesus answered, implying that his followers might not as well. For you see, they were living day to day, village to village. Many a night was spent out under the stars, many a day they might go hungry. Jesus knew that His call was a call to forego the need, and the insistence, upon a certain level of comfort.

How many of us, when considering deepening our faith commitment, when deciding to follow the teachings of Jesus even more closely would come up against this same desire or condition? How much does our own comfort factor into our decisions to try something new or unknown? How do we count that particular ‘cost’ into our calculations?  Do we believe that Jesus might call us to a place, into a life of service where even some of the most basic of our comforts might be absent?  Would He really ask us to do without things like warm clothing, or hot water, or even running water for that matter?  How about ‘three meals a day’, or a comfortable home?  I know one, how many of us have a favorite pillow, surely He wouldn’t ask that of me would he? Count the costs.

Another man was walking along with the crowd, sort of blending in, resolved to walk along behind. Jesus saw him and challenged him saying, ‘Follow me!’ That man I am sure, was confident of his ability to do so, he felt he was ready to say ‘sure, no problem’. But first he had one small issue…or so it seemed. ‘Sure Jesus, but first, let me go back and bury my father’. ‘First’, he thought, ‘let me attend to my religious obligations, and when in fact my father passes on, I will do all I am supposed to do as his faithful son, and then, then  I will come and follow him, then I will walk in his steps and be one of his disciples’.

Jesus answered in words that surely caught everyone there by surprise saying, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, you go and proclaim the kingdom of God’.  Many scholars say that Jesus really meant ‘Let those who are spiritually dead tend to those who are physically dead, for the work of the present moment is far more important than ritual or custom’ But either way, it is a surprising answer. For this man’s request seems like such a noble, responsible, caring, and even loving request to make of Jesus…‘first, let me go back and bury my father…after he dies’.

Some say that there is another dynamic at work here. For you see in the Jewish culture of the time it was normal to receive your portion of the inheritanceafter your father had passed on…not before, as in the parable of the Prodigal Son. It was then that you would receive your share, your portion of the family wealth. I think Jesus saw that this man’s breaking point, just like the parable of the rich young ruler, was his desire for personal, individual security and a certain level of guaranteed financial provision.  I think that what the man was really saying to Jesus was, ‘I would love to follow you, to walk along with you Jesus. But let me first go back home, and, as soon as my father passes on, I will be able to secure my portion of what I am entitled to, and then I will be able to do as you ask. ‘Do you think you mind waiting for me Jesus?’

I believe this individual sincerely wanted to follow after Jesus, to join in with whatever he had heard he was all about. But he was also very aware of his own desire or need to feel that if the going got tough, at least he would have enough for himself…sort of a hedge bet, just in case. Just in case this all didn’t work out as planned, just in case Jesus wasn’t able to do what he seemed to be aiming at. No, this man didn’t want to surrender his own personal stash, didn’t want to let go of the security he felt he was entitled to, that would be just too costly. 

How many of us are burdened with this same inner need or desire for personal security, a concern for some lasting measure of financial stability? How many people today would say, ‘Yes Jesus, we will follow you. You do the faith and miracle thing, we’ll keep our day jobs and check in every Sunday.  Are you really asking for more than that?’ Count the cost…

A third man, watching all this from the sidelines, decided he was ready. He was so close to being able to give his all and to follow Jesus all the way to Jerusalem. Yes, he was willing to sleep out under the stars, yes, he was willing to forego his share of some future inheritance, and yes, he realized that the time was at hand and that Jesus couldn’t wait that long. This man felt that he was ready. Except for what seemed to be, at least to him, a very small request, and one that shouldn’t take too much time at all. ‘I will follow you sir’, he said, ‘But first, let me go back to my home and say goodbye to my family. Just let me say goodbye’. Jesus’ answer was firm and to the point, ‘Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God’.

What? What is this?  Why is Jesus so tough on this man?  Isn’t it a simple and loving request to ask if you can just go back and say goodbye to your family before embarking on an adventure that seems more and more to have a better than even chance of ending in trial or disaster? Is this such an unreasonable request?  After all, this man is ready, this man is primed, this man has already tried to count all the costs. He has heard the previous two requests and Jesus’ answers. Is his request really such an impossible one to grant?

Jesus seems to think so. His reply to the man, set in agricultural terms, has a story to tell. You see, when plowing a field, the very first row is the most critical one. It must be straight because each succeeding row is marked off from it.  If the first row is not straight, then each succeeding row will mirror the mistake of the previous one, and each row will magnify the mistake. So much so, that by the end you may have big sweeping arcs instead of nice, straight, easily worked rows to plant and tend your crops in.

And in order to plow that first straight row you must fix your gaze on a distant point far across the field, and move towards it without wavering, without looking back, without looking to the right or to the left. To follow after Jesus this man would have to fix his gaze on Him…without wavering, faithful and true. This man said he simply wanted to say goodbye to his family. But I think that Jesus knew there was more. In telling the story of the plow, he was saying that if in fact, this man did go home, if he did look back, even for only an instant, he might be dissuaded from his decision to follow him. 

Jesus saw that what this man really wanted was to secure his family’s ‘blessing’ before leaving them, before going away and being unable to fulfill any future obligations to the family he might have had. What he was really seeking after was his family’s approval. He wanted them to tell him it was okay for him to do this, that it was alright to give up everything else in order to follow this itinerant carpenter from Nazareth. ‘Just let me say goodbye’… I’m sure he felt his family would understand, I’m sure he thought they would support his decision. Maybe, maybe not. For it is true that those we love the most, are often those able to influence us the most deeply. Jesus’ call is radical, it asks for everything, even if our family does not agree. If, and when we resolve to truly follow the man we call the Christ, we must count the cost, the whole cost.

Jesus stands ready, there on the side of the road. He is waiting for our own decision, our own commitment, our own resolve. He is honest and always upfront about the costs. He is very clear when He asks us to follow Him on the road towards our own Jerusalem. He is honest about both the trials we may encounter along the way, as well as the possibility of a hard or difficult ending. But He is also clear about the benefits and the blessings to be gained by those walking along behind him, by those willing to place their feet in the very footsteps he walked before us.

My friends, Jesus calls us to give our all, to give our ‘every-thing’. For he wants to be our sole security, he wants to be our full and sufficient provision, he wants to be our strength, our hope and our understanding, and yes, he wants to be our traveling companion on the road we walk through life. ‘You come and follow me’, he says. ‘Come and walk along by my side, wherever that leads’, is what hemeans.

So be sure to count the costs. For it may be in fact, that the costs are outside of some of our comfort zones, we may be asked to do something we’ve never done, we may be asked to go somewhere we have never even dreamed of going, and maybe even without our favorite pillow.  Jesus’ call on your life may be to walk away from what you thought you were relying on for security for he wants us to really and completely trust in him, for every one of our journey needs.

And lastly, and this is so important, Jesus’ call may not sit well with those who are closest and dearest to us. But in truth, if we seek to follow in the very footsteps of Jesus, to follow at His bidding, then we will be living the most Christ-like life we are capable of. And that can only be good for those we love.

So I sincerely urge you to decide anew to follow Jesus all the way. To follow wherever it is that he leads you, for I can assure you, it is an adventure you will never regret. For in walking with Jesus, in stepping carefully and confidently into his very footsteps you will find a joy beyond belief, a peace beyond understanding, sufficient provision for all of your journey needs…and a friend, who will never, never leave you.

Count the cost…and then say ‘yes Lord,I will follow’.

…amen