The British Messianic Jewish Alliance

Winter 2001 - Issue 213

THE HARD SAYINGS OF JESUS ( Luke 9:57-62)

by Martin Goldsmith 

The context of this passage is international mission. In Luke 9:1 Jesus sends the twelve out with power and authority to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal. Afterwards, in Luke 10 He sends out the seventy ahead of Him everywhere He intended to go, saying, "The harvest is plentiful". Twelve represents Israel and seventy the Gentiles. So we have the context of Jewish mission and Gentile mission and, in between, the Samaritans (the bridge between Jew and Gentile - half Jewish, half Gentile)

Luke 9:5ff – Jesus wanted to go through Samaria, but they would not receive Him because He was heading for Jerusalem. Passing through Samaria would make him unclean to Jews. So he appeared unpopular with everyone! James and John (v 54) reacted: "call down fire from heaven"! Today many Palestinian Christians would like to see us destroyed, and Israelis them! But Jesus rebuked them. He came to save.

Luke’s keyword is "Follow". Jesus calls disciples to "follow Me" not "be born again" or "baptized" or "become a Messianic believer". When I was a missionary in Indonesia, the churches did not talk about being "born again"- it is not a major New Testament emphasis. They used "follower of Jesus" So what does "to follow Jesus" mean?

1. To follow our Lord - obedience to Him, absolute surrender as Lord and King.

2. Make him our model in life - holy, loving relationships, in every way.

3. Trust him - a relationship like sheep with their shepherd

The New Testament emphasis is that Jesus must be pre-eminent, all else is secondary. The greatest temptation to believers is to make other good things central. I once asked someone, "Do you have a good church?" "There’s excellent Biblical teaching and ministry". "But is it growing?" "No - but Britain is a hard place!" Talking further with him I realized the Bible had taken Jesus’ place in their church. We need good Bible teaching and exegesis, but it must lead us to Jesus. Other churches emphasize an experience of the Holy Spirit, worship, gifts, prophecy. But these must not take the place of Jesus at the heart of a church. He said, "follow Me".

In our passage, the first man took the initiative: "I will follow You anywhere!" Many people would have said, "Great!" Jesus is more realistic (v 58) and shows the implications of the man’s words: no security or home - nothing. I once visited an area of the former Soviet Union where there was hardly any employment and no social security. The Christian family I stayed with had filled their sitting-room with earth to grow potatoes - the only way to provide food! Poverty and suffering are the reality for many Christians around the world. In the west prosperity influences our understanding and application of the Bible. Like Jesus, we need to lay everything on the altar.

With the second man, Jesus takes the initiative: "Follow Me" (v 59). The man calls Him "Lord" (a good start), but has a condition - burying his father, a very important human and rabbinical duty. We used to be told "putting God first" meant mainly "the church and our ministry", whilst family came second. But family responsibilities are part of following the Lord. However He must come first.

"Go and proclaim the kingdom of God", Jesus commanded. Traditional Jewish teaching on the characteristics of the Kingdom include righteousness (personal and social) and justice, peace, joy in worship (Romans 14:17) and suffering as a prelude to the Kingdom. Jesus reflects this traditional Jewish picture of the Kingdom because his cross led to his glorious resurrection. So whatever the cost, even to our families, we must "go and proclaim God’s Kingdom".

The third man takes the initiative: "I will follow You but first . . ." This comes as a challenge to us. What are our priorities? Jesus is not saying the family is unimportant, but, rather, is asking who takes first place in our lives. For Messianic Jews the family is very important. But Jesus must dictate our responsibilities. The New Testament constantly underlines that our relationship with Jesus is what counts above all else. Keep Jesus at the center and follow only Him - this is the message of this passage, in its context of universal mission.

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