Luke 9:53, 57 - Following Jesus

Luke 9:53, 57 (ESV)

[53] But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

[57] As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

There is a contrast here between a Samaritan village who refused to receive Jesus and three individuals who say they want to follow Jesus. James and John wanted to call down fire on the village. But Jesus just moved on to the next village. By contrast three individuals said they wanted to follow Jesus but were discouraged by him. The first was told that it wouldn’t be easy. The second and third gave reasons for waiting, to which Jesus replied that if they truly wanted to follow him then there could be no delay.

What’s going on here, and why hasn’t he said these things before? The passage starts out by saying that the days were drawing near when Jesus was to be taken up, i.e. crucified. Knowing this, he had “set his face to go to Jerusalem.” The Samaritans did not receive him because he was committed to going to Jerusalem. Those who wanted to follow him didn’t know what they were getting into. Following Jesus was not about attention, excitement, and free meals. It was about rejection and death.

In both cases the real issue was the heart. Are you willing to receive Jesus only on your terms? Are you willing to follow Jesus only on your terms? Will you walk away from Jesus when things get hard? Who gets to set the terms for what it means to follow Jesus?

There is no way to front-load the gospel so that people never back down on their commitment. But, neither should we sugarcoat it to get people to make decisions for Christ. As our world moves away from biblical morality, it is increasingly dangerous to follow Jesus. The gospel is not “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” It is “Come and die.”

There is an old hymn by C.B. Widmeyer called Come and Dine. The refrain goes,

Come and dine, the Master calleth, Come and dine;
You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time;
He who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,
To the hungry calleth now, Come and dine.

While there is truth in that chorus, there is a song by Bloodlines that says, “Bear your cross. Come and die! Baptized with Christ in death. Raised up in righteousness.” I don’t know the song, but I like the lyrics. It ends with this line, “With Christ I am crucified, I bid you come and die!” So is it come and dine or come and die? The answer is, Yes. The master calls us to feast at Jesus’ table, but first we come and die. Jesus understood that. His disciples had yet to learn it.