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LUKE 9:57-62
DISCIPLESHIP TESTED: WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO BECOME A DISCIPLE?
[Luke 9:57-62]:
(v. 57) "As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.'
(v. 58) Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of Man has no place to lay His head.'
(v. 59) He said to another man, 'Follow Me.' But the man replied, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.'
(v. 60) Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.'
(v. 61) Still another said, 'I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.'
(v. 62) Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.' "
When is the right time to become a disciple, i.e., when should one put one's 'hand to the plow' and be ready never to look back?
Just as the time for salvation is now for the unbeliever:
[2 Cor 6:2]:
"I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."
So the time for discipleship for the believer is now. In each of the three circumstances in Lk 9:57-62 our Lord's command was for an immediate response to follow Him. The individual was to forsake other matters and commit 100% to follow the Lord:
[Lk 9:57-62 cont.]:
(v. 57) "As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.'
(v. 58) Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of Man has no place to lay His head."
John A. Martin states, (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament Edition, Walvoord and Zuck Editors, Victor Books, USA, 1988. p. 232):
"A man approached and wanted to follow where they were going. Jesus' response was that a person desiring to follow Him must give up what others consider necessities. Jesus had no home of His own nor did His followers. They were on their way to Jerusalem where Jesus would be put to death."
(v. 59) He said to another man, 'Follow Me.' But the man replied, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father [who was old and about to die].'
(v. 60) Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.'
[Martin, ibid]:
"Jesus called the next man with the same words with which He had called His disciples (5:27). The man's reply that he first wanted to go and bury his father has been variously interpreted. Some maintain that the man's father was dead already. It would seem strange if that was the case for he would certainly have been engaged in the burial procedure already. It is more likely that the man's father was ready to die. His request was to let him wait just a little while before following Jesus. Perhaps the man also wanted to receive the inheritance from his father's estate. Jesus' response. 'Let the dead bury their own dead,' implies that the spiritually dead can bury the physically dead. The point was that proclaiming the kingdom of God was so important that it could not wait. Of course if the man had left and followed Jesus, it would have caused a scandal in the community. But that was less important than proclaiming the kingdom and following the Messiah. A disciple must make a radical commitment."
(v. 61) Still another said, 'I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.'
(v. 62) Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.' "
[Objectors to eternal security or proponents of Lordship salvation might make a case for v. 62 supporting the false doctrine that one must be 100% committed to our Lord in order to make it into the kingdom of God. But the words do not say fit for entrance, they say fit for service - supporting the many passages which indicate that only faithful believers will be permitted to serve the Lord in the kingdom of God, albeit, all believers will make it there:
Ref. MATTHEW CHAPTER 22
ETERNAL SECURITY AND ETERNAL REWARDS
[Martin, ibid]:
"The third man simply wanted to go home and say day good-by to his family.... Jesus' words underscore the fact that His message of the kingdom of God was more important than anything else - even family members. The message the the Messiah cannot wait. Jesus' message... demanded total allegiance. Jesus' servants should not have divided interests, like a farmer who begins plowing and looks back. Since Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, the man had to make up his mind right then as to what he was going to do."