Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:61-62)
This week is much like last, in that this person said, “let me first…” all in a way to find an excuse to linger in their old life before turning to follow Jesus. We’ve all seen people in our lives do this kind of thing, whether in relation to salvation or not – they want to have their party years before growing up and taking responsibility, they want to “live their best life” before settling down to a moral lifestyle; there are endless things that we, as the fragile and flawed human beings that we are, will try to find as an excuse to push off surrendering to God.
Why Do We Make Excuses?
This is the question, right? Why do we make excuses? In our flesh, we are at enmity with God, that’s the effect sin has on us. No one wants to be told their wrong, no one wants to be told what to do, no one wants to be subject to any authority in their flesh, because we’re a prideful bunch. Even from the beginning in the Garden of Eden, we see that Eve was tempted to sin when she saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise (Genesis 3:6). And James tells us that each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (James 1:14-15).
And yet even further in James 4, we are told, Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? (James 4:4-5) Anything that comes before God is an idol, so we cannot choose to “first go” and do whatever because that is to choose friendship with the world, which ultimately is enmity with God.
God will let you choose, you have free will, but He yearns jealously over you as one whom He died to redeem.
But James continues in chapter 4 saying, But [God] gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:6-7) Our answer to the problem is there – when we’re tempted to reply to Jesus’ call to follow with “but let me first” do such and such, we need to resist the devil and submit to God.
Don’t Look Back
This is applicable in our areas of ministry – if God is calling you to do a certain way of serving Him and your response is “but let me first”, here is a call to repentance. Because Jesus response is very serious here – “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” There is no “kinda following Jesus” or identifying with Him but not actually following and doing what He says. If you’re claiming to follow Him, follow Him!
Lot’s wife, after the angels had led their family out of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah which were about to be destroyed, looked back and proved what her heart truly desired, and she turned into a pillar of salt. And Paul admonished us in Philippians when he said, But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).
So the decision is yours – put your hand to the plow and push forward, walking in the works God created you in Christ Jesus to do, or look back and prove to be unfit for the kingdom of God. I pray you choose to press on toward Jesus!