Luke 9:58-62, “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
I just checked Halley's Bible Handbook on page 506 for Luke 9:62, which reads:
Jesus means that the things of God are of infinitely greater importance, and in case of conflict there should not be a moment's hesitation. God first always. —Halley's Bible Handbook, p. 506; commentary for Luke 9:58-62
In this passage we know that Jesus is speaking about DISCIPLESHIP, not SONSHIP. That is, Jesus is speaking about Christian SERVICE, not SALVATION. As my regular blog readers know, my favorite preacher quote is by Pilgrim's Progress book author, John Bunyan:
“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)
As Brother Bunyan so eloquently said, it is imperative that we always keep SANCTIFICATION (which involves a believer's works for Christ), completely separate from JUSTIFICATION (which is a believer's faith In Christ). One thing has nothing to do with the other. Becoming a Christian happens in a moment of time when we trust Christ, but becoming Christlike takes a lifetime of growing in God's grace.
The Bible likens preachers and Christian leaders to military soldiers in the Lord's army...
2nd Timothy 2:1-10, “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
Sadly, most church today have become fun centers, where worldly entertainment must be used to get carnal people to come to church. But again, Jesus in this passage from Luke 9:58-62 is not speaking about salvation; but rather, discipleship. To prevent corrupting the Gospel, we must always keep living the Christian life entirely separate from the new birth. It is unfortunate that so few pastors today have the courage, training and concern to mentor their converts in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Today's churches are pathetic!
Jesus doesn't want to be first place in your life, because then He isn't part of everything you do. The Lord wants to be the center of our life, a part of all that we say, plan and do. I speak to believers, not lost sinners. If you have never been born-again, you can live the Christian life and still die in your sins and go to Hell forever. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!! (John 3:3-7)
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