'then a teacher of the law came to him and said, 'teacher, i will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus replied, 'foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.' another disciple said to him, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' but Jesus told him, 'follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'"
matthew 8:19-22
am i any different than these two individuals who agree to follow Jesus? of course i want to follow Jesus. most of the time (i would be lying if i said said all of the time), i would even add the second part - wherever Jesus goes. at first glance and quick read of these verses, Jesus response to his offer may seem confusing and even shocking. the man just offered to follow him wherever he went. why would Jesus challenge him with the reality of having to give up a comfortable and secure life in order to do so? Jesus can see into the man's heart. the teacher of the law did not address Jesus as Lord but as Teacher. he wanted further intellectual stimulation. when i talk to Jesus and tell him that i will follow him wherever he goes, how do i address him? does my heart reflect a genuine commitment, no matter the cost?
the second man, the disciple, is also willing to follow Jesus. what is the problem here? he made an excuse. as someone who values family and is extremely close to each member, i can understand this man's desire to deal with a family situation. some have suggested that it is possible that this man's father had not yet died, and he was simply putting off following Jesus until he was ready. regardless, Jesus doesn't accept excuses.
how often have i given excuses to Jesus? all of the time. the problem is, like the disciple above who wished to respect his father, the excuses usually sound reasonable to us. i rarely think of my response an excuse, but how it sounds to Jesus is that i am putting something insignificant above him. no matter how reasonable it seems to me, it is disobedience and it breaks God's heart.
excuses destroy us. what if no one gave up their time and money to go to japan and help in the rescue and recovery and restoration of the disaster stricken country? what if missionaries didn't follow God's calling to spread the Good News of the Gospel around the world? what if our churches simply worshiped on Sunday and never went out from their church buildings to serve their communities, near and far? what if Jesus gave an excuse to God and didn't die on the cross? what if i continue to let excuses get in the way of me fully obeying and following Jesus?
Lord, forgive me for claiming to want to follow you yet coming up with excuses that break Your heart.
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