And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 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. Luke 9:57-62

Previously in this chapter, Jesus taught us what the Cost of Christianity was going to be, to deny ourselves, carry our crosses, on a daily basis. The fact is to be a true Christian, will cost you everything. Why? Because Jesus is your everything, He is your Lord and King, and you are his servant. If you don’t understand that then you haven’t come to a true understanding of the gospel message. 

Many people today want Jesus to benefit them. How can Jesus make me more wealthy, how can Jesus make me more successful, how can Jesus make me more happy. They come to Jesus for the wrong reasons, and receive a false gospel becoming false converts. This is why you see alot of dead churches, with dead pastors preaching dead messages. There is no life without the Holy Spirit, you need to be baptized by the Water and Spirit, become Born again in Jesus Christ

In Jesus teaching today , we see more examples of people creating their own agendas and Jesus given them the harsh reality. They say I want to follow Jesus, but I will follow him on my own terms. We might even be guilty of that ourselves, but as Jesus said “Nobody put his hand on the plow and looks back, is worthy of the Kingdom of God” You can’t become Born Again and then think well maybe I was better in my sin. Well maybe I’ll serve God ,if they pay me the right money. Or maybe I’ll be a Christian if I feel a positive experience. 

Pushing the plow is not a glamorous job, its not a self fulfilling job, its not a job anyone dreams about being a child, but its a calling and you fulfill the mission. You might say this has nothing to do with me, if has everything to do with anyone who calls themselves a Christian. Jesus commanded us to “Preach the gospel to all the nations” you are to sow the seeds of the gospel, you are plowing the fields of the world. So yes as a Christian, your hand should be on the plow and not looking back

Another man said Jesus I’ll follow everywhere you go, I want to see your fame and power. But Jesus said “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” meaning even though Jesus is Lord of the Earth, he owned nothing on this Earth. He humbled himself as the suffering servant to pay the penalty for the sins of the world. You honestly believe you can be and go like Jesus? As Jesus said to his disciples “Nobody can drink from the cup given to him” There is only One Son of God, and you need to serve and worship him, not try to be him. 

So what is the Cost of being a Christian? It will cost you everything including possibly your life. But as Jesus said “Anyone who wants to save their life will lose it” Put your hand on the plow, follow Jesus , and never look back Amen!