Luke 9:57-62 says, “57And 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. 58And 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. 59And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

 

One man told Jesus that he would go wherever Jesus went, but that is when Jesus explained how foxes have holes and birds have nests, but He does not have a place to lay His head. In other words, if you really, really want to follow Jesus, there are moments when you feel as though you have no rest. You are busy working for the kingdom of God because there is always so much to do. If you are bored, then you are missing something! You may even feel at times as though you have no belonging and all alone. This shows there is a significant price to pay in being a Christian. It requires forsaking everything, and at times people, to follow Him!

 

Jesus then looked at anyone person and said, “Follow me.” His response was for him to be allowed to go and bury his father. Jesus said, “Let the dead bury the dead, but go and preach the kingdom of God.” This sounded as if Jesus was not concerned with the grief this particular individual must have been feeling at this specific time, but Christ did not want Him to lose focus on His divine mission, which was to go and preach the gospel. He was not to go home and plan a funeral service. He was to go and say, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” Instead of resurrecting dead things, we have learned to allow our religious spirit of complacency hold us back and cause us to bury visions and dreams that have died. We have allowed our past memories to be such a pain that we are distracted from God’s work He desires to accomplish in and through us. We must go and preach the gospel with our words and actions.

 

Another person volunteered Himself to follow Jesus, but He wanted to go back home and say bye to His family. The Kingdom is not about finding volunteers, but raising sons. Jesus then said, “No man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.” You will only make a mess out of the harvest in which God has called you to labor when you are distracted by what is on your right, left or behind you rather than remaining focused on the work He has called you to do. Do not go back and allow your emotional heartstrings to cause you to go back and miss everything God is calling you to right now. Forsake everything and follow Jesus!

 

This word “fit” reminds of me when you are trying on a pair of shoes that does not fit. When you walk around in them, they are not comfortable. They are either so tight that it can make your feet sore and calloused, or they are loose and can slow you down, even at some point causing you to stumble. When you are not fit for the kingdom of God, you are either calloused and numb to conviction, or you are so loose with the gospel that in your eyes everything goes. This is a very dangerous place to be! Why are you communicating with something God told you to let go of in the first place. We have no time to look back, but we are to move forward!

 

It reminds me of when you are driving and you have a rearview mirror. If you stare at it, you will wreck shortly in front of you, but if you keep your eyes only focused on what is ahead of you, you may not have the intuition to discern what is coming up behind you. The rearview mirror is something you glance at to remember where God delivered you from, but not to dwell in!

 

When Elijah called Elisha, he wanted permission to go and tell his family goodbye. Elijah allowed him, but warned him to not forget what he had done to him. What if Elisha would have forgotten the words and experience he had with Elijah, knowing God had called him, but would miss the home he always knew and would rather stay under his family’s care and work in their field? He would have missed revival. He would have never seen the signs, wonders and miracles following Elijah’s ministry. He would never been position to receive a double portion of the anointing that was upon Elijah’s life. Instead, he would have continued to live his common and ordinary life, without any form of significance or impact on anyone else. That is boring! Elisha did go back home to say goodbye to his family, but he had received the mantle of Elijah. He took his old plowing instruments and burned them, forming an incredible sacrifice for his yoke of oxen. He gave up the life he lived to be obedient, carry Elijah’s mantle and go after God. It is time to lay it all down and go after Jesus, denying yourself, dying to yourself and follow after Him! Make a sacrifice out of your old works to give God the praise He so overwhelmingly deserves!