Admiring Jesus or Following Jesus? (Matthew 8:19-22; Luke 9:57-62)

You can respect Jesus, quote Jesus, even feel inspired by Jesus, and still refuse to follow Him. That tension sits right at the center of Luke 9, where three different people step forward with big words and hidden conditions. We take our time with each conversation and let Jesus’ replies do what they are meant to do: expose the deals we try to make with God.

We talk about three excuses that still sound normal today. The first is transactional discipleship: “I’ll follow if I get what I want,” and Jesus answers with a sober reminder that following Him is not a path to comfort or status. The second is procrastinated faith: “I’ll follow, but not right now,” where “later” often means “after I feel financially secure and life calms down.” The third is partial surrender: “I’ll follow, but not entirely,” and Jesus uses the plow to show how a life spent looking back can never move forward with clarity.

To bring it home, we share the story of William Borden, a wealthy Yale graduate who wrote three phrases in his Bible that still challenge modern priorities: “No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.” If you’ve been negotiating with God, delaying obedience, or keeping an exit door open, this conversation will help you name what’s really going on and choose a clearer path of Christian discipleship.

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Transcript

Admirers Versus Followers

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An author back in the 1800s put it so well when he wrote that Jesus Christ never asked for admirers. He wanted followers. You know it's possible to admire Jesus without truly following him. Well, today in our wisdom journey, we arrive at Luke chapter 9, where three conversations take place between Jesus and three, well, they're admirers. They're going to give Jesus what I would consider three of the most common excuses for refusing to become true followers. Now the first excuse sounds like this. I will follow the Lord, but I'm not going to follow him for nothing. In other words, I'll follow Jesus if he gives me what I want in return. Or in Luke chapter 9, verse 57 reads this. Matthew's gospel tells us that this man was a scribe. That's a Bible scholar. He's been studying the scriptures for years. He's got a graduate degree in Old Testament law, you know, hanging on the wall somewhere in his study. Well, this man evidently thinks Jesus, well, he might be the Messiah, and if Jesus is indeed the Messiah, well this scholar assumes Jesus is going to overthrow the Roman Empire. He's going to usher in economic prosperity, he'll bring in the kingdom of God, and he's going to give his favorite students the best positions

Excuse One: Show Me The Benefits

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in the kingdom. And as far as he's concerned, why he'd be one of the most likely candidates for an important position in that coming kingdom. Now what's interesting here is that Jesus doesn't flatly turn him down, but he does tell him the truth. Verse 58, Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. In other words, you follow me, I want you to know foxes and birds have it better off than you. You might not even have a shade tree out back where you can prop your feet up and rest for a little while. Now we're not told how this man responds. Maybe Luke left it open ended because God's Spirit wants us to slip into this man's sandals, so to speak, and ask ourselves, you know, what would we do if if following Jesus didn't seem to pay off, would we be following him today? Now with that, the Lord encounters another man with another common excuse to not becoming a true follower. Essentially it's this I will follow the Lord, but not right now. Here's the interaction in verse fifty nine. To another he said, Follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. And Jesus said to him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. Now frankly, it it sounds at first like Jesus is telling this man to skip his dad's funeral, you know, just go out there preaching the gospel. But the text doesn't tell us that his father has actually died. Let me bury my father was a Near Eastern figure of speech. It meant to take care of the family business until the father died. See, this is an easy excuse to stall for time. And his reply to Jesus actually reveals his priority in life. Let me first take care of business. Let me first get my inheritance. Let me first get financial security. And then you know what? I got plenty of money, Lord, I'll follow you. But not right now. Maybe you're working over time to climb some corporate ladder

Excuse Two: Not Right Now

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or move into that new house or spend your weekends on your hobbies or activities that you believe you've earned. Your priorities of life have nothing to do with the Lord. In fact, becoming a follower of Christ is going to get in the way. Nothing wrong with hobbies, nothing wrong with a career. But you're going to wait until everything's settled down financially before you get serious about following Jesus. That's an excuse that's been used now for some 2,000 years. And the point Jesus makes here is not so much about attending funerals or taking care of inheritance issues or tending to your business. Jesus is addressing this very common excuse to follow him. Lord, I have other priorities. I can't follow you just now. But I want you to check back with me later on. So here are the excuses paraphrased, Lord, I'll follow you if you give me what I want. Secondly, Lord, I'll follow you, but not right now. And now the third common excuse occurs here. This person is basically going to respond by saying, Lord, I will follow you, but not entirely. Here it is in verse sixty one. Yet another said, I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home. Now Jesus' response here in verse sixty two at first seems disconnected. No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Well in this day here the plough was nothing more than a piece of wood with a handle at one end and a metal tip at the other end. It demanded constant attention. The Greek language tells us that this man is not glancing back every now and then while he's ploughing. Jesus is referring to somebody who's looking back over his shoulder continually. In other words, he's never looking ahead or forward. See, looking

Excuse Three: Not All In

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back is a metaphor for longing to be back there. And that is the heart of this man's excuse. Sure, Lord, I'll I'll follow you, but my heart, it's back there. It's really not with you. It's back where I used to live. In other words, this person is not really interested in a new life with Christ. He just wants the old life like it used to be. So here are the common excuses. And let me tell you, they are as popular today as they were back in the days of Christ. Lord, I'll follow you, but only if you give me what I want. Lord, I'll follow you later, not right now. Lord, I'll follow you partially. I just don't want you to take control of everything moving forward in my life. What does it mean to follow Christ? That reminds me of the biography of a young man I read. The man's name was William Borden. Back in 1904, he was the heir to his family's wealthy estate, and in fact for his high school graduation present, his parents gave him a sightseeing trip around the world. Well, during that trip he wrote home declaring that God was moving his heart toward the mission field. Well at the same time, he wrote two words in the back of his Bible, the words

No Looking Back While Plowing

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no reserves. Well, most people thought his missionary burden would, you know, sort of fade away once he returned home, but instead his desire to take the gospel to the unreached world only intensified. By the time Borden was a senior in college at Yale University, eighty five percent of the student body there was attending a Bible study that he had started in his freshman year. After graduating from Yale and business prospects were pouring in for this young leader, Borden kept to his vision for world missions. And at that time he wrote two more words in the back of his Bible, the words no retreats. Borden turned down every lucrative position offered him and instead enrolled in seminary. After completing his studies he traveled to Egypt. He was going to learn Arabic and prepare for ministry among the Muslims of China. But he never made it to China. While in Egypt he contracted spinal meningitis, and within a few weeks William Borden died at the age of twenty five.

William Borden And No Regrets

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Newspapers headlined all the news of Yale's most famous graduate dying. Reporters and business leaders would write about such a tragic waste of a promising life. However, prior to falling ill, William had gone back to the back of his Bible, back to where he had earlier written those statements of commitment, and he wrote two more words that were discovered after his death. Beneath the words no reserves and no retreats, he had written the words no regrets. See, beloved, when you answer the call of God to give him control of your life, living for him wherever he appoints you, let me tell you, you're making a choice to live a life of no regrets. So as you live for him like that today, until we meet again, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.