A Call to Discomfort
"I will follow you wherever you go," he told Jesus.
I wonder if he pre-contemplated what Jesus would possibly say in response to him. Was he confident that Jesus would say "come, follow me" or was he nervous? Was he bursting with excitement or was he slightly anxious about what such a bold commitment would mean? Was he hoping that Jesus would lead him to amazing places, or was he fearful that following Jesus would take him to places he did not want to go? Was he authentic or was he just trying to put on a show?
All I know is that I have said the same thing to Jesus, offering to follow him wherever he may lead, and I have felt all of those emotions.
No matter what the man felt when he approached Jesus with this statement, I bet he was not expecting the response that Jesus gave him.
"Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." (Matthew 18:20)
The invitation to follow Jesus already existed for this man, so Jesus responded to his offer with the truth about what it is like to follow him. I imagine Jesus looking him in the eyes, silently speaking love over him with His gaze, and seeing deep into his heart. Then he made sure the man knew what kind of journey he was committing to.
I don't think Jesus was trying to scare the man away. Instead, he was inviting him on the most exciting, breath-taking adventure.
In the same way, the invitation to follow Jesus already exists for all of us. When we say to him, Lord, I will follow you wherever you go, he looks at us with love in His eyes and invites us on the adventure of a lifetime. We are not called to safety. We are not called to comfort. We are not called to settle down. We are called to be on the move, to be on the go with Christ.
I don't think this means that you can't buy a house, start a family, or plant your feet in a certain place - although it might mean that for some - but rather that you will always be moving forward with Jesus wherever you are. You will be willing to do whatever God calls you to do when He calls you to do it, which will cause you to do counter-cultural, uncomfortable, and even dangerous things that people may perceive as strange or reckless.
I like the way John 3:8 puts it. "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." Perhaps that is what Jesus was trying to tell the man who wanted to follow him, and perhaps that is what he wants us to know too.
Following Jesus is not so much about safety, comfort, and stability, but more about reckless abandon and adventure. It's about stepping out of that comfort zone and even into danger. It's about being blown by the Spirit like the wind, not always knowing where you are going, but always carefree and confident of who God is.
It makes me realize that there are many commands in the Bible to be bold, be courageous, to have no fear. But there is not a command to be safe. Amos 6:1 actually warns against those who feel comfortable and at ease. "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria." We are called to face giants, to step out on water in the middle of a storm, to fight against armies that outnumber us, to dive into lion's dens, and to step into fiery furnaces...but we are never asked to be safe.
The will of God might be the most dangerous place to be by the standards of this world, but for those who know Jesus, it is the absolute safest place to be. It is kind of funny how that works: We step out in faith to the hard, uncomfortable places and find ourselves more safe and secure than we've ever been we are found in the loving arms of Christ.
I wish I knew what that young man decided in the end. Did he hear the truth of Jesus words and shy away because he was afraid to leave his life at ease? Or did he see the sparkle in Jesus' eye and realize how amazing and significant it would be to follow Jesus wherever he went, even if that meant not having a place to lay his head? Did he have to contemplate it and weigh his options? Or did he not miss a beat before quickly accepting the invitation to such a journey? I would like to think that he looked back at Jesus with a smile, took one step closer to him, and said, "That sounds like the adventure of a lifetime, and I don't want to miss it". Because that's what I want to say, too.
I wonder if he pre-contemplated what Jesus would possibly say in response to him. Was he confident that Jesus would say "come, follow me" or was he nervous? Was he bursting with excitement or was he slightly anxious about what such a bold commitment would mean? Was he hoping that Jesus would lead him to amazing places, or was he fearful that following Jesus would take him to places he did not want to go? Was he authentic or was he just trying to put on a show?
All I know is that I have said the same thing to Jesus, offering to follow him wherever he may lead, and I have felt all of those emotions.
No matter what the man felt when he approached Jesus with this statement, I bet he was not expecting the response that Jesus gave him.
"Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." (Matthew 18:20)
The invitation to follow Jesus already existed for this man, so Jesus responded to his offer with the truth about what it is like to follow him. I imagine Jesus looking him in the eyes, silently speaking love over him with His gaze, and seeing deep into his heart. Then he made sure the man knew what kind of journey he was committing to.
I don't think Jesus was trying to scare the man away. Instead, he was inviting him on the most exciting, breath-taking adventure.
In the same way, the invitation to follow Jesus already exists for all of us. When we say to him, Lord, I will follow you wherever you go, he looks at us with love in His eyes and invites us on the adventure of a lifetime. We are not called to safety. We are not called to comfort. We are not called to settle down. We are called to be on the move, to be on the go with Christ.
I don't think this means that you can't buy a house, start a family, or plant your feet in a certain place - although it might mean that for some - but rather that you will always be moving forward with Jesus wherever you are. You will be willing to do whatever God calls you to do when He calls you to do it, which will cause you to do counter-cultural, uncomfortable, and even dangerous things that people may perceive as strange or reckless.
I like the way John 3:8 puts it. "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." Perhaps that is what Jesus was trying to tell the man who wanted to follow him, and perhaps that is what he wants us to know too.
Following Jesus is not so much about safety, comfort, and stability, but more about reckless abandon and adventure. It's about stepping out of that comfort zone and even into danger. It's about being blown by the Spirit like the wind, not always knowing where you are going, but always carefree and confident of who God is.
It makes me realize that there are many commands in the Bible to be bold, be courageous, to have no fear. But there is not a command to be safe. Amos 6:1 actually warns against those who feel comfortable and at ease. "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria." We are called to face giants, to step out on water in the middle of a storm, to fight against armies that outnumber us, to dive into lion's dens, and to step into fiery furnaces...but we are never asked to be safe.
The will of God might be the most dangerous place to be by the standards of this world, but for those who know Jesus, it is the absolute safest place to be. It is kind of funny how that works: We step out in faith to the hard, uncomfortable places and find ourselves more safe and secure than we've ever been we are found in the loving arms of Christ.
I wish I knew what that young man decided in the end. Did he hear the truth of Jesus words and shy away because he was afraid to leave his life at ease? Or did he see the sparkle in Jesus' eye and realize how amazing and significant it would be to follow Jesus wherever he went, even if that meant not having a place to lay his head? Did he have to contemplate it and weigh his options? Or did he not miss a beat before quickly accepting the invitation to such a journey? I would like to think that he looked back at Jesus with a smile, took one step closer to him, and said, "That sounds like the adventure of a lifetime, and I don't want to miss it". Because that's what I want to say, too.
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