Getting to Know Jesus More #12

As we saw yesterday, Jesus was traveling through Samaria with His disciples with His eyes on the cross. The group was not in danger of their lives, but there was a hostility in the air as they made their journey.
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And 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.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus knew that there was, and still is, a lot of confusion about what it looks like to follow Him. We want to have control about where, when, and how we follow.  One of our favorite sayings is: "I didn't sign up for this."  Jesus paints no rosy picture here: following Him will take us to places at times that we want to turn back, find a detour, and head to the most cozy-looking spot we can find.  We claim to want to serve Him, but there's other things we have to do first.  He wants us to serve Him where we are, now, and not stray away.  That is going to take a lot of faith, which can only come from Him.