Permanent and Perpetual Discipleship

Scripture: As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 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.” Luke 9:57-58

Observation: Jesus has conversations with three would-be followers. The second two both declare they will follow Jesus after completing service to their family, and though these acts seem to honor parents as is implied by the fourth commandment, Jesus sees them as excuses for delaying service to the Lord. However, the first encounter is different. In this, we see the individual declare their desire to follow Jesus, and Jesus gives a somewhat cryptic response about the hardships of not having a permanent home.

Without consulting external sources, there are three ways of understanding Jesus' response to this first would-be follower.

1) Following Jesus means being obedient to a call that will take you away from your home, and perhaps away from any kind of comfortable setting, so be prepared.

2) Jesus goes everywhere without a home, so it may be possible that following him will require you to provide a home and comfort, as there are different kinds of 'following'.

3) The work of the Messiah - the Son of Man - never rests and does not cease as in the end of a day's work, so keep in mind this is lifelong commitment, not something for a day or a season.

Application: I did a search on these verses to see what interpretation is most common, and the answer is ... none. Almost every analysis of this section agrees that this is all about "the cost of discipleship," but expand their teaching to the broader passage and lean heavily on the next two responses for the teaching. As a result, this one response is summarized best as option #1, defining discipleship as sacrificing the comforts of home. This is a nice, clean idea, but doesn't really manifest in reality, where very few Christians are truly called to live without any home in their service to the Lord.

However, I wonder today about #3. Jesus is clearly saying that the Messiah doesn't have a home ... but then again he doesn't actually say that. Instead he more literally says that he never rests. For Jesus the man, this wasn't true. However, for Messiah, it is extraordinarily true. Messiah is at work every day, all the time, all around the world, and has been for 2,000 years.

I didn't decide to become a disciple and serve him today, but then go to sleep and wake up tomorrow to make a new decision. I didn't decide to follow Jesus some days and not others. My service doesn't end at sunset.

My decision to follow Jesus is permanent, perpetual, and eternal. It may change and strengthen over time, but it never involves a renewed decision of whether or not I will follow him. And my obedience should never rest, it should never take a day off, nor should it end even if one specific ministry changes or runs its course. I should be seeking the next way to serve Jesus, and leaning into that service daily.

Prayer: Lord, I know I have spent time wondering about my service in the church. I should be doing more and leaning into something new. May I do so. I am your disciple, permanently and perpetually every day, every season, always. There is likely more for me to do. Here I am. Amen.