“I will follow you,
Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those in my house.”
Luke 9:61 (Common English Bible)
Here is someone who experienced an impulse
of faith, an impulse that disclosed the beauty of following Jesus as Lord.
Perhaps it was something in the words Jesus spoke. Perhaps it was something
about the manner and spirit of Jesus that was captivating. Or perhaps it was
the evidence that there was something extraordinary about the quality of life
experienced by others following Jesus. Whatever the cause, here is someone
who’s conscience and heart was aroused such that they experienced an impulse
which urged an immediate decision to follow Jesus. But, obedience to the
impulse is delayed, “but first let me say goodbye to those in my house.”
Jesus says, “No.” It is unacceptable to
Jesus that an impulse to follow may be delayed by anything, even if it is
simply to say goodbye to loved ones. Does that appear harsh? Doesn’t it seem
inconsiderate, even severe, that Jesus rejects this reasonable request to say
goodbye? It may seem so. Yet, is it harsh for someone to grab a child quickly –
and with considerable force – and draw them away from a car traveling in the child’s
path? Or would this be viewed as an act of love? The emphasis of Jesus’
response is love.
Our Lord knows that postponement meant the
very real possibility of destruction, that if obedience to a sacred impulse to
follow Jesus is deferred to another time there may be no impulse to obey. Isn’t
it a common experience that at one moment we may experience a deep craving for
something, like ice cream, and at another moment it is gone? And so underneath
Jesus’ rebuke is the awful concern that a sacred impulse delayed is a sacred
impulse lost.
If an impulse promises more value to life
than a scoop of ice cream then it must be converted into action immediately.
There must be no period of delay or resting. If a life-giving impulse is not
converted into immediate action there is no achievement. The only way to keep
such an impulse sweet is to change it into an act immediately. It is then that
it’s gracious influence is experienced into eternity.
Jesus is offering life, life in following
Him. An impulse to accept this invitation in the present moment may be lost in
the next. It is perilous to wait. Such a postponement may result in the
destruction of our life with God. “Follow Me” must not be answered with, “I
will follow You” but with, “I will follow You now.”
Joy,
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