three nameless men

i'm still on my journey through the gospels, and will admit that i've not gotten as far as i'd have liked to. i'm still in the gospel of luke (the one i started in), but it is clear that from Jesus' standpoint, one simply cannot be a follower of him without being a disciple.

this reality, for anyone who has been a Christ-follower for any period of time isn't really news... but sadly, most of the time, many tend to live like these two things have little in common.

this morning, as i read chapter 9, i came across three conversations Jesus had at the end of the chapter. each conversation happened with a different, unnamed man, and while each was different, Jesus response was very much the same.

nameless man #1: "i will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus: "foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Jesus: "follow me."
nameless man #2: "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
Jesus: "let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

nameless man #3: "i will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family."
Jesus: "no one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

three men. three different requests... and it seems to me, three different things that we tend to hold on to tighter than we hold on to God.

first, our security.
second, our responsibilities.
third, our reputation.

if you're anything like me, this cuts right to the heart, and leaves me quoting my small group's special paraphrase of Isaiah 6:5, "i suck."

Jesus never once sugar-coated the path for those who follow him. why on earth do we?