Jesus, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Luke 9:58

In today’s gospel reading, we are introduced to three reasons not to follow Jesus. Why? Perhaps to remind us that being a follower of Jesus, then and now, is not easy. Jesus expects something of us. He is looking for more from us than simply believing that he is our Savior. He wants us to learn from him, to obey him, and to follow him. He wants us to be his disciples. But there is a cost to being his disciple. It is not easy. 

Today, Jesus is reminding us of this cost. And he does this by showing us three reasons not to follow him. 

So before I remind us of why we should follow Jesus, I thought I’d look at the three reasons in today’s gospel reading not to do so, and see what they can teach us about being his disciples. 

Nowhere to Lay Your Head

The first reason not to follow Jesus is given by Jesus to someone who says to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” That’s good. That is what a true disciple does. Following means going, not staying. Our life is no longer our own. We must surrender our will, go where we are asked to go, do what we are asked to do. 

But Jesus warns this eager person that “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” And if the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head, how about those who follow him? 

We all want somewhere to lay our head. A place to call home. It is human nature. Jesus is warning us that when we follow him, we may not have that luxury. But I think there is more going on here than that. In this gospel reading, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. Why? As he said earlier in this chapter, he is going there to undergo great suffering and to be killed before being raised on the third day. And he is doing all of that for us. To open the gates of heaven to us. To prepare for us our forever home. Where we can be with Jesus forever in the only home that matters. 

Sometimes when people are looking for a new home, the one they plan to spend the rest of their life in, they will call it their “forever home.” But the truth is that there is no forever home on this earth. We all desire a forever home. It’s built into our DNA. The confusion lies in thinking that we can find our forever home here. We cannot. Because we are not from here. “Our citizenship is in heaven,” Paul reminds us, “and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jesus makes a promise to those who follow him, a promise to prepare a new home for us, a forever home. But that forever home is not found here. That is why the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. And that is why he warns his followers not to expect more before we arrive at our forever home with him. 

Let the Dead Bury Their Own Dead

Another reason not to follow Jesus is provided by the next person in this gospel reading, who is invited to follow Jesus, but first wants to go and bury his father. Jesus says to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 

So, what is going on here? Here is a person who simply wants to bury his father before he leaves everything to follow Jesus. This seems like a very worthwhile desire. Honoring our father and mother is after all one of the most important of the God-given commandments. So what is wrong with this?  

Biblical scholars point out that this man’s father may not, in fact, be dying. This may be simply a way of saying that he wants to stay at home until his parents have died, which may be years away. And then he will follow Jesus. 

But Jesus, remember, has set his face toward Jerusalem. He’s going there to die for us. His days on earth are numbered. This man, who may have a very good reason to put off following Jesus, is going to miss the opportunity of a lifetime. The chance to follow the Son of God while he walks this earth. 

It is true that years from now, when he has buried his father, he can become a follower of Jesus by becoming a baptized Christian. But he will have given up the priceless opportunity to walk with Jesus as Jesus walks this earth.

Jesus is reminding us that when he calls, we should obey. We should trust him. He knows what lies ahead, not us. Wherever he wants us to go, that is the place that God knows is best for us. The best place, the best time. Trust Jesus by following him.

No Looking Back

That brings us to the third reason in today’s gospel reading not to follow Jesus. The third potential follower wants to go and say farewell to those at his home before following Jesus. But Jesus says to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” 

So, what is going on here? It reminds me of something that the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once said: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

That seems very true, in my experience. A lot can be learned by looking back, no doubt. History is an important subject, as we all know, because those who do not know their history are condemned to repeat it. But Jesus tells us that we cannot be looking back and also be moving forward. So the desire to look back would seem to be a good reason not to follow Jesus. 

So, again, what is going on here? What’s wrong with looking back? Nothing, in and of itself. But always looking over our shoulder can be a sign of a lack of commitment. And to follow Jesus, that simply won’t do. We must be totally committed to following him if we want to be his disciple. As Jesus said a little earlier in this same chapter, we must deny ourselves, and take up our cross daily, in order to follow him. Total commitment. That is what Jesus is looking for. 

The Cost of Nondiscipleship

So, given these reasons not to follow Jesus, why should we follow him? It’s not easy to be his disciple. Is it worth it?

I wouldn’t be standing here if I didn’t believe, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that it is well worth whatever it may cost us to follow Jesus. Even for this life only, there is no greater blessing than being a follower of Jesus. 

The Christian philosopher Dallas Willard devoted much of his teaching to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. And he often pointed out the challenge of doing this. But he also was eager to remind us of the value of doing this. I remember coming across a passage of his many years ago, before ever going to seminary, on the cost of nondiscipleship. I have never forgotten it. Here it is:

The cost of discipleship is, indeed, great. “But the cost of nondiscipleship is far greater – even when this life alone is considered – than the price paid to walk with Jesus, constantly learning from him. Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, nondiscipleship costs you exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10). The cross-shaped yoke of Christ is after all an instrument of liberation and power to those who live in it with him and learn the meekness and lowliness of heart that brings rest to the soul.”

If we choose not to follow Jesus, even when this life alone is considered, we are giving up far more than if we follow him. 

We are, first of all, giving up abiding peace. Jesus came to give us peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding, the peace that the world cannot give. No Jesus, no peace, as the saying goes. But when we know Jesus, and follow him, we will know peace, true peace. 

We are also giving up a life penetrated throughout by love. God is love, and sent Jesus to show us what this means. All love that we might experience in this life is a reflection of the perfect love of Jesus. This love is offered to all, without exception. But we fully receive this love by following Jesus, by spending our lives with him.

When we choose not to follow Jesus, we are also giving up a faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good. I love Romans 8:28, which comes to mind here. Paul writes that “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” As a follower of Jesus, we go through life with this faith, this trust that all things can work together for the good. And believing this gives us a hope that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances. 

God has got this, whatever “this” is. Disciples of Jesus believe this. And it gives us a peace, a faith, and a hope that stands firm, because they are rooted in the unconditional love shown by our almighty creator. 

Closing

Following Jesus is not easy. Jesus never says that it is. In fact, he consistently says just the opposite, that it will be difficult. But he also says that the only way to find the true, abundant life that he came to offer us is to give up our life for his sake and follow him. 

Jesus desperately wants each and every one of us to find this abundant life. But he knows that we can only have this abundant life if we give up everything to follow him, to take his yoke upon us and to learn from him. And so, he makes the challenges that we see in today’s gospel reading. 

And he does all this out of love. 

Follow me, Jesus says, wherever I lead you. Put me first, do not look back, and seek above all things my kingdom. 

And when we do that, he promises that we will receive the peace, faith, love, and hope that cannot be found anywhere else. It is his eternal gift to all who choose to follow him. 

So let us continue to follow him, facing the challenges of doing this, while also filled with gratitude for all that it means to be a disciple of God’s only son. 

To the glory of God. Amen.