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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadSpurgeon Verse Expositions - Luke 9:57 - 9:62
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Luk_9:57. And it came to pass, that, as they went in, the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
He was a volunteer; but his zeal was too hot to hold out long. He had never fully known what following Christ meant, so he came forward without a thought.
Luk_9:58. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man, hath not where to lay his head.
He did not reckon on such hard fare as that, to lie hard, and live hard; so we hear no more of him. That is would-be follower number one.
Luk_9:59. And he said unto another, Follow me.
Not a volunteer this time; but one actually called by Christ, and commanded to come, a conscript, as it were.
Luk_9:59. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
We do not even know that his father was dead. He would like to stop at home till the old man was ready to be buried.
Luk_9:60. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
When Christ wants men to go upon his errands, they must make no excuses. The King’s business requireth haste. The King’s commands are peremptory. Other people could bury the dead; let them do it. They were not alive unto this holy ministry; they would therefore be doing right in stopping to bury the dead. When Christ says to a man, “Follow me,” he must not let even the tenderest relationship detain him, or the most proper duties stand in the way of the highest duty. That is would-be follower number two. We hear no more of him.
Luk_9:61. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
“Lord, I will follow thee; but I must have time. I want a little allowance, and a permit to leave home. I will follow thee; but let me first go and bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.” It might be a long distance; and as it was now Christ’s time to send out the seventy, they must go at once, or not at all. This man intends to wait till he has gone, perhaps, fifty miles home, and back again.
Luk_9:62. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
You must go at once when you have orders to go, and not even the courtesies of life, or the fondnesses of affection, may make you disobey the command of the Captain. It would be a pretty thing, in the day of battle, if the soldiers came to the general, and one said, “I must go back to bury my father,” and another said, “I cannot fight, for I want to go and bid farewell to my mother.” The country would soon be in a desperate state for want of soldiers; and the great King, whose war is more important than any other, will not have for soldiers those who talk in this fashion. So, you see, there are three would-be followers gone; but there are at least seventy faithful followers left, as the next chapter shows. Our third reading will be at the end of the Gospel according to Matthew.
This exposition consisted of readings from Luk_4:16-30; Luk_9:57-62; and Mat_28:16-20.