The Cost of Follow-Through

March 2, 2023

Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:61-62 NLT

You can’t be around the church very long before you become aware that Jesus has an abundance of fickle followers; people who are in and out, roller-coaster, start and stop, stuttering followers. Man number three appears to be one of those. Jesus says we are going across the lake, and then invites another man who had been there for the day. The man responded, “Yes, Lord—I will. I’ve been here today. But let me run home and tell my family goodbye.”

He had enjoyed the day and the stimulation of being a true follower. But the moment of truth came when it was time to actually get in the boat and cross the lake. Now he’s hesitating. He’s thinking of dinner at home, the list of things he has to do there, the plans he had for this evening. Those plans didn’t include an evening lakeside with Jesus and a dozen or so other guys, quite probably sleeping in the open air. So, he told himself, “This won’t be the last opportunity I’ll have. I’m not going to go tonight. I’ll catch him next time. I don’t think I want that tonight.”

Jesus read him like a book. He knew that following Jesus was not his consuming longing. He was looking back. Looking back aways involves a certain degree of nostalgia and longing. Jesus saw his indecisive, stuttering heart, and He said, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.”

How many times do you see people make initial commitments to Jesus, but they look back and eventually go back? Jesus says a prayer, baptism, church membership—those are not the things that matter. Follow-through on our commitment to follow separates the true disciple from the occasional wannabe. Following Jesus is not an occasional on-again, off-again, now-you-see-me, now-you-don’t thing. It’s serious business. There’s no room for second-guessing.

You know a true disciple by their actions. After all the talk, after all the words, after all the emotion is wrapped up, what will you actually do? Jesus got into the boat, and His disciples followed Him. Mark 4:36 tells us the story, too, and says that some of the people there DID decide to jump in other boats and follow Jesus. We don’t know about these three guys. But we know only the ones who truly followed Him were His disciples. And we know about our own stories. We know exactly what it takes to get our focus off following Jesus. We know what it takes to tempt our hands off the plow. Jesus is 100% worth being 100% followed. Does my life show that?

• Actions speak louder than words. What is my follow-through saying about Jesus’ worth?