Following Jesus Is Costly

By Danny Saavedra

“When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’ Another disciple said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’”—Matthew 8:18–22 (NIV)

“Is the juice worth the squeeze?”

This popular idiom encourages us to consider whether or not something is worth the cost. This is a question we should constantly ask ourselves as we go about making decisions.

In life, it’s important to ask ourselves, “Is it worth it?” Sometimes, the answer is a resounding yes or no; other times, it’s not so clear. But regardless, we have to count the cost and really make sure we know what we’re signing up for.

In today’s passage, we see two different people approaching Jesus, expressing a desire to follow Him. Sadly, though, it seems neither had really counted the cost.

The first was a teacher of the law. He says to Jesus, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Wow! He was ready to give it all up and follow Jesus, right? Perhaps not . . .

It’s probable this man had heard about all the things Jesus had been saying and doing. As a scribe, he may have even surmised that Jesus was the promised Messiah who would sit on David’s throne forever. This conclusion may have led him to form an expectation that by following Jesus, he could score a great seat in Jesus’ earthly empire.

Jesus responds by saying he has no idea what he’s committing to: “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He asks the man if he’s ready to forsake this world's comforts, pleasures, and attachments for a greater, spiritual, eternal kingdom. This is true of the scribe—and of us!

What about the second guy who asked to go bury his father first? Jesus responds, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Now, you may be questioning here, “The guy just wants to bury his dead father! Why is Jesus being so harsh?” Well, the implication in this verse is that the man’s father wasn’t even dead yet. He may not have even been sick!

Basically, the guy is saying, “Jesus, let me first go and live my life and do the things I want to do. Let me do me, and then I’ll follow you.” This doesn’t fly, friends. You see, to be a true disciple of Jesus means He must come first in our lives. We must surrender everything before Him—our lives, plans, dreams, ambitions, family, career, money, comfort, etc. A disciple must seek, love, and obey God above all others.

In both cases, the cost is to lose your life. But what do we get? Matthew 10:39 (NIV) says, “Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”

Despite what some false teachers may want you to believe, following Jesus doesn’t mean our earthly lives will be super easy, full of material blessing, power, influence, respect, and free from suffering, pain, conflict, struggle, sickness, and trauma. But when we give our lives to Jesus, we get Jesus, eternal life in heaven, every spiritual blessing, the power that raised Christ from the dead, the Holy Spirit at work in us to accomplish God’s good purposes and will in, through, and around us, and also the strength, wisdom, endurance, peace, hope, joy, and confidence to walk faithfully through the tribulations and trials of this life.

We must all count the cost. Being His disciple is costly, but it’s so worth it. Are you all in?

Pause: How does Jesus’ response to these men change the way you view your life?

Practice: What are you clinging to? What worldly attachment are you struggling to surrender? Today, ask the Lord to help you, give you the strength and wisdom to let go of anything that keeps you tethered to material things and be willing to lose everything for Him.

Pray: Father, I want to be able to say, like Peter, that I have left everything to follow You, to be Your child, to abide in You. I don’t want anything hindering me or acting as a stumbling block in my life. I desire more deeply to yield all things to You! Help me, dear God, surrender daily and value You and Your kingdom above all worldly things. Amen.