Free will

A few days back I posted about Levi (Matthew) dropping everything to follow Jesus just because Jesus said "follow me". The same is true for Peter, Andrew and the other fishermen. They dropped net and followed.

But in Luke 9:57 and following, one unnamed man says he will follow Jesus no matter what. Jesus questions if he really means it. Then Jesus asks two more men to "follow me". Unlike the disciples, both beg off -- far too busy to follow him just right now.

Jesus gives us total freedom everyday to do our own thing. It's pretty rare to find someone who has never turned that freedom into personal stress, strife, or even a complete meltdown from time to time. He continues to ask us daily to follow him, but maybe we get so busy just like these two men we don't even hear the question.

Freedom is great, but it certainly has it's price.



The Cost of Following Jesus

57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
58Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
59He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
61Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good bye to my family."
62Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."