Come to Jesus to Get Jesus

 

A teacher of the law came to [Jesus] 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

David Platt:

Jesus knows this man hasn't counted the cost of what is involved in discipleship. Jesus tells the man that following Him will not even guarantee a roof over the man's head. In other words, "If you follow Me, I'm all you've got." This potential disciple needs to learn that Jesus is worthy of unconditional trust, even if it means giving up earthly security and comforts. We too must know this if we want to follow Jesus.

Following Christ may mean losing everything in this world. This is another problem with the prosperity gospel—it makes Jesus a means to an end. You come to Jesus to get health, wealth, or anything else you want; just fill in the blank. The problem is that you shouldn't come to Jesus to get stuff; you come to Jesus to get Jesus. You may lose everything in this world, but He is enough.

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I am very aware that we need to be very careful that when locals express an interest in the gospel we need to be careful that they are interested in finding Jesus not what they can get from him/ his followers. Sometimes the lines are blurred and as expats we can end up giving locals jobs, money, help in other ways and this can lead to the unhelpful scenario of the temptation to come to Jesus to get stuff not him. 

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Recognizing Jesus' sovereign authority in the world should lead to giving Jesus total allegiance in your life. His authority is not to be toyed or trifled with. J. C. Ryle once said, "Nothing, in fact, has done more harm to Christianity than the practice of filling the ranks of Christ's army with every volunteer who is willing to make a little profession" (Ryle, Matthew, 59). Remember, Jesus is not begging for followers in Matthew 8. He's actually turning them away because He warrants unconditional trust and undivided affection from those who follow Him. When Jesus speaks, leprosy, paralysis, and fever obey. The question is, "Do you obey?"