I recently spent an afternoon cleaning closets and purging various items from my home. Yes, I know it’s summer, and this type of cleaning is often associated with springtime. Nope, not me. I like to defy the norm whenever and wherever I can. (Wink)
Anyhow, one of the items at hand was my 12-speed bike. Gosh, I believe I got it as a birthday gift back in 1983. Yes, it’s ancient, but it runs, sort of. Last year, we even had two new tires put on, as I had never changed the original tires before. Oh, the miles I put on that beautiful bike—lots of miles, especially during my high school and college years. That bike has been with me ever since.
The other day, after my husband pumped the tires, I took it for a spin. The brakes were shaky, and the wheels felt unstable. I even almost fell over the handlebars. We fiddled with it to see what was wrong, but the brakes still wouldn’t work correctly. I was worried.
I leaned the bike against our shelving unit in the garage and stared at it for a while. I was reminded of a scripture about “old things or past things” and how sometimes comfortable things don’t stay that way for long either. It’s in [Luke 9: 57-62]. I’ll break it down for you and explain my thought process behind it while tying it back to my bike.
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The Cost of Discipleship
57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
(Those other beings (animals and such), have a “comfortable” place to lay their head. But Jesus doesn’t have a comfortable place or residence to lay his head because he has not always been accepted or received. Hmm, it’s like the world today. You can talk about God all you want, but as soon as you mention Jesus, people look at you like a freak and shrink away. God can be universal, he can be a general figure in conversations and is often mentioned in other religions. But Jesus is specific to the Christian faith. Whoa! Then it gets personal because you could be pushing your “religion” on someone.
So, back to my bike. I’ve had that 12-speed for a few decades. It’s been a nice reminder of my youth. But now, I’ve changed. I’ve grown older. The seat is too small, and it’s not as comfortable as it used to be. And well, let’s be honest, my level of comfort has also changed. )
59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
(This is an interesting transaction. So, I’m trying to figure this out. This man’s dad hasn’t died, yet the guy wants to bury him before following Jesus. If his dad did die, why wasn’t he mourning him at the house, at the funeral home, etc.? The scripture is not specific, but yet, I don’t gather that his father passed away. Read it yourself.
It’s almost saying, that before I can go to the gala, I need to make sure the house is cleaned and the laundry is done. Whether it’s done or not is not the point, but it seems we put stipulations that to be “happy,” we have to have the right circumstances. One’s happiness is based only on the “happenings”. Does that mean that when the happenings are done, we are sad again? Some would say, yes! And that’s the wrong answer. You can’t be happy all the time. Things come up, and like a bustling wind, all can change. One has to find their joy. I believe that’s only found inside each one of us. I also believe Jesus is the only joy that can truly sustain you.
This man saying he has to bury his father is another excuse not to do it. How many times has someone said “Oh, let’s get together soon. But then nothing ever comes out of it. It’s our flawed human nature. Our mouths often run faster than our actions. We need to take control of that. )
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
(If the man’s father is dead, there’s no other purpose to prolong what’s already been completed. Jesus is saying, hey… it’s time to move forward. You can’t go back to your earlier life. Since you are following ME, go instead and preach the Kingdom of God. That’s what’s relevant and important. )
61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
(Here’s another man responds, “Yes, Jesus, I’ll follow you, but first let me say goodbye to my family, and let them know. I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, just wait for me.” Yeah, right? )
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
(This response from Jesus is so gut-convicting. He’s saying, “Sure, by the time that happens, you’ll get so distracted with other priorities that you won’t follow ME.” He’s right! Remember, Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. If we’re too busy, it will never happen. I can only guess that it grieves our Lord and Savior to know the frivolity of our humanness and how easily we can be swayed, tempted, and distracted because we are not fearing the Lord enough to want to hold ourselves accountable and responsible.
And so, this whole thing is REALLY about Jesus’ desire to have a relationship with us. If you have been saved, your life “should” be different, and you’re going to want to be different. If we keep going back to a dead mindset, dead habits, and dead relationships, how are we supposed to be a new creation? [2 Corinthians 5:17] You’re either all in or nothing.)
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So, back to my old bike. This bicycle served its purpose for many years. I enjoyed it. However, I’ve moved on. Holding back something that I have no use for, except collecting dust, is not beneficial; it’s clutter. I’ve held onto it for way too long. My focus must be on how I can serve the Kingdom better without holding myself in condemnation. Otherwise, this mindset is keeping me from following Jesus.
It makes sense. When you put your hand on the plow, YOU CAN’T look back. You’ll lose your balance, the plow will veer off its course, etc. Jesus doesn’t want your works or your stuff. He wants YOU. A relationship with you. And when that happens, all that was before is a moot point.
Are you ready to clean and purge all that has held you back from who God wants you to be?
References:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%209%3A57-62&version=NKJV
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%205%3A17&version=NKJV
