“Me First”

by Micky Galloway

Luke 9:57-62, “And as they went on the way, a certain man said unto him, I will follow thee withersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven (have) nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But he said unto him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of God. And another also said, I will follow thee, Lord; but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house. But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

As Jesus went about His earthly ministry, people were invited to follow Him. The first man of our text volunteered, “I will follow thee withersoever thou goest.” Others wanted to follow, but other things came first. “Lord, suffer me first go and bury my father,” or “I will follow thee, Lord; but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house.” The “me first” mentality was fundamentally opposed to everything Jesus taught about discipleship. Jesus taught, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). “If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27).

Many are quick to volunteer, but they have not counted the cost. Matthew describes this first man as a scribe who volunteered to follow the Lord (Matthew 8:19). It would mean major changes to this man’s life. Perhaps the scribe did not realize that this Teacher was despised by his own former teachers. To associate with Jesus would mean personal rejection by the rabbis the scribe had known. Unless he was totally naive, he was proposing a massive sacrifice of himself. We are reminded of the apostle Peter’s statement, “Lord, with thee I am ready to go both to prison and to death.” Yet the Lord said to him, “Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, until thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me” (Luke 22:33-34). We must count the cost! Jesus taught, “So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).

Many are quick to accept the Lord’s invitation, but are torn by obligations. The attitude, “Lord, I will follow you, but I must do this first …” is unacceptable. The second man did not volunteer, but was instructed, “Follow me.” However, his response was, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father” (Luke 9:59). It was common practice among the Jews (cf. Luke 7:12), to bury the dead on the day of death, therefore it is not likely that this disciple would have been with Jesus at all if his father had just breathed his last. Burying one’s parent is an important family responsibility (cf. Genesis 25:9; 35:29; 50:13; Joshua 24:29-30; Micah 6:8). The Lord, if He was there, would not have hindered him from discharging the last duties of a son to a father. It is probable that the man’s father was near to death and he desired to care for him until he died and then follow the Lord. The Lord’s statement is not intended to be sharp and without compassion for his responsibilities. However, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60), does impress the importance of what comes first. The idea is clearly to leave the burial of the physically dead to the spiritually dead. This man’s first responsibility was to the spirits of the living, not to the bodies of the dead (cf. Luke 8:19-21; 14:26; Matthew 10:37). To many this sounds unreasonable.

Many are willing to volunteer to follow the Lord, but only conditionally. Luke is the only writer that records this illustration. “And another also said, I will follow thee, Lord; but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house” (Luke 9:61). Unlike the second man who was concerned about responsibility, the reply of Jesus to this man indicates his divided allegiance. “But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). The farmer who plows while looking back will certainly plow up what is planted. Likewise, the man who has a divided allegiance will forsake the good that is sown for “no man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). We are reminded of Lot’s wife (Genesis 19:26; Luke 17:32) and the “rich young ruler” (Matthew 19:16-22). The apostle Paul taught, “Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing (I do), forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before. I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus,” and “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth” (Philippians 3:13-14; Colossians 3:1-2).

Clearly, in all of the illustrations offered, the problem was “me first.” Jesus taught, “But seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness …” (Matthew 6:33)! It is not always easy to stay focused and make wise choices. Satan has very effectively used the “me first” mentality even from the garden of Eden. He is a crafty and formidable foe (I Peter 5:8). Let us focus our attention on transforming our lives. Let us rid ourselves of the “me first” attitude and give heed to the words of Jesus, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Let us focus on what pleases Him. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, (which is) your spiritual service. And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). Are you pleasing God or simply serving self?