True commitment to Jesus comes with no strings attached. Luke recounts three men who came to Jesus professing their allegiance to Him (Luke 9:57–62), but none of them would end up following Him. The story shows no matter how strong your profession of faith is, it’s no guarantee of how strong your commitment will be. As Jesus said, “Many will come to me saying, Lord! Lord!” (Matthew 7:21), but He will say to them, “Depart from me because I never knew you!” (Matthew 7:23).
Anyone can say they love Jesus, but few are willing to prove that love. Almost everyone respects the person of Jesus, but they despise and revile Jesus as God. Why? Because loving an idea is easy, but serving the King means surrendering everything we once were. Humans gravitate to whatever is easy, but seem repelled by anything that impinges on their desires.
Going back to those three men, we should note they all sought to commit to Jesus, but their commitment had strings attached. Love with strings attached is not love, and Jesus demands our complete surrender and devotion. Matthew’s account of the encounter tells us the first man was a scribe (Matthew 8:19). This shows he was willing to risk his reputation to associate with Jesus. Most scribes were plotting against Jesus, so this man was already going out on a limb just to be talking to Christ. But as soon as Jesus pointed out that following Him meant giving up all the comforts and niceties of home, the man balked (Matthew 8:20). True commitment to Jesus does not change when we don’t like our circumstances. The scribe liked the idea of Jesus, but couldn’t stomach the reality of following Him.
The second man was willing to follow, but only on his own timetable (Matthew 8:21). Contrast this with Jesus’s calling of His disciples. He said, “Follow me,” and their response was immediate (Matthew 4:19–20). They left all they had and followed (Luke 5:27–28). There was no hesitation and no waiting for a better moment. Jesus called, and they responded. Wanting to follow Jesus on our terms reveals we aren’t ready to surrender our will to His. It’s whatever Jesus wants us to do and whenever He wants us to do it. Anything less is to reject Jesus as Lord (Luke 6:46).
The last guy to approach the Lord wanted to first go back and say goodbye to his friends and family (Luke 9:61). Similar to the second man, he was trying to negotiate the terms of His commitment. His request also showed he still had at least one foot planted in his old way of life. He would follow Jesus, but wanted to make sure he had a backup plan. If you choose to give your life to Christ, then understand there is no backup plan. There is no turning back (Luke 9:62). Jesus is everything to you or He is nothing at all (Philippians 3:7–8; Matthew 10:37-38).
What can we learn from these three men? My biggest takeaway is there can be no greater obligation in our lives than to follow Jesus. But understand Jesus demands a “no strings attached” commitment. It’s what true commitment to Jesus means. Money is of no concern. Family is important, but compared to our commitment to Christ, those relationships are irrelevant (Luke 14:26). Last, our hopes, dreams, and desires before we met Jesus are gone. Following Jesus doesn’t postpone our old plans, it cancels them outright (2 Corinthians 5:17).
It seems like a pretty big ask of anyone. But then we remember what we get in exchange. We get Jesus. If that thought doesn’t make your heart burst with elation, something is missing in your understanding of who Jesus is. Remember also, Jesus bought your commitment with every ounce of His blood (1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:9). He thought you were worth it. Not your old life, not what you brought to the table, just you. Think about that. Cut any strings you have on your commitment and come surrendered to your Savior, Lord, and King. He’s waiting for you.