The Higher Call

The Higher Call
By Shirley Mitchell

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

Luke 9:57-62

I find this passage so interesting because it tells us that Jesus encountered many people who had to make a decision to follow Him, not just the 12 disciples who were specifically appointed. Many others received the opportunity of a lifetime, and Scripture records just a few in this passage to serve as a reminder to us that not everyone chooses to accept the call of Jesus.

To the first man, Jesus warns that a follower must be prepared for some loss. He says there is a loss of ownership. Jesus makes it clear that He is homeless. A follower will not have a place to lay his head. "My" and "mine" are gone for the sake of the kingdom. These are some of the first words children learn because they have a tendency to hoard their things. A follower will no longer be able to hoard and depend on his own provision. There is a loss of independence and security. Additionally, there is a loss of physical comfort. A follower trusts in God's decision for provision for each day whether God provides a warm bed, or at other times He provides a rock for a pillow.

The next two men (who decided to not follow Him) said the same words, "First let me go." One man wanted to bury his father first. Burying the dead was a sacred duty. We do not know if the father was dying or if he was already dead. We only know that the man wanted to do something else first. He was not ready to commit himself to follow Jesus. His words show an unwillingness to forsake the earthly life for the kingdom life. It shows an unwillingness to relinquish control to God for the next move. "First I must do what I want to do, Lord."

The last man wanted to tell his family goodbye. Jesus says "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." He is referring to 1 Kings 19:19-21, when Elijah calls Elisha into the ministry. Elisha was plowing a field. He stopped and never looked back. Actually, he slaughtered the oxen as an offering to the Lord. This act removed any temptation to return to his former lifestyle. God wants us to be willing to abandon everything that gives us worldly security. We can't have one hand on the plow and one hand in His. Sooner or later we find that we are still anchored to that fixed point and can't continue until we sever the tie. We have stretched that rubber band to its breaking point.

Jesus talks another time to the crowd about the cost of discipleship. In Luke 14:25-27, He says that a person can't be His disciple without hating his or her family. Of course, Jesus was not saying that His followers must have a burning hate for their families. Family was highly important in the Jewish community. He is saying that compared to your love for God, your love for your family should pale in comparison. God should be your first love, and it should not be sparing. It should be extravagant. He should be your first loyalty.

I would never suggest irresponsibility, nor does this give us permission to neglect. We dare not misconstrue this to mean that we can be irresponsible. I know that my highest call is to be a godly wife and a mother. My family is my first ministry. God has allowed me more kingdom work in women's lives that requires many sacrifices but never neglect of my family. I have left my daughters in Doug's care as I had brief God assignments. The key is the discernment to know "when Jesus calls." If Jesus called, then a follower who left the plow or who did not bury his father was not irresponsible or neglectful of his responsibilities. He was following God's higher call.

These three men's opportunities to follow Jesus were open for a brief time and then shut. It was not open-ended. If they didn't seize it at that time, then they could not regain it later. God usually does not give second chances, only next opportunities. What I mean by "next opportunity" is that the situation may change, but He offers another opening to step out in faith and follow Him.

There are many ways God can pick up the details. Sometimes when the leader moves out of a responsibility, someone else will step up and fill the gap left behind. As we mature in Christ, it is our responsibility to ask God how we help grow others and if we need to get out of the way for someone else to have an opportunity to grow. Other times, no one may rise to take the vacant role. Why would God leave a hole? He is sending a strong message to all including family, friends, and coworkers that their friend left behind something so wonderful for something of greater worth: to serve in the kingdom and to reach hurting humanity. How hurting humanity needs a Savior! Oh, what a testimony a woman leaves! She shows that God is worth leaving her life of self-absorption. Her eyes are no longer blind to others' hurts. She prioritized their needs. There she finds greatest fulfillment for her life. The gap left behind can be a gaping hole to serve as a reminder to other friends, family, and the next generation. They will be encouraged to lay down their nets, their plows, their comforts, their security, and their "knowns" to exchange them for the unknown glorious life.

Lastly, if He calls us to leave something behind, it may be for a reason that we will never know until we get to heaven. We can seek confirmation of the calling. Then you and I must trust that His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. If He has called us to leave a post, then He is responsible for the consequences and the outcome.

Pray with me: Oh, Lord, give us the heart to trust You when You call. May we not say, "Lord, first let me go," but may we be like Isaiah and say, "Lord, here I am. Send me." Empower and encourage us to live the life of the highest calling in service to You. It's in the Name of above all names, in Jesus' Name, Yeshua's Name, we pray. Amen.