Following Jesus on the Way

A Sermon on Luke 9:51-62

Introduction

Before starting a trip, you plan. Part of that planning is figuring out what you need to bring, and just as importantly, what you can or must leave behind.

When Michelle’s SUV finally broke down, and we decided to downsize and get her a car instead, we had to consider that when we travel, we would have to leave more things behind than usual. We won’t be able to take as much with us.

Figuring out what to bring with you and what to leave behind isn’t just an important question to answer before traveling. As we’ll see, they’re also significant questions for discipleship, because, like traveling, discipleship is a journey.

The Gospel of Luke is a narrative of journeying. From Luke 9:51, when Jesus “sets his face toward Jerusalem,” until chapter 19, when he enters the city at last, everything takes place on the road, or even better, “On the Way.”

This journey of Jesus to Jerusalem is not filler material in the middle of Luke’s Gospel, as if what matters for Luke is only Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is the spiritual center of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus is traveling toward the place of his suffering, death, and resurrection, and he is inviting his disciples to follow him on this journey.

It’s worth noting that this journey theme isn't limited to Luke’s Gospel. We know that journeying is a significant theme for Luke because it’s also a prominent theme in his second book. In the Book of Acts, Luke recounts Paul’s journey to Rome, the symbolic center of the known world at that time. In both volumes, Luke shows that the Christian life isn’t a settled existence, but a journey—sometimes perilous, but always purposeful.

As N. T. Wright puts it:

Travelling in obedience to God’s call is one of Luke’s central pictures for what it means to be a Christian. Following Jesus is what it’s all about.¹

At St. Dunstan’s, we describe ourselves as “a church on the way.” That’s not just a slogan; it’s a declaration of who we are. It means we are not a people who have arrived; we are people in motion, people on a journey, people following Jesus wherever he leads. This morning, we are invited to ask a simple, soul-searching question:

Are we truly following Jesus? Are we truly on the way?

Three Individuals on the Way

The ESV states in vs. 57 that Jesus and his disciples were going “along the road” to Jerusalem. This translation is OK, but an overly literal translation of ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ might say they were “on the way.” As they travel to Jerusalem, Jesus encounters three individuals who each show a desire, or at least a willingness, to follow Jesus. However, Jesus gives each of them a reply that surprises them and reveals the true nature of discipleship. These three men, though unnamed, are forever remembered in Holy Scripture so that they might serve as mirrors for us today.

The Enthusiast

We’ll call the first man the Enthusiast. He steps forward confidently and says, “I will follow you wherever you go.” His confidence and enthusiasm are admirable. Many people today want to follow Jesus, but they haven’t counted the cost. They start with enthusiasm, but end in despair. Jesus responds to this man with sobering words:

“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58).

In other words, following Jesus means letting go of security and stability. It means letting go of comfort and casual living. Discipleship is not a path to easy street but a journey of faith, hope, and love. Jesus will not lure us with false promises; he tells us the truth: the road ahead is narrow, and our comfort is not its primary concern.

The Obligationist

We’ll refer to the second man as the Obligationist. This man does not volunteer; he is directly called by Jesus, who says, “Follow me.” The man hears the call but asks for a delay: “Let me first go and bury my father.” This concern was not a casual excuse. In Jewish law, burying one’s father was the most sacred family obligation—one that superseded all others. But Jesus replies,

“Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60).

His response is deliberately jarring. The call to follow Jesus must reorder all other priorities and obligations. Not even the highest cultural, civil, or religious duty should take precedence over obedience to Christ.

The Compromiser

We’ll call the third man the Compromiser. He offers a hesitant, compromised commitment: “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” This moment echoes the story of Elisha, who was plowing a field when Elijah cast his cloak upon him, signaling a prophetic call (1 Kgs 19:19-20). Elisha asked to return and say goodbye, and Elijah allowed it. But Jesus, who is greater than Elijah and whose call is therefore more important and urgent than Elijah’s, replies,

“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

To follow Jesus is to commit to moving forward without looking back. Discipleship is not a negotiation. It is a single-minded, forward-facing call.

Each of these men wants to follow Jesus, but on their own terms. And Jesus lovingly, but clearly, says: you don’t set the terms. I do.

The Mirror Before Us

It’s tempting to want to keep this story at arm’s length and see it merely as an account of three anonymous men from the past who failed to follow Jesus. But Luke includes this scene for our benefit. He shares this story to remind us what it means to follow Jesus. These three men serve as mirrors. They reveal our hearts, our excuses, and our hesitations. So, let me ask you to imagine something.

Imagine if you followed Jesus with the urgency and commitment he describes here. Imagine if your loyalty to him overshadowed all other obligations. Imagine if your discipleship influenced your schedule, your spending, your family life, your choices, and your priorities—everything.

What would your week look like if you truly believed that following Jesus was the most essential thing in your life? What would change? What would stay the same but become more meaningful?

And now, the most challenging question of all: What is stopping you from that life?

Is it comfort? Is it the need to be in control? Is it obligations that, while good, have become too overwhelming and take up too much of your time? Is it nostalgia or fear, looking back at what you’re leaving behind instead of forward to what Jesus is calling you toward?

Whatever it is, whatever is causing that delta between the life you imagined and the life you’re living now, name it. Bring it out of darkness and into the light. Jesus is not here to shame you, but to call you. And he is not calling you to an idea, a concept, or even a religion; he is calling you to himself.

Following Jesus will cost you something. It will stretch you. You may have to let go of some things you never thought you could. But it will never cost you more than what you gain. And when you stumble, he will never leave you. When you hesitate, he will wait for you, for his mercy is as real as his call.

The road may be narrow and treacherous, but it is the only path that leads to eternal life. Jesus has walked it before you, and he has poured out his Spirit into your heart to lead you on that path.

A Church on the Way

As I said, at St. Dunstan’s, we call ourselves a church on the way. That phrase is not just branding. It’s a calling. We are not a people who have everything figured out. We are not a people who have already arrived. We are people in motion, people on a journey, people who are following Jesus together.

The path of discipleship is not always safe, but it is always good. The one who has gone ahead of us is the one who gave his life for us, but he is also the one who bids us to take up our cross and follow him.

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote:

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”²

That is the cost, but it is also our hope. A life spent following Jesus “on the way” is the only life that leads to Easter Sunday.

So today, hear again the call of Jesus: “Follow me.”

When you hear his call, do not delay, do not look back, and do not compromise.

Let us be a church that is genuinely on the way—with the world behind us, Christ before us, the cross beside us, and the Holy Spirit within us and leading us to the Promised Land of eternal, resurrected life.

Amen.

1. Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 117.

2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Macmillan, 1959), 99.

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Life Group Discussion Guide

Intro Prayer

Lord Jesus, as we gather to discuss what it truly means to follow you, open our hearts to hear your calling. Help us identify what holds us back from fully committing to your path, and grant us the courage to respond faithfully to your invitation to follow you no matter the cost. Amen.

Ice Breaker

What's the most challenging journey or trip you've ever taken, and what did you have to leave behind to make it happen?

Key Verses

• Luke 9:51

• Luke 9:57-62

• Luke 19:28

Questions

• What resonates most with you among the three individuals' responses to Jesus' call - the enthusiast, the obligationist, or the compromiser? Why?

• Jesus tells the first man that he “has nowhere to lay his head.” What comforts might we need to release to follow Jesus truly?

• How do we balance our significant family obligations with our commitment to following Christ?

• What does it mean practically in your life to “put your hand to the plow and not look back”?

• The sermon asks us to imagine following Jesus with complete urgency and commitment. What would change in your daily life if you lived this way?

• What is currently in your 'delta' - the gap between your imagined life of following Jesus and your current reality?

• How does being part of a 'church on the way' differ from being part of a church that claims to have everything figured out?

• The sermon states that following Jesus will cost something, but never more than what you gain. What has following Jesus cost you, and what have you gained?

Life Application

This week, identify one specific area where you've been hesitating or compromising in your walk with Christ. Create a concrete plan to move forward in that area, whether it's adjusting your schedule, changing a habit, or releasing something that's holding you back from a more fulfilling discipleship.

Key Takeaways

• Discipleship is a journey that requires both taking up new things and leaving others behind

• Following Jesus means reordering all other priorities and obligations

• The cost of discipleship is real, but the rewards always outweigh what we must give up

• True discipleship requires forward movement without looking back or negotiating terms

• We are called to follow Jesus together as a community on the way

Ending Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for calling us to follow you on this journey of discipleship. Give us the strength to leave behind what holds us back, the courage to move forward without looking back, and the wisdom to trust that your path leads to eternal life. Help us support one another as we journey together, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. In His name we pray, Amen.