THE KING’S BUSINESS
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a realization of the meaning of his hasty yow. It means something to follow Jesus "whithersoever” He goes. It means to re ceive the same treatment from the world that He received (cf. 2 Tim. 3:12). Jesus made this plain to those who would fol low Him, and we ought to make it plain to those who profess and desire to follow Him. today. There is far too great a tendency in our day to deceive those who would accept Jesus, by describing the path of following Him as one only of rest, sun shine, happiness, and ragtime music. Jesus desires that every one before starting out to be His follower, should count the cost (Luke 14:28-33); The purpose to follow Him, if intelligent, always involves a will ingness to be a homeless wanderer on earth. Every true disciple must be willing to take what Jesus Himself received (cf. John 15:20; 1 Peter 2 :21). God Himself always" furnished our homeless Lord with a rest ing place for His head when the night came around, and He will always furnish us with resting places if we will only trust Him and obey Him (Phil. 4:19). We see here the extreme poverty of our Lord. He spent His whole life here on earth in ex treme poverty, that we might become par takers of the infinite wealth of God (2 Cor. 8:9). It would be a good thing if some of Jesus’ disciples today would volun tarily forget some of the luxuries and com forts of life, and lead such a life of sim plicity and poverty as our Lord Himself led. Tuesday, December 7. Luke 9:59-62. The scribe in the last lesson had said, “I will follow Thee.” Now Jesus turns to another man and says to him, “Follow Me.” How. short, but how all-inclusive that com-'' mand. This man was already in some sense a disciple of Jesus (cf. Matt. 8:21). The man seemed to have some realization of what the invitation involved, and was ready to accept it, but he wished to do something else first. Ah! there is the trouble with many a man. He will indeed follow Jesus, but not just yet. What this man wished to do first was a very proper thing in its
the agony and shame that awaited Him, our Lord “steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” (cf. 12:50; Acts 20:22-24; 21:11-14). He prepared the way for His^ own approach by sending His disciples as messengers before Him (cf. 7:27; 10:1; Mai. 3:1). It was a wondrous privilege these disciples had in going before our Lord to make ready for Him, but we to day may have the same privilege of pre paring the way for our Lord when He shall come again. On a previous visit to the Samaritans He had been cordially received (John 4:40-42), but on this occasion the reception is different, and the reason is given in verse 53, The disciples were no unlike' their Lord that they bitterly re sented the treatment that He now re ceived. They thought it was pure love for Him that inspired the suggestion that they made (V: 54), but it certainly was not. Professed disciples of Jesus today often show a similar spirit and think it is love for Jesus when it is only selfishness. Jesus “rebuked” this spirit in them, and He also rebukes it in us. He rebuked them be cause He loved them (Rev. 3:19). If we treat with anger and bitterness even those who reject our Lord, we shall have, not His compassion, but His rebuke. Monday, December 6 . Luke 9:57, 58.' The man who came to Jesus in verse 57 was a scribe (Matt. 8:19). Men of his class as a rule were not favorable toward Jesus, but this one had been, awakened by the displays of power which he had seen, and he turned to Jesus with the promising declaration, “I will follow Thee whither soever Thou goest.” This resolution was in itself a commendable one (cf. John 12:26; Matt. 16:24; 19:28; John 8:12; 10:27, 28; Rev. 14:4), but the man who made it had no adequate idea of how much was involved in his promise. I wonder how many of those who sing so gleefully nowadays, “I will go where you want me to go, dear Lord,” have any more adequate idea of what they are singing than this impetuous scribe had of what he was say ing. But Jesus soon brings the scribe to
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