The Cost of Following Jesus (The Price is Right) Luke 9
• The chapter starts with Jesus sending out the 12 disciples for the first time on their own.
o In verses 1-6. Jesus has a commissioning service and gives them authority to drive out all demons.
o Jesus also tells them to take nothing with for the journey…nothing but the clothes on their back.
• In verses 10 -17 they get to see an incredible miracle take place in their own hands.
o They feed 5000 people (closer to 15,000 to 20,000 when you also count the women and children)
• Verses 18-21 Peter gets it and sees that Jesus is the Christ. Spirit realm revelation.
• Then Jesus warns them that He must suffer and die.
o He also tells them they must pick up their own cross, suffer and die to themselves.
•In verses 28-36 Peter, James, and John go up on the mountain with Jesus and witness the transfiguration.
• They come down from the mountain and we begin to see a bit of a downward spiral for the disciples.
o The disciples begin to argue about who is the greatest.
• Jesus responds to this by telling them to be the least. To be like a child. Where is the dying to yourself?
•Verses 51–56 Jesus sets out for Jerusalem, but along the way He faces persecution and rejection.
• We must not lose sight of two things with this.
o First, all of these blessings and costs are part of the normal life with Jesus.
o Second, this is also all in the context of spreading the Gospel
• I think all of this context is important to keep in mind as we look at this last section on the cost.
Verse 58 Jesus wants to see where the man’s heart really is.
• Jesus has already told His disciples to take nothing with for the journey.
• Now here He says that even the animals are better off than He is, He has no permanent home.
• But the questions we must all begin to ask are, in what ways and to what level has the stuff, possessions of our life begun to interfere with our life with Jesus?
Verse 60 Most commentators deal with this passage very literally.
• So, let’s look at this comment in light of the context of the previous chapter.
o What if this statement by Jesus was a reference to dying to ourselves?
• What if Jesus is saying, “Your priority must be the proclamation of the Gospel and not things that have no life.” ….Maybe he meant give no attention to things that have no life for you.
Verse 62 Jesus’ answer shows us that there may have been a little more in mind than a simple good bye.
• We take our eye off of Jesus and look around or behind us for better options.
o So we all have to ask the questions, what am I turning back to look at?
The cost: We face costs in our life every day.
• And to be honest, many of us put a lot of attention on those costs.
• But Jesus says there is a cost to following Him.
o How much time do we spend discerning if we are paying the right price?
