Leaving all behind to follow

I’ve always thought about this story whenever I read the story of the man Jesus called to follow him. 

The man 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 9:61-62)

The parallel cannot be escaped.  Here Elijah calls Elisha to succeed him as prophet, and Elisha answers,

Let me kiss my father and mother good-by, and then I will come with you. (1 Kings 19:20)

And Elijah allowed it.

What was the difference? 

I suppose one difference was who was doing the calling.  Jesus certainly commands higher respect than Elijah does. 

But I think it was more a matter of the heart. 

I think the man who spoke to Jesus was reluctant to go because he would miss his family.  And Jesus didn’t want someone who would always be looking back to where he came from. 

He wanted someone who would instead be focusing on what Jesus was calling him to do.

And if you look at Elisha, that’s exactly the type of person he was. 

Here was this man for whom farming was his life.  But what did he do when Elijah called him?  He slaughtered the oxen that he had owned and burned up the plow, using the fire to cook the oxen.  And after that, he left all to follow Elijah.

For Elisha, there was no looking back once he started to follow Elijah.  Once he burned everything, there was nothing to look back to.

And that’s how God wants us to be. 

Not looking back longingly at our past life.  But looking at the one who loved us and redeemed us. 

Not holding on to what we once had. But leaving all behind to follow him.

I remember hearing a message once about being a missionary in Japan.  My pastor said something I’ve never forgotten. 

He said, if you’re going to be a missionary in Japan, don’t have a plan B (that is, going back home).  Only have a plan A (that is, staying in Japan permanently). 

If God gives you plan B later, that’s fine.  But don’t come thinking that if things get tough, you’ll go to plan B. 

This is especially important in Japan where relationships take time to develop and are very important to the Japanese people.

From that point on, I determined to stick with plan A, and God has blessed.

How about you?  Have you left all to follow Jesus?  Or are you always looking back?

Remember the words of Paul who wrote,

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:13-14)