Spectator to Follower of Jesus

Reflections for this date are based on the following scripture passages:
Luke 7	Luke 8	Luke 9	Exodus 25	Exodus 26	Psalms 32	Proverbs 10

When it comes to following Jesus, too many of us are "Monday morning quarterbacks" (MMQB) who have the "answers" but never play the game. We are spectators who want to pretend to know how best to play the game. To mix metaphors, as MMQB types we want to stick our toes in the water to test the temperature but never really get in the water.

This is the type of so-called followers Jesus was addressing in Luke 9:57-62. People were continually following Him around anxious to witness the next miracle or listen to His refreshing teachings which were so unlike what they had been raised on at the synogogue. But when Jesus invited them to move from spectator to follower, they all offered excuses. Their excuses sounded reasonable and legitimate, but excuses nevertheless. We would have bought their excuses because we use them ourselves.

One person proclaimed to follower Jesus wherever He went, but decided otherwise when Jesus told the man He didn't even have a home to call His own where He could lay His head. The man was not willing to face hardship on Jesus' behalf. The next considered His family more important than Jesus, saying he first had to bury his father. Though we assume from this his father was near death, that was not necessarily the case. The point is that he was using his father as an excuse not to follow Jesus. The third man's excuse was similar to the second in that he used his family as the excuse. Again, we assume from his words he merely wanted to quickly tell them of his plans to follow Jesus and tell them good-bye before heading off with Jesus. But Jesus' response leads us to believe this to be an excuse. He wanted to sound willing to do anything for Jesus while not really doing anything for Him.

This account in Luke begs the question for us, "Am I a spectator or a follower of Jesus?" Does my "following" comprise doing Jesus the favor of showing up to worship service on Sunday to watch what goes on and then returning to life as usual? Or maybe I go the extra mile and show up for a Bible study or small group in addition to worship. Does this make me a follower? Really?

Jesus told what it means to be His follower in Luke 9:23: "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Can we really call ourselves a follower of Jesus as long as our "following" is on our terms rather than His?