The Lord spoke to another and said, "Follow Me." The natural man is full of excuses to avoid obeying God, even using the burying of his father to avoid following the Lord Jesus. The issues of the kingdom of God are paramount; nothing should interfere.
"And another also said, Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:61,6261And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:61‑62).
The above reference connects us with Elisha's ministry and is probably taken from it. This scripture is often used to apply to a person going out to serve the Lord, getting discouraged, and returning home again. I have no objection to this application. The Lord said to His disciples, "How readest thou?" Luke 10:2626He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? (Luke 10:26). We should be very careful how we read the Word of God. The emphasis here is on "is fit." The proper interpretation is that if a man turns back to the call of nature rather than the call of the Lord, he is not fit for the kingdom of God.
What a solemn thing it is when God speaks. What did Peter and Matthew do when He spoke? They up and followed Him. Dear friend, the answer that you give the Lord determines your eternal destiny.
In the Gospel of Luke the Spirit of God sets before us the Lord Jesus as Man, as you would see a man going about in this world with a particular purpose. The purpose that was before Him was to open up the hidden springs of the human heart, so that in exposing them He might fill the heart with the measureless grace of God which meets every need of that heart. Man's need can be met in no other way except through Jesus. At the same time we see the blessed Savior attracting the heart of a rebel sinner to Himself and drawing the heart, as it were, with the cords of a Man because He came to us as Man and also with the cords of love.
By coming down in grace to us, the Lord Jesus does not forfeit one bit of that glory, holiness, or righteousness which properly belongs to God. In the scriptures with which we're occupied, we see the beginnings of a soul with God. The one who is led to know something of his own heart will simply wait on God in dependence, because dependence and obedience characterize Christianity.