In Luke 9:57, the Lord is on His way to Jerusalem to suffer and die. While He is “on the road” to that destination, a man comes up to Him and tells the Lord that he will follow Him, wherever He goes.  

We can confidently conclude that this man is a believer. He believes that Jesus is the Christ, and now wants to follow Him in discipleship. As most readers of this blog know, there is a difference between being a believer and being a disciple. This man comes to the Lord, saying that he wants to walk in Christ’s footsteps and learn from Him. He is willing to pay that price. A disciple will be rewarded by his Master. 

But what did this man think following the Lord would involve? What did he think it would cost? He knew Jesus was the Christ and saw that He was on the road to Jerusalem. It appears that he thought Jesus was going there to rule. The twelve disciples closest to the Lord thought that way. They did not understand that He was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die. They had likely expressed their feelings to others, such as this man. 

I think this man wanted in on the action. The disciples were arguing among themselves about how great they would be when Jesus began His reign, which they thought was to happen very soon (Luke 9:46). This man knew he wasn’t in the King’s inner circle, but he wanted to be in His cabinet. 

His phrase, “wherever You go,” should be understood in that light. He was content to go wherever the Lord pleased. When they got to Jerusalem, he wouldn’t be on the King’s left or right hand. He wouldn’t be His chief of staff. But he could take another place of authority. If the Lord wanted him to be the mayor of Bethlehem, that was great. He was willing even to be the mayor of a city up north in Galilee. Christ’s kingdom would be worldwide. This man would accept being the King’s ambassador to a Gentile nation. He was flexible. “Wherever” the Lord went with him tagging along would be acceptable to him. 

The basic point is that this man thought, like the Twelve, that the kingdom was coming immediately. He thought that as a disciple, his near future involved a life of power and honor. It did not matter where that honorable position was located.  

He did not understand. Jesus points out to him that He had “nowhere to lay His head.” The Lord was not heading to a palace. He was not going to Jerusalem and around Israel to give out palaces to His disciples.  

In the previous verses, Luke describes how the Lord had no place to lay His head. He had come into a city in Samaria and was looking for a place to sleep. The people kicked Him out of their town (9:51-56).  

This man thought he was going to a lovely home with a big, soft bed. That is what he thought being a disciple meant. The Lord sets the record straight. Following Him in discipleship will not bring the applause of the world. It will bring opposition and the lack of certain comforts. 

Sometimes people believe in Christ and are misled. They are told that now that they are children of God, life will improve. They will find a better job. They will find a perfect spouse. Their marriage will improve. If believers are faithful, God will bless them in those kinds of ways. 

That’s what this man thought. He was wrong. If you follow Christ, you might find a great job and a great wife or husband. You might not. But what you will find is this: The world will not approve of your life. The Lord will reward His disciples when He returns and rules.  

In this life, disciples can expect difficulties. That is what the Lord told this man. That is what He says to us. His words remind me of the old country song, “I never promised you a rose garden.”