Week 3: Chapter 2 — A Relationship Requires Complete Commitment

1.Idleman walks through three brief encounters in Luke 9:57–62 — the enthusiastic volunteer, the man who wants to bury his father first, and the man who wants to say goodbye to his family. How does Jesus respond to each one, and what does his response reveal about the cost of following him?

2.The author describes the first would-be follower as someone who is all enthusiasm but no counting of the cost. Have you ever made a commitment to Jesus in a moment of excitement that you later found yourself unable to sustain? What happened?

3.The second man who says "let me first bury my father" is likely not asking to attend an imminent funeral — scholars suggest he may be asking to wait until his father eventually dies and he receives his inheritance. If that is the case, what is he really saying to Jesus? What "first" in your own life most competes with following Jesus completely?