The Cost of Following Christ

In this passage, Luke develops the necessity of a true and proper understanding of the nature of the kingdom of God in the present age. He illustrated the wrong perspective of the disciples in three incidents: (1) the request of James and John to sit at Jesus right hand, which resulted in the disciples arguing among themselves. (2) In the next incident, the disciples sought to prevent a follower of Jesus from casting out demons because he was with them. Here they showed a spirit of rivalry and jealousy. (3) In the third incident, the disciples wanted to bring vengeance on a Samaritan village that refused to accommodate the party in their journey to Jerusalem. In this they demonstrated a spirit of hostility. Finally, in the closing verses of chapter 9, Jesus again taught about the cost of following Him.