The conversation about following Jesus tends to be confusing. Discipleship is often presented as black and white, clean-cut, and straightforward in theological circles, books, and Christian media. Yet the reality of discipleship rarely matches this simple portrayal.
For many believers, discipleship feels messy and sometimes infuriating. It’s a journey of steps forward and backward, a mixed bag of good intentions and failed follow-through. What many present as a one-time decision (I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back) doesn’t align with the complicated reality most Christians experience.
The painful truth we must face is that we lack the unwavering commitment to follow Jesus fully. We hesitate and turn back due to our divided hearts and misplaced priorities.
When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem. And He sent messengers ahead of Him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for Him. But the people did not receive Him, because His face was set toward Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do You want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.
As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” To another He said, “Follow Me.” But He said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus Sets His Face Toward the Cross
Luke 9:51 marks a pivotal turning point: “When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem.” This wasn’t a casual decision but divine resolve and an unshakable commitment to His Father’s will and redemptive purpose.
Jesus purposely and willfully moved toward sacrifice. From this point, Luke shows Jesus on a journey where the tone shifts as He engages different audiences with tailored messages.
When Luke says Jesus “sets His face” to Jerusalem, the phrase carries significant meaning. In the Old Testament, God set His face toward cities for judgment (a terrifying prospect of divine focus). But God also set His face toward His people in grace: “May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.”
Here, Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem not to give judgment but to embrace it. Not to receive grace, but to give it. He moves forward to embrace God’s wrath for our sin and to extend the gift of redemption.
Isaiah 50 captures this perfectly: “I turned not backward. I have set my face like a flint.” Jesus, incarnate God, was the only one with divine focus sufficient to accomplish this redemptive mission.
Not everyone welcomed this message. When Jesus passed through a Samaritan village, they rejected Him because his destination was Jerusalem: a cultural and religious affront to Samaritans who worshiped at Mount Gerizim. The disciples responded poorly, asking, “Lord, do You want us to call fire down from heaven?” They failed to understand that Jesus came to bring mercy, not judgment, even to those who rejected Him.
We Turn Our Face Away from the Cross
Jesus’s resolve exposes our weakness. His unwavering commitment to mercy rather than judgment reveals our self-centered nature.
In verses 57-62, three would-be disciples approach Jesus, each eager to follow but ultimately faltering in ways that mirror our own struggles.
The first says, “I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus responds that foxes have holes and birds have nests, but He has nowhere to lay his head. Discipleship comes at the cost of comfort and security. When this reality hits, the would-be follower turns away.
The second is called by Jesus but hesitates: “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus replies, “Let the dead bury their dead. But as for you, proclaim the kingdom of God.” This man wanted to follow on his own terms, clinging to duty and religiosity. When called to radical trust, he couldn’t commit.
The third says, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus responds, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” This potential disciple’s heart was divided between loves, unable to look forward without looking back.
If discipleship becomes merely duty, the kingdom of God remains out of focus. When following Jesus centers on personal accomplishment rather than grace, something other than the kingdom always takes priority.
We often sing “no turning back,” yet turn back constantly. Our hearts remain divided and our priorities misplaced.
Thankfully, the story doesn’t end with our ability to follow Jesus. Our discipleship succeeds only through union with Christ, the one went to the cross knowing we would turn back, break promises, waver in commitment, and look away from the cross.
That’s precisely why He went. He set His face toward Jerusalem without looking back. Every step He took was for us. Every motion toward the cross happened because we couldn’t and wouldn’t make that journey.
Jesus didn’t flinch, hesitate, or say “but first.” He embraced every ounce of judgment for our sins to pour out every measure of grace. When He cried, “It is finished,” He completed our discipleship. He went to the cross in our place because we couldn’t.
Discipleship isn’t about mustering strength to follow perfectly. It’s about trusting that Jesus has already done it for us. It’s not earning His love through unwavering commitment but resting in His unshakable commitment to us.
When we turn back, hesitate, and wander, Jesus doesn’t turn away. He carries, holds, and remains in us as we remain in Him. His face was set toward the cross so His heart could be forever set on us.
Rest in him. Trust him. Let his grace define your journey. His decision to love us stands firm, with no turning back in His promise or His love. And because of Him, we move steadily toward the New Jerusalem.
This article is a recap of a sermon preached by Pastor Hunter Sipe at Good Shepherd Bible Church on Sunday, May 4, 2025 entitled No Turning Back. This sermon continues our expositional series on Luke’s gospel entitled Luke: Good News for the Rest of Us. This sermon and others are available for listening on the Good Shepherd Bible Church Sermon Podcast.
Good Shepherd Bible Church is an Acts 29 church located in Pataskala, OH serving the eastern Columbus area.
We invite you to explore our website to learn more about GSBC, consider connecting at our church, or read about our core beliefs.