Jesus said this to let him know what
kind of death he would die to glorify God.
Then Jesus told him, "Follow me."
This verse leaves all of us with a command and there are no choices to make about that command. There are going to be people that will say that following Jesus brings the risk having a bad ending to one's life, after all Christ's life ends with a tragic crucifixion and the horrifying demise of His disciples: Matthew was slain with a sword; Mark was dragged through the streets and killed; Luke was hanged; John was scarred in a cauldron of boiling oil and imprisoned; Peter was crucified upside down; James the Greater was beheaded; James the Less was beaten to death; Bartholomew was flayed alive; Andrew was crucified; Thomas was lanced to death; Jude was shot with an arrow; Barnabas was stoned to death; Matthias was stoned and then beheaded; and last but not least, Paul was tortured and beheaded. Ironically, while these deaths may appear tragic in the eyes of the unsaved, the world in the here and now has been changed forever by their obedience to God's call. For the faithful children of God, it should be understood without argument that when we follow Jesus, the world ceases to be our home and that we inherit Heaven as our eternal and joyous home.
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