Don’t Look Back

Don’t Look Back

Remember Lot’s wife. Luke 17:32

The call to follow Jesus is very one-dimensional. It’s a straightforward, take up your cross, and this world has nothing for me kind of call. That’s the point Jesus was trying to make when he called up the image of Lot’s wife.

Lot was Abraham’s cousin who made the poor choice of settling in one of the most carnal and godless cities on the planet. Things got so bad there that God decided it would be best to just remove the city from the face of the earth. And in his grace, God gave Lot advanced notice and the opportunity to escape before judgment came.

The angel who helped Lot and his family escape gave them a strict warning—don’t look back. Why? His point was that there was nothing in the city that had any attraction for them. They needed to move on without any regard for where they had been. That may seem harsh to us, but once God pronounces judgment, the time for begging and lamenting is passed.

As Lot and his family crested a hill outside the city, Lot’s wife turned to look back. She died instantly. God judged her for giving attention to what he had deemed no longer worthy of it.

That was Jesus’ point. The call to follow Jesus includes the call to abandon all ties to this world. The ways and whims of culture, the allure and short-term pleasure of sin, and the riches and comfort that choke out our spiritual fervor are no longer worthy of our attention. They distract us, lead us astray and pollute the take up your cross message that comes with following Jesus.

So Jesus says Don’t look back.

We all face the daily temptation to look over our shoulder to see how others are faring. We’re not above sometimes thinking that a life without God has some appeal. We want to stop and just take a peek—just to keep the memory of our former lives in our brains.

Jesus says we can have no part of our former lives or of the system that lives under the wrath of God. It’s neither worthy of us nor of the Christ in us.

So don’t look back. Set your face forward and your hand firmly to God’s Kingdom plow. Don’t dabble with sin. Don’t keep one foot in the world. Don’t look back.

This world has nothing for you.