Scripture Daily

Context No. 3010 of 4322 · Luke

Context · Reflection

Luke 9:57-62: in context

57As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, “I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord.” 58Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59He said to another, “Follow me!” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.” 60But Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce God’s Kingdom.” 61Another also said, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say good-bye to those who are at my house.” 62But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.”

Three would-be followers meet Jesus on the road. One eagerly says he will follow anywhere; Jesus warns that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Another Jesus calls, but the man asks first to go and bury his father; Jesus says, let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom. A third will follow, but wants first to say goodbye at home; Jesus answers, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

Jesus is blunt about the cost of following him. To the eager volunteer he offers no comfort or security: I have nowhere to lay my head. To the others he insists the kingdom takes precedence even over legitimate family duties and farewells, not because those things are worthless, but because discipleship cannot be a yes, but first. The plow image is sharp: a farmer who keeps glancing back cuts a crooked furrow. Following Jesus means fixing our eyes forward, not hedging our commitment with backward looks at what we are reluctant to leave.

Is my following of Jesus a wholehearted "yes," or a "yes, but first," with my eyes still glancing back at what I am reluctant to leave?

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