Thoughts for the Day

Would-Be Followers of Jesus

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, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ 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 a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The incident in today's reading from Luke's Gospel comes as Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem and to his approaching death. Three people want to follow him. The first is warned that the "Son of Man" has nowhere to lay his head, which seems to refer to the dangers that lie ahead. This term has links to the Book of Daniel where a mysterious figure is given authority by God (Daniel 7.13-14), and was thought by all to refer to the coming of the Messiah who would rescue God's people.

The second person is rather brutally told by Jesus to "let the dead bury their own dead", which is surely a criticism of those who are spiritually dead and who will reject him. Jesus looks at the man and sees one who would be a disciple, but perhaps his commitment has begun to waver. Has he enough moral and spiritual strength to do the task in such difficult times? We have to hope he answers a second call to "proclaim the Kingdom of God" later in his life.

The third person again brutally, is told that he is not fit for the Kingdom of God if he wishes to say farewell to his family. But here I take a small issue with the image of the farmer and his plough! Having taken part in enough Ploughing festivals and Plough Services over the years I know that the farmer must look ahead initially in order to plough a straight furrow. But just before, or as they turn to do the next furrow, they will look back to check to see if they need to adjust the following furrow.

All of us are called to spread God's Kingdom in word and deed, but we can look back, see what went wrong in our life, and change our future furrows for God's Kingdom!

Holy Spirit,
as we enter the season of Pentecost,
and think again of Your coming to the disciples
may we look back over our life as Christians
and re-evaluate where we stand today.
With Your help may we readjust our priorities
for the future,
seeking to be less self-centred
and more Christian-centred;
to be less secular-centred,
and more mission-centred.
Amen.