57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” 62Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Reflection Notes:
Jesus expects his followers to be totally faithful without any conditions or restrictions. He wants them to accept the cross as well as the crown, judgement as well as mercy, to relinquish all and focus entirely on Jesus. Jesus’ response to the first person is: “Count your cost before following me.” According to the Jewish customs, the second person probably meant that “I’ll wait until my father dies before I come to follow you.” Jesus advised him to grasp the opportunity to respond to the moving of the Holy Spirit at the time. The third person probably wanted to settle his family affairs and if time allows, then he’ll come to follow Jesus. The farmer has to look straight ahead in order to plow straight furrows for planting seeds. Jesus says that if we want to become a member of God’s kingdom, we need to focus our attention on God, and not allow the world to distract our focus elsewhere.
Reflection on the cost of discipleship is a daily matter. Jesus is calling you to come and follow him today, what excuses would you use to delay Jesus’ calling? Does Jesus delight in your excuses? What are the things that are holding you back? Are you willing to allow Jesus to take away these things from you?
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