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Read:
Scripture for Sunday, January 29: Luke 9:57-62
Additional Scripture: 1 Kings 19: 15-21
Jesus is continuing on the road from Galilee to Jerusalem when meets three men considering his call of discipleship.
The first man volunteers to follow Jesus: "I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus is clear and direct, leaving the man with no misconceptions about what life following him is like: "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Jesus calls another man: "Follow me."
That man says, "I will. But first let me bury my father."
Most likely the man's father isn't already dead, awaiting burial. The man is probably asking to defer following Jesus until a time when he is free to leave home.
Jesus' response seems hardened, calloused for a Savior who has recognized grief and done miracles to alleviate it.
"Let the dead bury their own dead. You go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
One commentator suggests that Jesus' call comes at a crucial time in the man's spiritual life. He suggests that if the man does not take action at the point of Jesus' call to put the conviction of his heart into practice through active discipleship, he may never act upon God's call in his life.
The third interaction is with a man who wants to say goodbye to his family before he follows Jesus. Surely that is a reasonable request: even the great Elijah allowed of Elisha to say goodbye in 1 Kings 19.
But no. Jesus is more demanding than Elijah here: "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
Jesus, his own face set toward Jerusalem, is stating a plowing fact: You can't plow a straight row while looking backwards. You have to face forward. Jesus is calling the man not to live in the past but to step forward into a future following him.
Reflect:
What has following Jesus cost you in terms of comfort or convenience?
Is there something you have sensed Christ calling you to do that you deferred until you never followed through on it? Or, is there a way you have responded to Christ in a timely way? What were the benefits of obedience?
How might God be inviting you to set your face forward as you follow him each day?
