In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches the cost of discipleship, the cost of following him. Three people come forward wanting to follow Jesus. The first one makes the bold claim: “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus accepts him but also warns him of the cost of discipleship: “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
The next two also want to follow Jesus but first want to take care of their duties to their families: “Lord, let me go first and bury my father…let me first say farewell to my family at home.” Jesus’ replies are shocking: “Let the dead bury their dead…No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.” These sayings are meant to be shocking and challenging but not in a literal sense. Recall the similar shocking sayings of Jesus about the cost of discipleship:
“If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
“In the same way, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27, 33)
The point in all these shocking statements is that following Jesus and doing God’s will has to come before all, even our own will and way.
Jesus teaches us to love one another as God has loved us so of course we should love father, mother, and our self. We show this love when we perform family duties. Nevertheless, discipleship, follow Jesus needs to come before all these solemn and most sacred duties.
Jesus invites us to come “Follow me.”
Image: “Jesus Calls Disciples Theme Slide” by Will Humes is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.