Rachel Workman: 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus
replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place
to lay his head.”
59 He
said to another man, “Follow me.”
But
he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus
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
goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus
replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service
in the kingdom of God.” It wasn't the activities that were the problem. It
was the excuses that were given that Jesus rebuked. When we say I will Lord but
hey first let me... Jesus see right through us. It's the wrong attitude to
have. I will read my bible but first me watch my show. That's pretty much close
to the same thing.
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John Burnett:
51 As
the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set
out for Jerusalem. 52 And
he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get
things ready for him; 53 but
the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for
Jerusalem. 54 When
the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us
to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[a]?”55 But Jesus turned and rebuked
them. 56 Then
he and his disciples went to another village. James
and John are just like any other Christian who gets a little too big for their
britches. We think to highly of ourselves at times and Jesus was always
preaching humility.
The Cost of Following Jesus
57 As
they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you
wherever you go.”
58 Jesus
replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of
Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He
said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my
father.”
60 Jesus
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
goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus
replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for
service in the kingdom of God.” Harsh words but people do not
realize how insignificant burying the dead and saying goodbye is in the big
scheme of our eternity and the salvation of others.
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Mike Grimm:
57 As they were
walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied,
“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay
his head.”
This man desired to follow Jesus but knew
little of the cost. Even animals have their own home, but Jesus didn't, and so
it cost something to follow this kind of Messiah.
59 He said to another
man, “Follow me.”
But he
replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him,
“Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Jesus
was proclaiming that true discipleship requires instant action. Jesus did not
teach people to forsake responsibility to family, but he often gave commands to
people in light of their real motives. Perhaps this man wanted to delay
following Christ and used his father as an excuse. There is a cost to following
Jesus, and each of us must be ready to serve, even when it requires sacrifice.
61 Still another
said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my
family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No
one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the
kingdom of God.”
No one, having put his hand to the plow,
and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God: In plowing a field in that
day, a farmer kept the rows straight by focusing on an object in front of them,
off in the distance (such as a tree). If the farmer started to plow, and kept
looking behind, he would never make straight rows and do a good job plowing. In
our Christian life, we keep our eyes on Jesus in front of us, and never take
our eyes off Him. More than anyone else, Jesus lived this; He steadfastly
set His face to go to Jerusalem.
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Tomorrow’s reading for Luke 10:1-7
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of
him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest
is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore,
to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
4 Do not take a purse or
bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to
this house.’ 6 If
someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it
will return to you. 7 Stay
there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his
wages. Do not move around from house to house.
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