As Jesus and his disciples were
proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
on their journey, someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Reflection
Just the other night I crawled into bed
and tucked myself under the covers. I felt so tired and the bed and pillow were
so comfortable. I really appreciated it
and thanked the Lord for it, but at the moment I said it, I also had a
prompting from the Spirit. He said, “You will still go and do what I want even
if there are no pillows, won’t you?” In
today’s Gospel, Jesus ripped away the romanticism of what it meant to be with
Him. He did not simply say wonderful. He was trying to help this follower
understand that though it is nice to be together, share God’s love, see His
power, there are rough parts to carrying out the Father’s will.
But there’s more. Another man replied
to Jesus that he had things to do first. Oh yes, I’ve felt that before also.
There’s a saying, “Life gets in the way.” The one willing to follow Jesus does
not say, “I have this to do today, but tomorrow I can help you.” If you follow,
then you go where Jesus goes. This man wanted to be a convenient follower.
Convenient followers are not followers at all because they will only accompany
Jesus when it is convenient for their schedules. Jesus challenged him to set
his priorities in place. You might wonder how it
works out practically. First comes the absolute commitment. If you mean to
follow Jesus, then Jesus must come first place. The Lord wanted him and us to
say an unqualified, “Yes” to Him and then follow Jesus. When we face issues in
life, and they will come, we then as Christ’s disciples ask Jesus what we
should do. We just need to ask, instead of making excuses. Jesus will lead the
way.
I answered the Lord’s quiet reminder by
knowing I would go anywhere anytime. I cannot allow any material comfort or
even a busy, hectic lifestyle to keep me from going where Jesus sends. Those
are the things that keep Jesus from being with us.
What about yourself? Do you share a
willingness to go wherever Jesus sends you? Or is there some element of wealth,
health, comfort or ease that might keep you from that commitment?
GO: Follow!
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Please help me to listen to and follow you,
to allow myself to be transformed by your words. Forgive me for being so quick
to question and hesitant to follow. Help me to see with the eyes of faith,
rather than from my own human point of view. Thank you for calling me often,
knowing that I can take comfort in you leading the way.
Amen.
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