When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.
As they 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.” [To him] Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:51-62 (NABRE)
To follow, or not to follow? That is the question.
We see in this passage a description of what Jesus wants from us. Luke emphasizes the need to be generous to Jesus by placing beside each other the accounts of the inhospitable Samaritan village and Jesus’ interactions with his would-be followers. Here we find an exhortation to be hospitable to Jesus by opening our hearts to him and allowing him to make his dwelling in us. Jesus desires this closeness and intimacy with us as we follow him. Each of his interactions with the three would-be disciples teach us, with amazing profundity, a valuable lesson in living the Christian life.
First, we are taught to give Jesus our heart. The hearts of many in this world can be likened to the inhospitable Samaritan village. At times, we ourselves act in such a way by turning away from God in our sin. However, with the effusive grace and mercy of Jesus, we have the opportunity to welcome him into our hearts and give him an abode within us. Such an assent to grace helps us to proclaim the kingdom of God, just as Jesus instructs the second would-be disciple to do. If we have a living faith in Jesus, then we express it in acts of love and change how we live to conform entirely with what Jesus wants from us. This kind of an encounter with Jesus leaves us eager to share our experiences with others and invite them into having a similar relationship with the Lord. Time and again we see in the Gospels that those who Jesus healed went out and proclaimed what he had done for them. This is the essence of the heart of an apostle. We are changed by the power of Jesus and we put on new garments, leaving the old ones behind and not looking back at our previous manner of living, just as the third would-be disciple is told to do.
Jesus always has a lesson for us in Scripture.
Thank you for reading. Peace.
Eat the Scroll 