In our twenty-first-century world, we consider ourselves “Church-goers” or “Christians”. But do we consider ourselves disciples? In his book Being Disciples, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, states that discipleship is a non-intermittent state of being. Disciples live in a continuous state of awareness and attentiveness to the Teacher in order to be changed, so that disciples see and experience the world the same way that the Teacher does.
Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 9:51-62) speaks about discipleship. The background is Jesus’ final journey through Galilee to Jerusalem in the land of Judea. Jesus sends His followers ahead of Him to prepare for His stay in a Samaritan village. The villagers reject Jesus’ presence because He was on His way to Jerusalem. There was ongoing religious tension between the Jews who worshipped in Jerusalem and the Samaritans who worshipped at Mount Gerazim. The disciples become angry at the villager’s rejection and seek Jesus’ permission to “command fire to come down from heaven and consume them.” Jesus rebukes the disciples for the mere thought. His purpose is never revenge but forgiveness, mercy, and love and He calls his disciples to emulate this way of being.
The Gospel then explores the nature and cost of discipleship by inviting us to reflect on three scenarios in which would-be disciples made various excuses that inhibited their dedication to Jesus’ way of being. The first would-be disciple approaches Jesus with great zeal, “I will follow you wherever you go!” Jesus, who knows the heart of all persons explains that foxes and birds have more physical security than He does. God’s Son “has nowhere to lay His head.” The would-be disciple should not expect to accumulate material rewards or have an abundance of creature comforts. Discipleship demands sacrifice.
The second would-be disciple asked to be allowed to bury his father first. Jesus responds, “let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” Jesus uses this strange statement to express the priority and urgency of God’s kingdom. In Jesus’ days wanting to bury one’s father did not necessarily mean that the father was dead, but that he was old. It was important to be with him to receive a share in his inheritance. Jesus challenges the would-be disciple to put tradition and personal desires aside. God’s work of restoring the spiritually dead demands immediate attention and priority.
The third would-be disciple volunteered to follow Jesus but asked to first return home and say farewell to his family. Jesus states, “no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Plowing the land and looking backward leaves the plant beds crooked and unfruitful. God’s work demands a single-minded, wholehearted, passionate commitment.
Jesus’ strong words describe the cost of being a disciple. The comforts we expect from life, the rituals society demands, and our connections to family are all put to the test when we follow Christ. But Jesus knows our frail human nature. He knows how hard it is for us to live sacrificially. He knows that we tend to look back and falter. Thanks be to God that He remains a loving, merciful God and offers us grace and hope that keeps us striving towards becoming passionate, committed disciples who make His Kingdom our top priority. Amen.
