Kingdom Building

June 30, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 9:51-62

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’ –Luke 9:57-62

Tough words. First someone naively says I will follow you wherever you go. To which Jesus essentially replies that he or she has no idea to what he or she is committing. Reminds me of the parable of the sower who sows seeds that lands in various places and only the seeds that finds fertile ground grow into plants.

Of course, letting the dead bury the dead in practical terms is impossible. Perhaps this respondent is indicating that he or she is responsible for the care of his or her father until he dies. Or perhaps the speaker is enamored with Jesus and his teachings, but not to the point of it taking priority in his or her life. Following Jesus is a total commitment that enlarges us to extend ourselves beyond our human limits.

Finally, just simply stopping by the homestead to say goodbye is not acceptable. Of course, Jesus is saying much more. A commitment to becoming a Kingdom Builder demands total surrender and a call to enter the unknown. I think of Abram leaving Ur behind. Did he even have a road map? He apparently knew to follow the Fertile Crescent before heading back south to where he eventually settled, or he just had the good sense not to hike across the desert.  What about my own ancestors who left their homelands to travel to a new world knowing most likely that they would never see or perhaps even hear from the family they left behind, did they ever look back?

I have never thought that Jesus was advising his potential followers to desert their biological families. I think he was saying that in the Kingdom of God everyone becomes members of our family.

Prayer: Lord, instill in us your vision of the world before us and our work in it. Amen.

*See Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.