57 As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”59 And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” 60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62
This compact, rapid-fire collection of sayings from Jesus is one of those passages that seems to slap me in the face and say “You really don’t know what is going on here, do you?” What ties all these things together? What is Luke trying to communicate here? My New American Standard Bible titles this passage “Exacting discipleship” but that doesn’t really seem to summarize it too well for me, not because it is incorrect technically, but because it sounds like Jesus is an overbearing micro-manager. Jesus has been throwing parties, healing people and welcoming them into His movement. Is this meant to be a bait and switch type of situation? I don’t think so. I think it might help to take each saying at a time. “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Like the time Peter swears to Jesus that he will never leave Him and would even be killed before he would ever deny Him, Jesus seems to be saying “Are you sure? Have you counted the cost? Do you even know what I am planning on doing?” And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” 60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God. Jesus’ kingdom movement was built around the idea that Jesus was renewing Israel and redefining Israel around Himself. This means that Jesus is going to be VERY controversial to those who don’t believe in His movement and Messianic claim. Jesus is challenging and redefining Jewish identity around himself and this new identity is taking priority over all the old ones. If your Father is not approving, you must bear it. You cannot wait until the challenge from the old identity is gone. 61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” While this is not a “bait and switch” type of situation, it does seem to be the sobering side of a double-sided coin. The healings are real, the parties are legitimate, and the day that has long been awaited is indeed happening right before our very eyes, but there will also be push back, there will also be persecution, there will also be challenges and tests to our commitment and faith. That is what these verses seem to be about. The Kingdom of God is here and that is the best news that you will ever hear. There is an incomparable blessing for those who receive this good news! But it is not for the faint of heart or the half-hearted. This is a call to take up our cross and follow Jesus into the glorious but sometimes painful future. Yet, we shouldn’t be afraid because He has already gone ahead of us. He tells us to take up our crosses, yes, but then to follow Him. He won’t lead us anywhere He isn’t willing to go Himself. And that is even more good news!