No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God

 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, 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."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:51-62

On Saturday, we read that on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain of Transfiguration, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was till coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.  And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus , perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  The Gospel is at a turning point; Jesus has chosen to go to Jerusalem, toward His hour of glory, the Passion and the Cross.  Like a worldly king proclaiming his advance, Jesus sent messengers before His face, His disciples.  The notion of face here is one which a modern world does not quite grasp as did the ancient.  The face of the emperor was His very person, His identity, power, and authority, and the extent of his rule -- whether it was on a coin or statue, it was treated the same.

And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.  Somehow the very journey to Jerusalem marks this pilgrimage.  We recall that Mark tells us Jesus has named James and John "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17) and here they display the qualities for which they are perhaps named!   Cyril of Alexandria comments that as they are journeying toward Jerusalem and all that will happen there in Holy Week, Jesus prepares the disciples for the rejection they will meet there, and in the world as apostles, and teaches them what manner of spirit they are of, how they must conduct themselves.  John and James no doubt still expect the imminent manifestation of a worldly kingdom (Mark 10:35-45), and as such they conduct themselves as emissaries of a powerful king, together with their expectations of the Messiah.  St. Cyril comments that Jesus rather teaches them the longsuffering and patience they will need.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, 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."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."  My study bible comments here that there is a cost to discipleship.  Here Jesus reveals three of them.  First, the disciple relinquishes personal or earthly security.  If the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, then neither will the disciple.  Second, there is nothing -- not even the honor that is due to parents -- that can be an obstacle to serving God.  And finally, a disciple cannot delay in accomplishing the good which is demanded by Christ. 

Today's reading is all about the discipline that goes into the formation of one who wishes to call themselves a "disciple" of Christ.  Jesus teaches about sacrifice.  There is first of all the expectations of James and John, the Sons of Thunder.  Indications from the Gospels lead us to believe they expect the imminent manifestation of a worldly kingdom, and not only that, but a great worldly kingdom, one which would no doubt rival and displace Rome as it is the kingdom of the expected Messiah.  Moreover this expected kingdom is to be imbued with all the hallmarks of great spiritual power:  they suggest that they call down fire from heaven upon the heads of the Samaritan villagers who refuse to receive them.  But this no doubt disappointing experience is meant to teach and prepare the disciples for something altogether different.  By the time they enter Jerusalem, and at the end of their week there, will be another story entirely, and one from which they will go on to martyrdom and suffering:  James will be the first among the Twelve to be martyred, John will go on to exile and great age, giving us his Gospel, Epistles, and the Revelation. (Whether these are technically written by John himself or his disciples really doesn't make a difference; it is John who has given them to us.)   Following upon this rejection by the Samaritan village on the journey toward Jerusalem, there are various encounters that teach all of us (including Jesus' disciples) more about discipleship.  Those who also wish to follow Christ are put to the test.  Can they go without security as does Christ?  Can they make the sacrifices He is willing to make?  A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above the master, Jesus tells them in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 10:24-25).  As they continue, Jesus Himself issues the command "Follow Me" to another would-be disciple on the road.  But this one replies, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  What a hard saying!  And yet, for all the many early centuries of Christianity, this command was understood in particular for those who would devote themselves wholly to Christ, men and women in the monasteries.  Even our closest worldly ties to family come second to discipleship to the Lord.  Can we moderns understand this?  Is it possible for us to find such courage or strength?   It is only possible to reconcile such a command when it is understood that it comes from God who is love and who teaches us love as His greatest command.  The next example follows closely and in a similar vein; the would-be disciple says, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus replies, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."   My study bible suggests that this command regards the delay of doing or fulfilling responsibilities to God.  But there is a deeply ironic echo here of an Old Testament passage, that of Lot's wife.  Lot and his family are led to escape a terrible punishment upon a city, an image such as perhaps James and John Zebedee have in their minds.  They were told, "Do not look behind you."  But Lot's wife looked behind him and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:17-26).  Christ, quite to the contrary, forbids any notion of such punishments as the disciples go on their missionary journeys.  We would do well to reconcile these passages by understanding that the disciples are to leave all such judgment to God; as St. Paul writes, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19).  The times and circumstances between these Old and New Testament examples may be quite different, but the message of discipleship and following the commands of the Lord remains the same.   The commands of the Lord take precedence over other considerations.   We really can't possibly understand such discipline unless we understand that Christ calls us to a deeper and higher love.  We're not asked to reject our loving ties with others, but rather to discipline ourselves to God who is love (1 John 4:8).  We are asked to grow in God's likeness, but the difficult struggle of faith is neither easy nor simple when we are asked to make choices between the compelling requirements of faith and the sentimental attachments of our worldly lives.  Jesus calls us to an expanded love, a life in which He offers us a new commandment:  that we love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34).  Christ calls us out of the familiar and beyond to something more, a love we can't learn except through His discipline, which involves carrying our own crosses day by day (9:23).  He calls us to an acceptance of what we cannot change, and yet the courage of action He teaches.   He calls us to the discipline of a life of faith in which our love is not simply a response to those who have shown love to us, but rather one in which our loyalty to Him calls us to forbearance and patience, to forgiveness and lack of vengeance, to a higher duty to the message of love in His mission of salvation.  And sometimes, that is a life that calls us to leave behind what we already know and love.  That takes quite some kind of discipline indeed, a long learning journey on the road with Him, His way.