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 the next day after the Transfiguration, when Jesus, John, James, and Peter had come down from the mountain, 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 still 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.  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 that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, He has steadfastly set His face to go toward His Passion.  From Galilee, He must pass through Samaria.  Let us understand that He is headed toward rejection by His own people, and so in a sense, this rejection by the Samaritans is a preparation for the disciples.  Clearly, as Jesus says, they must learn "what manner of spirit" they are of.  They will face an incredible amount of rejection, both in Jerusalem and in their missions and ministries afterward, in the Church.  But their mission will always be to follow their Master, who has come not to destroy men's lives, but to save them.  See John 3:17.  They must learn to move on, as did Jesus, to another village.  We know Jesus' instructions for encountering rejection among the Jews (Luke 9:4); here they are among the Samaritans.

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 on this passage that, as Jesus responds to those who would like to follow Him, He teaches that there is a cost to discipleship.  He reveals three of them.  First, the disciple relinquishes personal or earthly security; that is, if the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, then neither will the disciple.  Second, there is nothing, not even the honor due to parents, that can be an obstacle to serving the Lord.  Finally, a disciple cannot delay in accomplishing the good that Christ demands.

 

These notes on discipleship in our last passage sound very harsh at first reading.  Even Jesus' commands sound like they could be very harsh:  "Let the dead bury their own dead," speaking of one's father, and, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God," speaking of saying farewell to those at one's house.  But these are commands that reflect, first of all, the urgency of the time.  Jesus has "steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem."  It is the time for Him to act, His hour (John 12:27).  We must remember that God's timing is crucial to this picture.  We're told in Ecclesiastes, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" (see Ecclesiastes 3).  This is the time for Christ's purpose, His hour of glory and glorification.  It is the time of the Cross.  But so it is in our own lives and with our own purposes set forth by God.  There are times when we're to act and to respond.  Everyone makes choices for how they are to serve God, and once that choice is made there is a hierarchy of necessities that one must face.  Do I go home now for a visit, or do I heed this call in my heart and during my prayer to act as it seems God is commanding me?  One cannot suggest that every single impulse is from God, but there are times when prayer and discernment, when speaking with pastors, and asking brothers and sisters in the Church to pray for oneself and one's choices, all add up to what seems like a powerful call, a decision to be made, even (and perhaps often) when we seem to have compelling reasons to delay, turn the other way, and put this off.  The story of Jonah is illustrative of this point.  Indeed, the first chapter of that story is all about Jonahs' disobedience, his refusal of the call from God (Jonah 1).  Similarly to Jonah, there are those of us who are aware we have put off a decision repeatedly put forward to us during prayer, and have experienced the bad outcome as another lesson from God, another pronouncement of Jesus' statement that we're not to look back once we've put our hand to the plow.  In terms of family obligations, it is often surprising how one will find that things work out, with family members much more obliging than we thought possible, or circumstances creating opportunities for us to know it was better that we responded to that call.  Oftentimes, it happens otherwise.  Our family obligation might disappoint ourselves and even those whom we sought to please, and God's call was the better priority in retrospect.  These are small examples from experience, but suffice to say that God calls us where love calls us.  We're not asked to treat family and loved ones poorly.  Nor are we asked sacrifices that will not in the long run benefit us and our lives overall -- especially in terms of values gained, character expanded, and the greatest love part of our internal experience.  While these words in today's Gospel reading sound harsh, in effect they are Christ's words of love, telling us about priorities and the values of the Kingdom.  There will be times -- and one may testify that this is so -- when it seems we are throwing away important relationships and norms in order to follow what seems like a fool's errand that is the product of our faith.  But those times have embedded within them a prescience we're not always in touch with, and that is truly where faith comes in, even how our faith grows.  God asks of us courage, even as Christ shows His courage.  Sometimes we are being asked for a greater humility than we knew.   Let us consider the help we have to make good decisions and find our way with faith.  Remember that the God we serve is love, whose kindness and mercy and grace is our guiding light.  For we, too, must know what manner of spirit we are of.  Ultimately our choices are about the values we wish to help to bear into the world, the greater love that might not make sense to the world, but which we nonetheless can know.

 

 

Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord

St. Philothei of Athens icon,  Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, Greece

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents;  look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "

- Matthew 25:14-30

In yesterday's reading, and in the context of His Second Coming and the end times, Jesus told the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins:  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents;  look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "   My study bible tells us that this parable is meant to illustrate the use of the gifts given to us by God.  A talent was a very large sum of money.  (According to Wikipedia, approximately 130 pounds or 59 kilograms of precious metal such as silver or gold.)   Here, the talent represents the goodness which God has bestowed on each person.  It is because of this parable that "talent" has come to have its current meaning in English.  The amount each receives is based on that person's abilities (Romans 12:4-7).  My study bible says that God does not show partiality in the ultimate reward, as all are invited to share in the same joy in the parable.  It says that the wicked and lazy servant could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent, as idleness is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness.   To bury his talent in the ground, my study bible says, is an illustration of using God-given talents for earthly pursuits.  Bankers represent other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him use his talents wisely.  Since help was available to him in the Church, it says, the man has no excuse.

What is a talent?  In ancient times, a talent (from τάλαντον/talanton in the Greek, pl. talanta) was a measure of weight.  It later came to be monetized, assigned as a measure of money or wealth.  What seems to be indicated in the parable is just how much freedom is given to each servant in the use of the talent or talents entrusted to them.   Each one must find their own opportunities for using it wisely and growing it; each must think on his or her own in terms of how this will be done.  The opportunity for creativity, use of skills and intelligence, and diligent hard work is wide open.  So it is also with using our own talents.  There is nothing written in stone about how we are best to serve God.  We are each given capabilities, each has a unique life with unique opportunities, and most especially the ability to think and to create:  therefore each one is entrusted with initiative.  Plus, let us take note that there is help available in the figure of the bankers in the parable, which my study bible says indicates the Church.  We always have those around us who can help to pray for wisdom, discernment, and inspiration, who can give advice from experience.  And these "bankers" also extend to the saints who pray with us, to the whole history of the Church and those who have served.  There is plenty of wisdom and help to go around, to which we also may contribute with our own lives and our own efforts.  As human beings, we are endowed with these marvelous gifts of creative capacity, talent, ability, hard work, intelligence -- and we are also gifted within the Church and its wealth of such who are fellow faithful as well as those who have come before.  When we pray, we pray with the entire communion of saints, including the angels who also represent help in their ministry to us.  In this context, it becomes frustrating and confusing to be confronted with those who would insist that there is only one way to properly use a talent or a gift or to serve God.  Like the servant who buries his talent in the ground, we may come to encounter a type of moralism that does not recognize the true abundance of gifts were given nor the creativity and initiative within which God gives us the ability to live our faith and so contribute to the entirety of the Church.  Jesus addresses this very subject when He defends John the Baptist, and tells the people that "wisdom is justified by her children."  Note that in Luke's Gospel, that reads, "all her children."  (See Matthew 11:18-19, Luke 7:34-35.)   No one could be more different in outward appearance than Jesus and John the Baptist, in terms of each one's ministries.  The Jewish leaders condemn both, but for different, opposite reasons.  And yet Jesus puts the two into perspective as both justifying Wisdom in their works, each part of the outpouring work of the Holy Spirit in the world, each one in the lineage of God's work.  No two saints look exactly alike, each having the dynamism of unique personalities and ways of serving God.  It is the lazy servant who buries his or her talent in the ground and is afraid to do anything who fails in this parable.  Let us note that the returning master does not require our labors nor profits to be stupendous to give us a reward.  Our faith, even in a few things, is worthy.  He says to his profitable servants, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things."   The least each of us can do is to seek wisdom and understanding by studying the lives of the saints and the Scriptures, the history of the Church, and in particular through prayer and the experience of others who will also help to pray for us.  This is an active ministry that Christ offers to each of us in which to participate to the fullest of our abilities.  Let us remember that prayer is also a way of actively using talent and abilities and intelligence, of seeking wisdom through which we live and express our faith.  God calls us, by the examples in this parable, to the responsibility and capacity to contribute that involves initiative and a voluntary response to that which God has entrusted to us.  This is a high calling indeed.  For consideration of the wealth in the Church for how to use and invest our talents, I invite readers to contemplate the icon above of St. Philothei of Athens, who lived in the 16th century, when Athens was under Ottoman rule.   She was born into a wealthy family, and upon inheritance of this wealth she chose a monastic life for herself, taking the name Philothei which means "Friend of God."  She established monasteries and schools to train both boys and girls.  She also founded hospices, homes for the elderly, establishments for training in handiwork, weaving, housekeeping and cooking, and stalls for selling goods so that both those she helped and also her monasteries and charities could be self-sufficient.  Among the many charitable acts she initiated, she took in those who had been made slaves by the Ottomans, including in particular young women placed into harems who sought refuge.  She purchased freedom for many by paying ransoms and bribes, and helped them to escape to territories outside the city when they were hunted.  Her monasteries were continually raided and plundered.  She was beaten by authorities, which happened on more than one occasion, and also imprisoned for her active work in securing freedom for Greeks who had been made slaves by the Ottomans.   For this work she was increasingly hated.  She died a martyr due to injuries from one such beating by mercenaries (depicted in the icon) on February 19, 1589, and is commemorated on February 19.  A district of Athens is named after her, and in particular much of central Athens owes its names and history to the land she had converted for the use of her monasteries and charities for the people of the city.