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 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 it happened on the next day (after the Transfiguration), when they had come down from the mountain, 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 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.   The time has come for Jesus to be received up; that is to be received into heaven -- the time has come for His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  Jesus has steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem:  His Person is now totally identified with what is to happen at Jerusalem, His entrance as Messiah and the Passion to come.  It is Jerusalem where the Messiah will be received, and make His departure.  This Samaritan village refuses to receive Him, most likely, according to many commentaries, precisely because He is going to Jerusalem.  Many note the traditional conflict between Jews and Samaritans about the proper location of the temple (see the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-23, especially her question to him in verse 19).

And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want 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.  Second to Peter, the characters of James and John Zebedee are pretty clearly marked out in the Gospels.  It is John who has just told Jesus that they forbade another from casting out demons in His name (see Saturday's reading, above).  We know that Jesus has given His own name to these brothers, Boanerges, meaning "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17).  John, who will go on to teach us that God is love in His first Epistle (1 John 4:8), will clearly learn this lesson of discipleship.

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 that there is a cost to discipleship.   Here, Jesus reveals three of them.  First, a disciple relinquishes personal or earthly security.  At this point, Christ has nowhere to lay His head, nowhere He can call His "home" (and keep in mind He is on His way to Jerusalem, where He will be rejected).   If this is true for Him, it is also true for the disciple.  Second, there is nothing that can be an obstacle to serving God, not even (as in the example here) the honor due to parents.  Finally, no disciple can delay in accomplishing the good that has been asked by Christ.

Discipleship is a long road, which is meant to pull on each and every thing we have and are, and teach us what to do with it, how to change, what to discard, and how our lives can serve God even in the details.  We note above the characters of James and John Zebedee, and the name that Jesus gave to them, "Sons of Thunder."  Their characters seem fiery, quick to answer and flash a response or command, as they are revealed through the Gospels (particularly that of John, whom we also know that Jesus loved; see John 13:23-25).  John is so beloved a friend and disciple that he's the one to whom Jesus entrusted the care of His mother (John 19:26-27).  Through the fiery, whiplash-quick temper, Jesus sees and knows a man capable of great love and thereby knowledge of God, who would go on to give us so much in the form of the Scripture that we have.  But what of John's capacity for anger?  Jesus rebukes him by saying, "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."   In the lives of the desert saints, the men and women who went to the deserts of Sinai to be the first Christian monastics, we have a strong tradition of what is called in Greek "apatheia," which sounds like the English word "apathy."  But it doesn't have the same meaning.  It means to be dispassionate, not to be ruled or controlled by our passions.  And this is an important and essential part of discipleship.  We must be able to put Christ first, before our anger, or disappointment, or envy, or desires of all kinds.  We must be able to do this to serve God.  And so, apparently, do John and James Zebedee, as we learn from Jesus' correction.  In a book I've previously mentioned in a recent reading (In the Heart of the Desert: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers), the author, John Chryssavgis, mentions one "way" of dispassion of the desert monastics, and that is to see each passion as a kind of wound.   It is meant for us to understand that it is our Creator who has endowed us with our passions, but they are meant for particular kinds of uses in our lives, in order to serve the highest good, to be true disciples.  When our passions run away with us and dominate us, our lives are not in order -- they can work to separate us from God.  But under discipleship, our passions may take on beneficial roles meant to serve God.  Anger, which can be used in ways that are harsh and outside the role Christ has for us -- precisely as witnessed in today's Gospel reading in Jesus' rebuke, can instead serve Creator, as when Jesus is grieved at the sight of an injustice or callousness or hypocrisy of the religious leadership.  See, for example, Jesus grieving at the hardness of heart of the Pharisees who would deny someone the healing of a withered hand in Mark 3:1-6.  In this point of view, we understand that our creation is basically "good" -- as it must be by creation of God.  But that we need to understand who we are within a depth of return to love of God, in communion with Christ.   Our own impulses and emotions, and all of our passions and desires, are given over to Christ in discipleship, and we change and are transformed through that discipleship.  This is the image of Transfiguration for all of us, as our true identity may be revealed through the work of our Creator within us (indeed, even the Trinity is at work within us).  What we seek in discipleship is precisely this kind of depth of change from within.  It is not something we call upon with our own desired image of ourselves in mind; that is not Christ's purview.  But we submit ourselves to the "manner of spirit we are of," and we learn within that discipleship.  Witness the examples given above of the people who delay to follow Him when commanded.  None of the impulses that the would-be disciples have are "bad" -- one must consider that he will have no home, another must not go first even to bury his father, and yet another must not even return to say good-bye.  These are not nominally bad things, but they are hindrances to the necessary discipleship for the followers Christ asks for; and discipleship comes through putting the Lord first, and learning what the Lord would ask of us in the moment of choice.  This is our road, how our own passions become transformed, transfigured, put to better use, and serve a world that is hungry for the love of God.  Where are you on that road?  Have you put your hand to the plow?  Are you ready to follow Him?   Christ Himself becomes "home" -- and where He is, there we follow.  And do we not all want our homes to reflect His love?

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.

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

 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 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 after 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 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 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.  In our previous reading, Jesus was asked by the disciples about those who are not of their group, but whom the disciples saw casting out demons in His name.  Jesus also taught the disciples about the importance of receiving even a little child in His name.  All the reading stressed the essential nature of faith in connection with Christ.  Here, they encounter a village that is set against Him, because He is on His way to Jerusalem (to His Passion, death, and Resurrection).  The disciples ask what they should do in response to this refusal to welcome Christ.  It is yet another opportunity for correction:  the manner of spirit they are of is in the mission of Christ:  He has come not to destroy people's lives but rather to save them (see also 6:9).  In the understanding of the work of the Spirit in the world, it is people's own rejection of salvation that is destructive to them.

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 notes that there is a cost to discipleship.  Here are three of those costs as revealed by Jesus.  First, the disciple lets go of personal or earthly security.  If the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, then neither will the disciple.  Second, there is nothing -- even the honor due to parents -- that can stand as an obstacle to serving the Lord as one is called.  Third, a disciple cannot delay in accomplishing the good that Christ demands.  We don't look back to our old way of life. This is the way to dwell in the kingdom of God.

Similarly to the reading from Saturday, today's reading teaches us about the working out of our faith in the world, our actions we take in accordance with faith.  Jesus is on a mission; He has warned the disciples what they will face in Jerusalem.  But here in today's reading we are told it is time for Him to be received up, and that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.  We may think of this ultimate destination of Jerusalem as something signaling the end of His ministry, and yet we are only in chapter 9 of 23 in Luke's Gospel.  It is on this journey of faith with Christ that the disciples will continue to learn what manner of spirit they are of, and how they must conduct themselves as future apostles and leaders of His Church in the world after He is no longer with them as the human Jesus.  So their encounter with the Samaritan village is significant in terms of their learning what they are to be about, and how they must conduct themselves as His representatives.  Their faith does not ask of them to destroy, but to save.  The decision to accept or reject this salvation lies within the hearts of human beings, and it will carry its own weight when Christ judges.  It's an important lesson to learn, that all judgment is in the hands of Christ.  We all need to learn what manner of spirit we are of, in order to conduct ourselves properly in His service.   And then follow in today's reading the teachings of discipleship.  Personal security is not always going to be primary in following Him.  Our need is to respond to His call, before all else, and everything in our lives falls into place behind this immediate loyalty, no matter its importance.  And when we get that call, we respond.  Christ intervenes in time at our particular moments for a reason, and our hearts are open in response to Him.  All of these things are part of the requirements of discipleship.  We note by the juxtaposition with those Samaritans who would not receive them, that the responsibility lies with us to be good and faithful servants, and not necessarily to spend our time in coercion or other forms of forcing others to faith.  We remember His call, we embrace our mission, and judgment is left to Him whom we would desire to serve well.  Just as He is focused on His mission, with the steadfast setting His face toward Jerusalem, so we keep our focus on Him and the mission He has for us.

You do not know what manner of spirit you are of

 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, 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 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.    Cyril of Alexandria comments that Jesus sent messengers before His face, the disciples, so that they might learn about their mission for the future, as apostles who will go out to all the world.  Christ is aware that He will be rejected by these Samaritans.  Indeed the theme He has been enforcing to the disciples is that He will be rejected by the religious leadership at Jerusalem, and His face was set for the journey there.  But as we can see from the response of James and John, they need to learn the response He teaches them!  On Saturday we read that He taught them gracious and humble behavior ("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").  Here is an extension of this teaching, to how they are to deal with rejection in their mission as apostles to peoples around the world.

 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."  Here we have more examples of teaching about discipleship, about the mission that is ahead for His followers, after He is crucified.  The man who tells Him, "I will follow you wherever You go," is not prepared for the fullness of what it means to be a disciple or apostle.  Jesus teaches the rigors of this mission, that even He has no worldly security, and His followers will experience the same.  Loyalty to family, even conventional responsibilities like honor due to parents, will come second to this mission of faith, to the life of the Kingdom and loyalty to the service of Christ.  Finally discipleship asks us for a full-hearted response.  Delay ("looking back") is a failure to respond as needed, even for the kind of sentimental reason given here.    In a real sense, what Jesus emphasizes here is a break from the worldly, from convention, a different kind of life as the life of the Kingdom - and the rigors of mission. "Let the dead bury the dead" teaches us about a stark difference between the living Kingdom and life outside of it.

We may think of these earliest apostles and disciples as those subject to the greatest rigors possible for their mission.  They faced not just a hostile leadership of their own people, but also the rigors of mission to all the world.  Very shortly, these would lead to persecutions of various kinds.  Jesus is preparing them not just for mission but also for leadership of His Church.  They have a lot to learn about what kind of mission they're on, and the manner of spirit they are of.  Jesus' words give us a great hint here all about the Church and all about mission:  it's not merely a worldly mission; it is a spiritual mission into the world.   It is informed by what manner of spirit they are of.   They need grace and all that goes with it:  forbearance, sacrifice, responsiveness, patience, endurance, and so much more.  This is not a worldly power they go out in service of, but a gracious power from the God who is love, coming into the world and facing what is called "the prince of this world."  It is, in fact, a spiritual battle into which they enter -- but a spiritual battle is not fought on worldly terms of battle.  In that sense, a journey of faith as a follower of Christ becomes similar for each of us, the more deeply we go in this journey.  We may not all be formal apostles or evangelists, but the life of a disciple of Christ will take on characteristics we read about here in today's reading.  There may very well be times when we have to choose between what looks good to convention, what seems good in terms of family loyalty and the good things we know, like honor to father and mother, as in the example we're given above, and we have to make a choice between where our faith asks us to go and those "good" things.  Loyalty to "group" of any kind may be tested, subject to the choice between Christ's call and our world.   We clearly always have a lot to learn.  St. Paul tells us that "the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).   The precepts taught here, in my experience, will make themselves felt in our own lives, effectively asking us to choose in situations that try our souls, in some sense:  teaching us patience, forbearance, the difficulty of choosing loyalty to the Kingdom over other things we hold dear, asking us to respond wholeheartedly and without delay.  We must also learn "what manner of spirit we are are of," growing in grace and humility and the capacity to show mercy with a discerning heart.   We have help for all of these things, from the same Spirit to whom Jesus refers, the One who will guide the apostles, disciples, and pillars of the Church into their work after Pentecost.  But we each share in that overall mission, and we participate in God's grace as bearers of this Kingdom.  A truly great and precious creation is never without its discipline.  To serve Christ, to become truly a reflection of God's light in the world, isn't going to be easy or simple.  It's going to take work.  But its value is infinite, and that's the high price He puts on us, the investment of faith He makes in us.

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

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 it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain (of the 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 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.  We must remember where we are, exactly, in Jesus' ministry.  He's revealed twice now to His disciples that He will suffer at the hands of the leadership in Jerusalem, and be killed, and on the third day rise.  It seems that, in yesterday's reading, He was preparing the disciples to become the leaders of His Church that He will require after His ascension to the Father.  Here is another example of preparation of these men.  They do not know what manner of spirit they are of.  His Kingdom isn't going to be ruled by a "worldly" sort of power, the manipulative power of destruction that signals a king capable of powerful warfare.  Their emphasis will be to save.  And so, they walk on, to another village that will perhaps be more receptive to the good news of the Kingdom, the gospel.  The event referred to in which Elijah commanded fire to come down from heaven is to be found in 2 Kings 1:12.

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 notes here that there is a cost to discipleship.  Jesus reveals three of them:  (1)  a disciple relinquishes personal or earthly security -- if the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, neither will the disciple.  (2)  Nothing -- and that means not even the honor that is due to parents  -- can be an obstacle to serving the Lord.  (3)  A disciple can't delay in accomplishing the good that Christ demands.   We note that when Christ's commands are met with resistance in His followers, His response is to teach, to instruct. 

Again Jesus' encounters serve to boost the faith of the disciples, or rather to teach them what kind of faith is going to be required of them as leaders of His Church.  Each encounter serves as a signpost, a lesson, a kind of emphasis on what sort of men (and women, we remember, are also a part of this ministry) are required for this service, the spreading of the word of the Kingdom.  Our security is in the serving of the Lord, and nothing else, as my study bible notes, can take away this top priority before all things.  Christ Himself has no home; this king is far from a luxurious castle or landholdings, properties, goods, trade, military conquests.  His is a different life, committed to a different sort of kingdom, one that is not seen but nevertheless known and built by faith.  And it's that rock of faith that He's building up, that unbreakable bond between Lord and disciple, built on faith.  And that's why nothing should get in the way of this bond, and everything must serve it:  it's the root of all else to come, the confidence we build up in our lives, the one unshakeable thing.  And this is what He wants from us, a kind of commitment that doesn't let anything else get in the way -- even a commitment in which there are no second thoughts, no hesitation after "putting one's hand to the plow."  It reminds us of the story of Lot's wife, who "looked back" to her old life, and was turned into a pillar of salt.  We could extrapolate from this example, and what it means to be a "pillar of salt," something lacking all moisture, the living water of the Spirit that we are truly "of."  Jesus elaborates, in today's reading, what manner of spirit we are to be of:  prepared, quick to respond to the commands of this Spirit and this Kingdom, fully in and committed, putting nothing else -- not even a memory of the past -- between us and our commitment to God and to the future He brings into the world, the life of the Kingdom.  This may sound terribly harsh, but we remember what manner of spirit we are of -- this is the work of saving, not destroying.  This is the work of the One who is love, who teaches love, who builds up a kingdom of peace.  That's what we learn and where our faith must take us.  As in the example of today's reading, it's not that kind of fire that destroys, but a kind of fire that saves that this Spirit will bring into the world, like the example of the bush that didn't burn when fire appeared to Moses.  This is a spirit of fire that burns with love, that purifies in order to save.  That is the fire in which we participate as those who live with faith in Him, His mission, His kingdom.  It gives us strength, urgency, a confidence in which we serve that which burns in our hearts.  Let us remember His words and His teachings, and what manner of spirit we are of.

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

Yesterday, we read that it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, 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 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 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.  Here is the firm resolution, Jesus knows where He is headed, in every sense of the term, and He has His mind fixed to go to Jerusalem.  That is the journey He and the disciples undertake.  The response of James and John Zebedee is entirely in character; they are called "Sons of Thunder," and the text as a whole shows us what this thunder will be turned into through the coming of the Spirit (John will be called "the apostle of love," while James is by tradition considered to be the first apostle to be martyred).  The disciples, as in yesterday's reading, are still coming to terms with power and its uses in the context of the Church, of being disciples of Christ.  The 'manner of spirit they are of' is one of salvation.  In a sense, we are all sinners; salvation won't work if the objective is to destroy. According to Cyril of Alexandria, this experience was for the disciples' own good:  "Christ rebuked them for their own good when they were enraged beyond measure at the hatred of the Samaritans. He did this so they might learn that as ministers of the divine tidings, they must rather be full of longsuffering and gentleness, not revengeful. They must not be given to wrath or savagely attack those who offend them"  (Commentary on Luke, Homily 56). 

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."   Of this passage, which begins with the statement, "I will follow You," my study bible says:  There is a cost to discipleship.  Jesus reveals three:  (1)  The disciple relinquishes personal or earthly security -- if the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, neither will the disciple.  (2)  Nothing, not even the honor due to parents, can be an obstacle to serving the Lord.  (3)  A disciple cannot delay in accomplishing the good that Christ demands."

Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem.  It is a frank acknowledgement of what is coming.  These disciples will be the ones the world will rely on to carry Christ's church into the world.  Jesus, in the flesh, will not be present, although Christ and the Kingdom will be with them.  So will the Spirit.  But ultimately, it is the quality of our discipleship that really and truly bears the burden of the Church, becomes the foundation of the Church, constructs the Church in the world.  Let us consider that.  I think that, too often, we don't give credit to discipleship as perhaps the most important thing we can be a part of.  Being good disciples (that is, "learners") is the same as being a good parent, or being an exemplary man or woman, being an example of taking responsibility for your life and the way you live your life.  It's the quality of our discipleship that makes all the difference in the world and to the world, to whatever community we are a part of.  Jesus gives several examples in today's reading that are all about the teaching of discipleship.  How are the disciples to handle rejection?  He's already told them that their rebuke to those who will not receive them (on their first mission) is simply to shake the "very dust" off of their feet, and move on.  Losing ourselves in anger and rage -- but more particularly, in vengeance -- isn't going to help.  It's not the proper discipline of a disciple of Jesus.  To follow Him, we must be prepared for all conditions, to endure in faith.  All these things are a product, once again, of humility.  Our lives are not judged by the quality or expense of the home we have.  They're not judged by how many people think we're just great.  Our value and worth comes from somewhere else, Someone else, far beyond the world and the interactions we have and problems we have with one another.  This is the "higher power" we cling to in order to see our problems in their right perspective.  Even family, even cultural commitments, do not come before this duty of discipleship.  Jesus is giving us the perspective that we need.  Nowadays, we hear about many broken families, all kinds  of problems of abuse.  But Jesus gives us the cue for healing:  He comes first.  The Kingdom comes first.  Discipleship comes first.  Thereupon is a higher and greater perspective to which to take all our healing and brokenness, no matter what it is.  He comes first in our lives; there may even be a kind of spiritual "deadness" in your life that you need to acknowledge and take to Christ for His way to handle it; His way to learn your discipline in life -- a peaceful taking of responsibility for what is of true value and what is essential.  Finally, Jesus says, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."  Elsewhere He reminds the disciples, "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32).  We don't look back, we go forward.  All of this constitutes the discipline of a follower of Christ.  From my personal experience, God's forgiveness is endless; our faith need not be utterly perfect and we may make many mistakes, as the disciples do.  God wants us on that road, to turn back to Christ, and 'follow Him.'  That's discipleship, and how He teaches us the discipline of what it is to bear His kingdom into the world.  It is the most important job we have.  It intersects everything else in our lives.  We each have a journey to make, cultivating the good ground for the seed of the Sower, and new things to learn.