The cost of discipleship

Welcome to my blog. Peace be with you.

Jesus has set his face towards Jerusalem, where his enemies will persecute and kill him. He is ready and willing to give his life for the salvation of humanity.

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus will explain what it means to be his disciple. What it was then, so it is today.

Wednesday 30 September 2020

The cost of discipleship

 Gospel

Luke 9:57-62

'I will follow you wherever you go'

1. As Jesus and his disciples travelled along
2. they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’
3. Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
4. 
   
5. Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’,
6. replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’
7. But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
8. Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’
9. Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

Prayerful reflection

Jesus gave everything he had and was, first to his Father and then to the people God sent him to serve. ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me’ and ‘I have not come to be served but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many.’ He demands the same of anyone who wants to follow him. We cannot believe in Jesus by halves. We must give everything. So to the one who wants to follow him wherever Jesus goes, Jesus tells him, like himself, he must give up everything for the sake of the Gospel. There are different kinds of vocations, but for those who wish to imitate Jesus in the way he actually lived, then they must abandon all wealth and desire for wealth as Jesus did. Poverty of life is the great witness of those who preach the Gospel. Poverty manifests their total trust in Jesus to provide for them and their belief in the Kingdom of God. Jesus told the rich young man to go and sell everything and so earn riches in the Kingdom.

If Jesus calls us then we must follow immediately. There can be no delay. He comes first. We must trust that he will provide others to fulfil our responsibilities. Those who follow Jesus must leave father and mother and everything for the sake of Jesus.

What does it mean to put one’s hand on the plough and look back? Following Jesus demands faith in the Kingdom. The followers of Jesus need to keep their eyes on the Kingdom. They must not look back and desire the pleasures of this world.