Luke 9:57-62
Chapter 9
57
As Jesus and his disciples continued their journey, a man said to Jesus:
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
58
Jesus responded:
“Foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
59
To another, Jesus said:
“Follow me!”
But he replied:
“Let me go back now, because I want to bury my father first.”
60
And Jesus said to him:
“Let the dead bury their own dead; as for you, leave them behind and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61
Another said to him:
“I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.”
62
And Jesus said to him:
“Whoever has put his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.”
Commentaries
Demands of Discipleship.
Here we see three examples of discipleship. In the first, a volunteer offers to follow Jesus (57ff); the Master’s response is clear: following him does not provide material or social benefits. In the second case, it is Jesus who calls (59ff), and the person called is willing to follow, but he sets a condition: to bury his father first. The Master’s response is radical: “Let the dead bury their dead; you go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (60). If one of the effects of establishing the kingdom of God is justice, solidarity, and brotherhood, then there will already be those who take care of their parents. In the third case, Jesus also calls, and there is an excuse: saying goodbye to his parents. Jesus sees a risk; he is not opposed to this loyal filial attitude, but he knows that, often, family—especially in those days—was a significant obstacle to children’s spontaneous exercise of freedom.