As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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While plowing, a farmer must remain focused on his path ahead. If he turns around and looks back, then he’ll end up carving zig-zag lines, ruining his fields.
It’s easier – and far more effective – to focus on the present moment than on the past or future. Only when you finish one row, do you move on to the next.
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Jesus tells us the same idea applies in discipleship.
When following the Lord, we plow one row at a time; we can neither look back to the past nor be distracted by the future.
Discipleship unfolds day by day.
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This also means that we avoid the world of “what ifs.”
Sometimes we may wonder what life would be like if we never made a particular decision; if we raised our children differently; if we pursued a different career; or if we had come to faith earlier.
God is never in the world of “what ifs.”
God is in the world of “what is.” … and “what will be.”
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Regardless of the lines we’ve ploughed in our past – for better or for worse – the Lord is directing our attention to the present while creating our future.
What might it look like for me to focus my attention on doing the Lord’s work today?
When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Jesus is entering his final days.
He’s now headed to Jerusalem, where he will be handed over by Judas and killed.
It’s a critical moment in his life and ministry. So, Saint Luke adds a descriptive detail to help paint the picture: facing Jerusalem, Jesus becomes “resolutely determined.”
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We can imagine him staring off into the distance.
Knowing what’s in store for him, he stiffens his face, draws a deep breath in, and courageously puts one foot in front of the other.
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Long before he suffers physically, Jesus feels the weight of his cross, the weight of the isolation and rejection held in store for him.
Incredibly, this doesn’t sour his spirit; nor does it prevent him from doing good to others.
Consider what happens in today’s Gospel. Jesus is rejected by the Samaritans – the sworn enemies of the Jews – which is why the disciples want to send down fire upon them. But Jesus leaves them alone, and I’d imagine, wishes them well.
He continues his humble march towards Jerusalem, healing and forgiving the sick and sinful along the way.
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What might Jesus be teaching us?
That it’s possible to be kind and to do good to others at every moment in our lives, even when we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders.
Regardless of what our circumstances may be today, may we turn our gaze upon others and love them as Jesus would. Doing so not only works for their benefit; it also edifies our own spirit.
So, what’s something I can do for the Lord and his people today?
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Image credits: (1) How God Anointed, Amazon (2) Liberty Church (3) TheRadicalLife.org, Mother Teresa
One day, when the angels of God came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, “Whence do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming the earth and patrolling it.” And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?” But Satan answered the LORD and said, “Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing? Have you not surrounded him and his family and all that he has with your protection? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock are spread over the land. But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has, and surely he will blaspheme you to your face.” And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand upon his person.” So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
And so one day, while his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were ploughing and the asses grazing beside them, and the Sabeans carried them off in a raid. They put the herdsmen to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, another came and said, “Lightning has fallen from heaven and struck the sheep and their shepherds and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three columns, seized the camels, carried them off, and put those tending them to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, when suddenly a great wind came across the desert and smote the four corners of the house. It fell upon the young people and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair. He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said,
“Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back again. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!”
In all this Job did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.
The Word of the Lord.
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Hurricane season has begun. Floridians are bracing for impact as the second major storm makes its way up the Atlantic.
Meanwhile, millions in the Philippines are staring at scenes of widespread devastation after another storm unleashed havoc upon their islands.
Watching the scenes on the news reminds me of Job, whom we listened to in our first reading.
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We’ll be reading from the Book of Job all week.
He’s described as a righteous man who lives in abundance. But by the end of the first chapter, Job loses everything – his family, his fortune, his home.
In spite of the unimaginable loss, he utters the most difficult words spoken in times of distress, “The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job exudes a type of spiritual wisdom – and trust – that we can all learn from.
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He recognizes that all of his blessings ultimately come from God, so he praises the Lord while his life is going well. Doing so mysteriously gives him the strength to trust God, even when those blessings are taken away.
If the Lord provided once before, the logic goes, then God will provide again. This is the childlike type of faith that Jesus blesses in the Gospels.
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Hopefully none of us have known the type of loss that Job did. But when our faith is tested, when someone or something we love is taken from us, do we still turn to the Lord?
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The same God who, in the end, restores Job to good fortune will bless anyone who trusts Him in their hour of need.
