Biblical Text: Luke 9.57-end

There’s a theme throughout the book of Luke, and indeed the gospels as a whole. It’s the invitation to follow Jesus. I say, invitation, but that’s not quite right. Sometimes Jesus invites others to follow, and sometimes others seemingly make the first move.

Our reading today has both. Two people say they’ll follow Jesus, and one is invited. But what’s curious, is that Jesus does not fling open the door and welcome them in…he almost seems to discourage them.

To one would be follower, Jesus is somewhat cryptic. “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

To one, he sounds harsh. “Let the dead bury their own dead.”

And to the last, he offers sage, but difficult advice. “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

This passage occurs right before the sending out of the 72, where Jesus sends his followers out ahead of him. So it seems that to follow Jesus is not just to go walk in his footsteps, but it’s also to be sent out to do his work elsewhere too. And in order to do both, there is an element of focus and commitment that is needed. This is not something that people are called to do half-heartedly. This is not an add-on to a busy life. This is almost all, or nothing.

But why do I say almost?

It’s tempting to read the passage and think, does God not care about us having homes, or about us being able to be around to care for and bury our families. (As a brief aside, the situation here is likely not that the man’s father has died and is waiting to be buried, but rather that the man is committed to stay home until he dies, and thus bury him. To bury one’s parents was an important obligation.)

But Jesus is not speaking against having a home or commitment to family. It’s pretty evident from scripture that homes can be a blessing to families and others, and that caring for one’s family is highly valued. Family is important.

But there does come a time, doesn’t there, when we are faced with forks in the road? Difficult choices come. And sometimes we are forced to question where our ultimate commitment lies.

Michael Wilcock, in his commentary on this passage, suggests three areas that can easily become all important for us: comfort, convention, and custom.

Perhaps the first person Jesus talks to is challenged by the desire for comfort, somewhere to call home, to lay his head. Jesus sees this, and challenges it.

In the second case, convention is in the way. This is the way it’s done, and I can’t follow you Jesus, until I’ve taken care of it.

And sometimes the choice is simply for custom. It’s not the done thing. I need to say goodbye first.

All three of these, comfort, convention, and custom, can be temptations when we follow Christ. Life is not an endless series of decisions like this, but those decisions come nonetheless. They are like a fork in the road. When we are faced with a fork in the road, decisions have to be made. Often those decisions are simple in theory, but taking that final step is perhaps more difficult.

And this is where I think that perhaps the last example, of ploughing the field, is quite important.

Jesus uses a very simple metaphor all his hearers would have understood. If you read any almost commentator on this passage, they will mention the importance of looking forward as you plough. Moving forwards in a straight line is relatively easy. Simply keep your eyes on a fixed point ahead. But, as soon as you look back, even if you see a straight line behind you, you’ll swerve, and that will mean a crooked line going forward.

I’m reminded here of Hebrews 12, and the author’s encouragement to run with perseverance the race set before us. But the next part is particularly important. You don’t run a race without knowing where the finish line is, without knowing what you’re aiming for. You run a race by keeping your eyes on what lies ahead. And the writer of Hebrews reminds us to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

The way that our lives play out is going to be different for each one of us. The way that we live our Christian life will have some similarity, certainly. But we also all have personal decisions to make. Decisions that will need wisdom, decisions that will need prayer. But decisions that often involve a fork in the road, an option to choose convention, or comfort, or custom.

Or to choose Christ.

Choosing Christ won’t always be simple. But John 10v10 reminds us that choosing Christ is choosing life, real life. Jesus comes so that we might have life and have it in full. He calls us to a life of purpose and meaning. A life of faith which is only possible with our eyes fixed on him.

That is where we find our true life.

Amen.