Slices
Prepare
Speak with Jesus about your motivation for following him. Is it just about being friends with the One who can make things happen the way you want them to? Well, what is it about then?
Bible passage
Samaritan opposition
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?’ 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.
The cost of following Jesus
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’
58 Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
59 He said to another man, ‘Follow me.’
But he replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’
60 Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’
61 Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.’
62 Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’
Explore
The Samaritans aren’t going to help anyone get to Jerusalem (vs 52,53), the religious and cultural centre of the Jews they despise so much. ‘So let’s burn them up, Jesus!’ his headstrong disciples advise (v 54), thinking the Samaritans deserve it and knowing that Jesus can easily do it. ‘Let’s not,’ says Jesus, maybe thinking that he’s come to save Samaritans too (John 4:39–42) and knowing that their destruction is not what a life of selfless sacrifice looks like.
Now enter three guys who seem to be doing the right thing – thinking seriously about following Jesus. The first (v 57) is eager and committed enough but maybe just wants to do the popular, ‘cool’ thing and doesn’t realise there’ll be a high price to pay. The second (vs 59,60) learns that Jesus must come first – it’s no good wanting to sort out life first, including family, and then maybe one day getting round to following Jesus. And for the third (vs 61,62), Jesus knows that emotional family farewells might indicate someone whose heart will never totally be his.
Respond
These verses are easy enough as long as they’re about these three guys – but suppose they’re also about us following Jesus? That makes them much harder to take, if we really think about it.
Deeper Bible study
God be in my head, and in my understanding; ... God be in my heart, and in my thinking.’1
‘As the time approached’ (v 51) marks a watershed in Luke’s Gospel, beginning a darker period in Jesus’ life. We leave behind the Jesus of stilling the storm and feeding the five thousand. We leave the glorified Jesus of the mount of transfiguration, to commence a more sombre journey with Jesus, focused on the path to his cross. They are now a larger group of women and men than just the 12 disciples.2 In today’s reading, Jesus and his companions cross a geographical and psychological border, leaving the familiarity of Galilee to enter a less comfortable, more alien environment.
Across the border, they encounter their first challenge. A village refuses to lodge them overnight – an important real-life lesson for the disciples at the beginning of a journey when Jesus will say much about rejection. We must not condemn the poor Samaritans. They too are under Roman rule and, suddenly, a large band of people turns up from rebellious Galilee, well known for breeding revolutionaries. They fear provoking the ruthless vengeance of the Romans. Yet James and John’s vengeance would have been even worse – the destruction of the village. They have much still to learn about what discipleship means.
Along the journey, some are drawn to Jesus. The one who pledges to follow Jesus anywhere did not know that the path led to the cross. It is possible that he did follow and later faced death in the persecution of the first Christians. Jesus’ words to the other two seem harsh, but we lack the details of the whole conversation. Both excuses amount to the same spiritual dilemma: ‘I’ll be free after my father dies’; ‘I need to sort out my family’s affairs first’. These are hard lessons for us all. Discipleship is unconditional. It may lead to suffering, even to a cross.
Lord of the hard road, help us to step out of our comfort zone, to cross the difficult borders and to tread where you have trod.
1 Sarum prayer c1400 2 Luke 8:1–3
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezekiel 18,19; 1 Peter 1
Pray for Scripture Union
This year we piloted resources for the holidays and missions to use to develop and train our young leaders. Please pray for the team of staff and volunteers working on this programme as they evaluate the trial that took place over the summer and seek to develop it further for the future.
