Luke 9:57-62
Following Jesus requires costly, urgent, and undivided allegiance to the kingdom of God.
57 As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, “I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord.”
58 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another, “Follow me!” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”
60 But Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce God’s Kingdom.”
61 Another also said, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say good-bye to those who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.”
Following Jesus requires costly, urgent, and undivided allegiance to the kingdom of God.
Luke records three encounters on the road to show that following the Jerusalem-bound Jesus requires sober acceptance of homelessness, kingdom urgency above even the strongest social obligations, and undivided forward-looking allegiance.
These encounters conclude Luke 9 and reinforce the seriousness of discipleship following the journey’s decisive turn toward Jerusalem (9:51).
As Jesus and his disciples travel on the road after he has set his face toward Jerusalem, three brief encounters reveal the cost and urgency of discipleship. One person enthusiastically promises to follow Jesus anywhere, but Jesus warns that the Son of Man lacks even the settled shelter of foxes and birds. Jesus calls another to follow him, but the man asks first to bury his father; Jesus responds with a hard saying about proclaiming the kingdom. Another offers to follow after saying farewell at home; Jesus replies that no one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom.
The Christ Revealed, the Cross Announced, and the Jerusalem Road Begun
Jesus is the Christ of God, the glorious Son who must suffer, and the resolute Lord who calls His followers into kingdom mission, daily cross-bearing, humble service, and undivided allegiance on the road to Jerusalem.