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Luke 9:57–62
“Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’ ” (vv. 61–62).
Having rebuked James and John for wanting to call down judgment on a Samaritan village (Luke 9:51–56), Jesus continued journeying to Jerusalem with the Twelve. As they traveled, today’s passage says, three individuals sought to follow Jesus. Our Lord answered them by explaining the cost of discipleship.
One man told Jesus that he would go wherever Jesus went, and Jesus responded that while foxes and birds have homes, He, the Son of Man, had nowhere to lay His head (Luke 9:57–58). The idea is that we must know what we are signing up for when we commit to serving Christ. Following Jesus does not lead to a life of ease but results in the world’s rejection and leaves us without a permanent home in the present order. We cannot take our Savior’s words in a woodenly literal fashion, as though He meant that true discipleship always leads to homelessness. Elsewhere, Jesus says that some people who follow Him will receive houses and lands even now, albeit with persecutions (Mark 10:28–30). Jesus’ point in Luke 9:57–58 is that following Him might lead to the loss of many earthly goods, something that we must be willing to accept.
Christ then called another person to follow Him, and the man responded by saying that he would follow Jesus after burying his father (Luke 9:59). In that culture, respect for one’s parents meant ensuring that they had a proper burial. Yet Jesus told him to “leave the dead to bury their own dead” and to “proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60). Again, we are not to read this too literally, as though following Jesus demanded abandoning every noble commitment to family that we have. Dead people, after all, are incapable of burying other dead people, and the Apostles tell Christian children to honor their parents (Eph. 6:1–2). Jesus, rather, wants us to understand that following Him means centering our priorities on Him and His kingdom. The chief priority of the disciple is to make sure that the gospel is proclaimed. Anything that gets in the way must be set aside.
The final individual asked Jesus for permission to say goodbye to his family, but Jesus said that one cannot look back after putting his hand to the plow and be fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:61–62). In the first-century Holy Land, one had to look straight ahead when plowing a field; otherwise, one would create meandering furrows unfit for planting. Jesus’ point is simple: to be a disciple of Christ requires a single-minded commitment, with no turning back.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
John Calvin comments on today’s passage, “They are said to look back, who become involved in the cares of the world, so as to allow themselves to be withdrawn from the right path; particularly, when they plunge themselves into those employments which disqualify them to follow Christ.” Our commitment to Jesus cannot be halfhearted or divided. If we find that it might be, let us repent this day.
for further study
- Genesis 19:1–29
- Deuteronomy 5:7
- Matthew 8:18–22
- Luke 16:13
the bible in a year
- 2 Kings 12–14
- John 5:30–47