The Gospel passage from Luke 9:51-62 marks the beginning of the journey of Jesus and His disciples to Jerusalem. Luke sets the tone of this journey by stating the firm determination of Christ to fulfill His mission in Jerusalem; i.e., His Passion, Death and Resurrection. There were four incidents in this Gospel narrative: the refusal of the Samaritans to welcome Jesus and His group of disciples and three incidents of would-be disciples. These four incidents contain lessons which are important to the life of a Christian.
Luke tells us that the reason why the Samaritans did not welcome Jesus and His group of disciples is because the destination of their journey was Jerusalem. Passover was nearing, and this teacher, who wished to stay in their town, was on His way to worship at the rival temple in Jerusalem, instead of Mount Gerizim. Here, Luke shows us that one big obstacle which prevents people from welcoming Jesus is their prejudice. Merely because we are at odds with some people, we shut the door to Christ Himself.
The following conversation between Jesus and His two disciples clearly shows that this prejudice is not one-sided. James and John wished to command fire from heaven to consume the village of the unwelcoming Samaritans. James and John were familiar with the story of Elijah in 2Kings 1:10-12, where Elijah commanded fire to consume fifty men, not once but twice. But Jesus rebuked them. John’s Gospel relates that when Jesus entered Jerusalem and encountered unbelief among the Jews, Jesus cried out and said: “If anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world (John 12:47).” Christ came not to destroy men, but to bring them the means of salvation and eternal happiness; if they reject Christ, then their destruction is of their own doing.
Luke then tells us the incidents of the three would-be disciples. The first was someone who said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go (Luke 9:57).” Matthew 8:19 tells us that this man was a scribe. Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58).” These words constitute a rebuke to someone who apparently has not thought out thoroughly what it entails to be a disciple of Christ.
The second incident was different because it was Jesus who said: “Follow me (Luke 9:59).” But the man replied, “Let me go first and bury my father (Matthew 8:21, Luke 9:59).” It is rather unlikely that Jesus is telling the man not to bury his dead father; the more probable scenario was that this man, who was called by Christ, tried to use the excuse of caring for an aging father because he did not want to follow Jesus at that time. Jesus’ response was quite revealing: “Let the dead bury their dead (Matthew 8:22, Luke 9:60).” In other words, the man was dead in spirit because he did not heed Jesus’ call; so, let those who would not follow Christ due to their concern with worldly affairs attend to worldly matters.
The third incident was someone who said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home (Luke 9:61).” To this, Jesus replied, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).” Simply put, to be a disciple of Christ not only means detachment from things, but detachment from relationships as well.
These four incidents illustrate the four most common obstacles to becoming a disciple of Christ. The first one is prejudice, the second is inconsiderate impulse, the third is having conflicting priorities and the fourth is attachment to persons and things. As Christ was fully determined to fulfill His mission in Jerusalem, so also should a disciple be fully determined to follow Christ despite all odds.