Luke 9:51-62 (NRSV)
Read Luke 9:51-62 on biblegateway.com
Verse 51When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Verse 52And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; Verse 53but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. Verse 54When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" Verse 55But he turned and rebuked them. Verse 56Then they went on to another village.
Verse 57As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Verse 58And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Verse 59To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Verse 60But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Verse 61Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Verse 62Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
Devotion
One of my first jobs on a farm was sitting on a dump-rake attached to the tractor and mower. My job was to pull a lever and make perfect windrows of hay for baling. Sometimes I would look back to see how straight the rows were. As a result, I would sometimes miss the right time to dump the hay, leaving behind crooked windrows which were harder to bale.
Jesus says, “Don’t look back, let the dead bury their dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” Even when you and I may look back at times, Jesus calls us to renew our focus on what’s ahead. We could ruin the work we have already done by looking back. Like Jesus, let us set our focus on the task at hand. Proclaim the Gospel in word and deed. As Jesus was single-minded on his journey to Jerusalem, let us be single-minded in following him.
Prayer
Good and gracious God, teach us how to look forward to daily sharing your love with each other. Forgive us when we look back at times, and rather help us see you ahead of us and follow in awe of your love and forgiveness. Amen.
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