Text: Matthew 8:18-22
Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; buth the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to himm, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.
To be a follower of Jesus carries with it high demands. Usually that is the last thing we think when we think of ourselves in the life of the church. But the demand here is a demand for life. You can take that in two ways. 1. for the whole of life...for ever and ever, 2. for the newness brought in Jesus' name. For life!
Whatever it is the scribe wanted to join...following Jesus is not like anything you simply join. It is not merely a discipline...it is going to be for a radically oriented life...back to the root...back to the Word of life that settles for nothing short of life and love and justice and mercy. There will be no monastic life...no special school...no detachment from the community. There may not even be a place to call "home" or a place to "sleep." It is important to note that Jesus even turns and rebukes on of his own disciples who wants to bury his father. Nothing...nothing will get in the way of the Reign of God breaking in...nothing...no excuses.
Connection: What excuses do we throw out when we hear the call of Jesus to follow and live according to God's Reign. I always find it amazing how easily I let myself center on all sorts of "stuff" that has the capacity to steer me off to some other land and resting place than the loving domain of God's Reigning love. Hum...What about you?!
Praise be to you, O God, for you keep calling us out into your world as your children. Keep us steadfast and keep us fixed upon the ways of your loving. Remind us of the cost of following you and the life that it brings before us. Amen.
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