10 October 2006

Today is day one in three comments about following Jesus as Bonhoeffer turns to the following parable.

Then they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." and 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." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, " Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for your, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 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 a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:57-62).
The first disciple took the initiative to follow Jesus. He was not called and Jesus' answer shows the enthusiastic man that he does not know what he is doing. He cannot know at all.

Bonhoeffer says that Jesus answer to this person shows the disciple the reality of life with Jesus. It is a demonstration of the way of following - a following that goes with this Lord, right to the cross. This person quite literally called himself. "It looks like a good thing to do. Maybe by following this Jesus I will become a teacher like him or a wise person or a healer. This could be very good!" And yet, it is not the call of Jesus that brings him forward. Would this one be following Jesus? No. This person is following his/her ideas and visions and plans for the way things will be. Bonhoeffer makes the point that the "free offer of discipleship and real discipleship remains wide open. For us, it is quite important that as we consider this call to follow Jesus through our baptism or through a call we experienced in our life that led to the life within the gathering of saints called the church, we take note of what the way is to be. Following Jesus according to what we want following to be is most often quite off the mark. We may be following, but it is not Jesus. Jesus calls us to follow him. To this person - and to all of us - Jesus tries to spell out the way so that we will come to see our call as one by the Lord...and it means come along the way of the Lord - alone.

Connection: One of the hardest things for me to deal with are those times when I see that I am choosing to follow the way I would like to follow. I forget the way of Jesus within the day and who knows what path I turn down for what I think is my own good...my own call.

You have called us to follow your beloved, Jesus, and to walk along his way. So often we come prepared to walk as we would walk and therefore attempt to turn the way of the cross into a way that will fit us best. By the power of your Holy Spirit pull us along your way in this day. Amen.