Not Easy To Follow Jesus

𝐎𝐂𝐓. 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓. 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐒, 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏: 𝐍𝐞𝐡 𝟐:𝟏-𝟖

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟑𝟕: 𝟏-𝟔 “𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮!

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐤 𝟗:𝟓𝟕-𝟔𝟐

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅.” (𝒗.58) 

For his listeners to capture what he says, Jesus Christ uses three different styles in the way that he teaches or preaches. At times we see him standing in the synagogue, but we also find Jesus sitting when he wants to discuss something at length which we see him doing during the Sermon on the Mount (𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝟓). 

         And today we see Jesus making use of every opportunity to deliver his message as he preaches while walking with some of his disciples on their way from Galilee to Jerusalem and today, we hear Jesus laying down the parameters of discipleship to three of his disciples who were walking alongside him.

         And to all three who professed their desire to follow him and as this teaching is also directed towards us, we who regard ourselves as Christian disciples in the post-modern world, Jesus gave three “𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬” for anyone who will want to follow him. (𝟏) 𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. (𝟐) 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. (𝟑) 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝.        

By far these are not mouth-watering conditions that anyone can readily grab but these provide us with something to ponder on especially in relation to the covenants that we have entered as disciples of covenanted communities and, even among those who have committed their lives to serve God through the church.

         I do believe that this Lucan version on the cost of discipleship as compared to that in 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝟖:𝟏𝟖-𝟐𝟐 should be reflected upon by everyone who is in a renewal community regardless of how they are classified. In the Bukas Loob sa Diyos Covenant Community, there are actually three sets of members – one is a regular member who simply attends the Community’s Corporate Worship (Prayer Meeting); a Committed Disciple who commits to attend the Formation Program leading to covenanting, and; a Covenanted Disciple who has completed the three-and-a-half year discipleship formation program and has signed his or her covenant, a document professing his/ her allegiance, a life of service and subservience to God.

         In this Gospel, Jesus is telling us what he told the first would-be disciple “𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅.” (𝒗.58) which means that those who will follow him must not remain stationary but must become a people on the move. Jesus is telling us to draw on our faith to go and step into the unknown as what Abraham did when he was commanded by God to go and he “𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈.” (𝑯𝒆𝒃 11:8).        

And this is what disciples are supposed to do because the grace of the renewal compels us to move out and not remain stationary and become stagnant in our faith. This  is especially true not just for disciple-members of a Church or Community but more so for leaders.

         To the second would-be disciple, Jesus says “𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅.” (𝒗.60) This may seem harsh but Jesus also recognizes our duties to our love ones and when he said this he knew that what the man meant was that he will follow after his father dies since, for all intents and purposes, the father of man was not dead yet because he has no business hanging around with Jesus if his father just died and waiting to be buried.

         What Jesus wants from his disciples is immediate action. We need not physically leave our families but like Jesus we are to make use of every opportunity to evangelize and proclaim the Kingdom of God. Jesus requires an instant decision on our part because when we put-off making such a decision for tomorrow there is a tendency we will never make that decision at all. Procrastination is akin to human nature and to becoming a disciple, our desires must be translated into action.

         Finally, Jesus advises us to leave everything behind – our past, our sinful nature, our tendency to dilly-dally, our penchant for grandstanding, our self-centeredness, our bitterness and unforgiveness – because “𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅.” (𝒗.62)        

Farmers normally put an imaginary point at the end of the field, and he guides the animal and his plow towards that point on a straight path. It doesn’t mean we are not to look back but what Jesus is stressing is that we need to look forward once we have begun to plow the field.

         This reminds me of the need for every organization to review their mission fields because the element of success must always be the focal point of the mission that the church and or community undertakes. Take for example the countless Life in the Spirit Seminars in parishes that have been conducted and many of which are all gone now with no trace at all. Some did not progress as intended because of certain factors one of which is the formation program that was put in place.

         It also means that we need to go and serve even in places with Spartan accommodations. We all must be convicted by the thought that Jesus Christ was constantly on the move and at times would let the night pass in some solitary place and simply lie on a clearing. Translated into present-day realities, it means we need not expect five-star treatment in the mission to which we are being sent.

         Every program that the church and or community will put in place should be likened to a field that is being plowed. As we put our hands on the plow, we should put an imaginary point at the end of the field to which we are to direct the plow. What this means is that there is a need to determine the progress of every program that you will undertake. And many times, projects and programs fail because these are not aligned to the charisms that are spelled out in the vision and mission of the church organization.

         To be a disciple of Christ, we must all be pro-active because Jesus is not going to accept any form of lukewarm service. As Jesus also sees what is in our hearts, our Lord requires total dedication and not half-hearted commitment.

We must accept the cross and not just aim for the crown and we need to focus on Jesus and not allow ourselves to be distracted along the way especially when we have put our hands on the plow. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘖𝘤𝘵. 1, 2025)