51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village. 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
In today’s gospel, Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem and it will end in his crucifixion, resurrection and Ascension. Indeed, the first words allude to this and suggest that the long-prophesied climax is coming to God’s plan. Luke then tells us that, although Jesus knows the suffering that awaits him, he “resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” In the next verse, Luke tells us that Jesus sent messengers before him, to prepare things for his arrival – which should make us think of John the Baptist. The disciples are now taking over his role and prepare for the coming of the Lord. Sadly, the first place he goes refuses to welcome him – indeed, quite the contrary. Relations were tense between Jews and Samaritans and Jews journeying to Jerusalem for one of the three great pilgrimage feasts (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot) were not welcome in Samaria.
The shadow of Elijah hangs over this passage because in 2 Kings, when he encountered troops from Samaria, he called down fire from heaven that destroyed them. The disciples expect Jesus to do the same but he rebukes them and simply goes to the next town. He can hardly preach love of enemies and then destroy an entire village. Furthermore, this shows how little the disciples still understand about the man they follow and call “Lord”. It’s significant that Jesus’ journey begins with rejection and misunderstanding (even on the part of those closest to him), and, of course, he will face even greater rejection and misunderstanding in Jerusalem. But this does not mean abandoning anyone for the mission must continue.
This rest of the passage gives three examples showing how difficult it is to follow Jesus, and we do not learn what the final response of each person is. The first one sounds very eager but Jesus confronts him with the idea that being his follower may lead to homelessness. Only someone willing to endure such hardship can truly become Jesus’ disciple. The second has to bury his father – obviously an important and even sacred duty. Jesus shocks his listeners by telling the man: “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Jesus is not being disrespectful of family duties but rather saying that nothing must delay the proclamation of the kingdom of God. All is secondary to this task. Finally, the third person wants to say farewell to his family. As Henry Wansbrough points out, Jesus replies with a metaphor: “the emphasis here is on ceaseless and concentrated dedication: if you lose concentration for a moment with a handplough the whole endeavour goes to pieces.” Jesus never lets anything get in the way of his saving mission. In spite of everything, as we see at the start of this reading, he “resolutely” heads to the end game.
All of these examples echo the calling of Elisha in today’s first reading, especially the third case. Jesus does not clearly tell this man no (like Elijah does not clearly tell Elisha yes) but the implication is clear: Jesus’ disciples must have a greater commitment to God than even Elisha. However, this should not make us think we should ignore others and focus on our religious duty. In other places, Jesus is quite clear: loving others is our religious duty. As so often, he exaggerates in order to make his point more clearly. Jesus never lost track of his mission but along the way, he loved and helped those he met.
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