Daily Bread

Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached 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; but 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 him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’

Woah! Jesus was being blunt to the point of offensiveness, both in his language (referring to those outside the circle of discipleship as 'dead') and thrust (following Jesus is more important than the most solemn and pressing of family duties). Now, we have to be super careful not to dumb down what Jesus was saying. Scholars have debated these verses at great length and there is no consensus as to what Jesus was meaning by them, especially in the light of the fact that Jesus taught and practiced a high regard for family responsibilities. So, what is going on here?

Jesus often used hyperbole or 'shock tactics' to get the seriousness of his message across, and in this regard I can only offer my own thoughts, therefore I will be keen to hear what others think!

Firstly, I think Jesus was making it clear that he had no such luxury when it came to his God-given mission and ministry. He listened only to what he heard from the Father and was obedient, even to death on a cross. Jesus had nowhere to lay his head and no opportunity to attend to the expectations of an eldest son in the absence of his earthly father. His statements said far more about the seriousness of his own calling than as a commentary on those that told him they would follow.

Secondly, I think Jesus was setting down a rhetorical challenge and explaining that if you really wanted to follow him then this it would entail the giving up one's own needs and the needs of friends and family. Again, this confirmed our human inability to literally follow Jesus and walk in his footsteps, for if any of us could, we wouldn't need a Saviour!

When we confront the reality of who Jesus was and what he came to achieve, we must recognise that we can never match up. We can never be perfectly loving, perfectly self-sacrificial, and perfectly obedient. So, what then should be our response?

Lord Jesus,
Thank you for being obedient
and for treading a path
of which I could never walk.
I am humbled by your commitment
and your perseverance
and my only response
is to fall on my knees
in gratitude and worship,
proclaiming that you are
my Lord and my God.
Now and forever.