“Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem” – Luke 9:51
Right after Luke tells us this, Jesus called more people to follow him – while going to his death!
Jesus never stopped calling and making disciples. Jesus never lost his focus. Here is what Luke tells us in 9:57-62,
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.”
I had never pictured this conversation in context before. It always seemed like a stand alone story to me. But Jesus knows he is on the trip to suffer and die and he keeps calling. He keeps working. He keeps discipling people, even beyond the 12.
I believe this is where we find ourselves. We are on our way to glory that comes through suffering. On the way we are calling people to Jesus. Those who accept that call we walk alongside as they join us on the same road.
If you knew you were walking to Jerusalem would there be anything more important than calling people to Jesus and discipling them? This is exactly what we are doing. I am so inspired by Jesus in Luke 9. I pray that his example transforms my approach to life and ministry and I hope he will for you as well.
What is holding you back? What is driving you forward?
