Luke 9:51-62
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers ahead of him. On
their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53but they did not receive him, because his face was set
towards Jerusalem. 54When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want
us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ 55But he turned and
rebuked them. 56Then they went on to another village. 57 As they were going along the road,
someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ 58And 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.’ 59To
another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ 60But
Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the
kingdom of God.’ 61Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those
at my home.’ 62Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit
for the kingdom of God.’
51
COMMENTARY:
This Sunday’s Gospel is really two short, separate accounts: (1) Jesus’ travel through
Samaritan territory, and the hot-headed response of James and John to the Samaritans’ lack
of hospitality; (2) several short encounters between Jesus and would-be followers,
highlighting the absolute, radical demands of discipleship. This text marks a transition in the
Gospel, between its first and second parts—the beginning of the “Journey to Jerusalem,” the
final, fateful road that will lead Jesus to the events of Holy Week in the Holy City—to
suffering, death and resurrection.
As Jesus embarks on his journey … events occur that are strongly reminiscent of
earlier events. Earlier, God sent John as a messenger before Jesus; Jesus was
rejected by the villagers of Nazareth (4:16-30); Jesus called certain individuals to become his disciples; and Jesus
sent out the twelve to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (9:1-2). Correspondingly, as Jesus now sets out for
Jerusalem, he sends disciples as messengers before him (9:52); he is rejected by the villagers of a Samaritan town
(9:52-56); he apprises certain individuals of the costs of discipleship (9:57-62); and he sends out the seventy-two
to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (10:9). Parallel events such as these point up the similarity between
these first two phases of Jesus’ public ministry. (Jack Dean Kingsbury, Conflict in Luke: Jesus, Authorities,
Disciples, pp. 55-56)
The second part of this Gospel reading, in particular, is a very difficult one, and requires thoughtful, sensitive preaching, so as not to
misrepresent Jesus’ message.
51: “When the days drew near for him to be taken up”: “the days” suggests a definite, particularly significant period of time, a key
moment in the larger story of Jesus. The Greek speaks of “the fulfillment of the days,” a term that, in the Bible, often implies a divine
purpose being brought to completion in human history.
“for him to be taken up”: “taken up” here can have several different meanings. On one hand, Jerusalem (built on the crest of a hill) is
a journey upwards for those who approach it (the traditional psalms sung by approaching pilgrims are called the “Psalms of
Ascent”), and so the “upward” movement may allude to Jesus’ travel to the city itself. Some scholars suggest that the Greek term
used here, ἀνάλημψις (analēmpsis) is actually a euphemism for death. In the Christian vocabulary, it is certainly linked with the
post-Resurrection event of Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, when He was literally “taken up” into glory by the Father 1. Luke often
makes use of words such as this, with multiple possible layers of meaning, which can be read in several different ways. Here, the
“taking up” seems to encapsulate the whole series of events that will begin with Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, and will end wi th His
“departure” from the world.
“he set his face”: this seems to be a Semitic colloquial expression 2 indicating a firm resolution to achieve one’s goal, regardless of
whatever obstacles might lie in the way—a mark of focus, resolve and determination. Jesus already sees on the distant horizon the
events that await Him in the Holy City, and He sets out nevertheless for this encounter, understanding what it will mean for Him.
52-53: “they entered a village of the Samaritans”: from a time centuries before Jesus, the Judean Jews had broken with the Jews of
Samaria over differing interpretations of religious law, and rival claims as to the appropriate sanctuary for offering sacrif ice (for the
Judeans=Jerusalem; for the Samaritans=Mount Gerizim). With the passage of the centuries, the rivalry had hardened into a mutual
Jewish traditions assert that both Moses and Elijah were “assumed” into heaven at the end of their lives, and that
both conferred a portion of their “spirit” on their disciple-successors.
2 The same expression (“to set one’s face toward”) is also used in the Old Testament, in Gen 31:21; Num 24:1; II Kgs
12:17, implying a resoluteness.
1
distrust, hatred and hostility. Since Samaria lay between Galilee and Judea, the shortest way for Galileans on pilgrimage to
Jerusalem was to pass directly through the region of their enemies. Such a route, however, risked incurring the wrath of the local
people, since anyone going south to Jerusalem was likely to be a Jew, and subject to ridicule, harassment or violence from the
Samaritans. Jesus and His disciples were certainly conscious of this history, and the risks of taking this shorter route.
“they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem”: On one hand, the disciples should not be surprised that the
Samaritans will not welcome them: the estrangement between the two Jewish groups was a well-known fact, and at the root of many
racial stereotypes and bitter stories on both sides. However, in the Middle East (then as now), the obligation of hospitality to
travellers was almost a sacred responsibility, regardless of one’s personal feelings toward the other party. Given the harsh climate,
the refusal to provide food, water and shelter to weary travellers—even one’s enemies—could prove fatal. Is this part of the reason for
James and John’s anger? We also see, however, a subtle connection of Jerusalem and rejection—a connection that will be sharpened
once Jesus actually arrives there, and the response from at least some of the leading religious authorities will not be a warm
welcome, either.
Interestingly, despite this unpleasant reception, Jesus does not “write off” the Samaritans. In Acts 1:8, the Risen Jesus promises His
followers that “when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to
the ends of the earth”. Jesus’ message and ministry are directed even to those who have rejected Him in the past—He does not “hold
grudges,” or allow people’s past mistakes and sins to exclude them from a renewed invitation to the kingdom. Here again, we see His
forgiveness and mercy at work—a model which challenges each one of us daily!
54-56: “do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”: it is not a coincidence that James and
John were nicknamed Boanergēs (“Sons of Thunder”) by Jesus! Although we do not get all the details of this story, their reaction
certainly seems to typify the kind of hot-heated, radical response that might have earned them that appellation! It seems that the
reference to calling down heavenly fire is likely an allusion to Elijah’s calling down of fire on the troops of Ahaziah in II Kings
1:10,12,14, demonstrating that he was, indeed, a true prophet of God 3.
On another level, however, we see the temptation (modern as well as ancient!) to want to use God’s power to “settle scores,” to misuse spiritual authority and power for selfish and ego-driven purposes, to assume that God hates those whom we hate, to “pray
against” our enemies. “The disciples are full of zeal, but lacking in mercy” (Ignatius Bible: Gospel of Luke, p. 11). How easily we can
do the same!
Jesus responds abruptly and harshly, making it eminently clear that there is no room for vindictiveness among those who wish to
follow Him.
“they went on to another village”: unlike His disciples, Jesus seems to take the lack of hospitality lightly and in stride. This journey
from village to village also captures the missionary flavour of the Gospel, in which the message is preached by personal contact, in
one community after another—a model of what Jesus’ followers are to do in the years and centuries after Him.
57: “As they were going along the road”: for Luke, images of travel—of roads and paths and journeys—are a recurring metaphor for
the life and work of the early Christian community, which is essentially a group of missionaries, of “pilgrims” who are travelling
toward a goal. It is Luke who, in Acts, refers to the first groups of Christians as “the Way” (e.g. Acts 9:2). References to “going along
the road” (v. 57) and “as they were on the way” (v. 52) are probably a subtle reinforcement of this key theme for Luke. Jesus’ journey
to Jerusalem becomes, therefore, a “template” for the ongoing Christian journey from Jerusalem, to all the corners of the known
world.
“I will follow you wherever you go”: in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Peter makes a similar profession of unconditional faith in
Jesus, a commitment to follow Him even to death if necessary (Matt 26:33,35; Mark 14:29,31; Luke 22:33). As the events of Holy
Thursday night will prove, however, such rash promises often prove premature and unreliable in the face of the realities of
persecution and violence; Peter himself will learn this lesson the hard way. The fact that someone who barely knows Jesus would
make such an immediate and wholehearted commitment demonstrates that they have not yet understood what Jesus is teaching
about the suffering that will befall those who follow Him faithfully.
58: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”: one of the most famous of
Jesus’ sayings, emphasizing both the quasi-“vagabond” nature of His ministry, but also the fact that He has no fixed address, no
“home” in the strict sense. To embrace upon the journey of radical discipleship is, therefore, to become, in some sense, a “wanderer
for God,” to surrender the comforts and stability of domestic life, and to embrace a lifestyle of poverty, simplicity and transience,
with nothing to “tie one down” 4. Is this a commitment this person is prepared to make? 5 Think carefully, Jesus seems to be saying;
“Most manuscripts, especially the later ones (A C D W Θ Ψ Ë1,13 33 Ï it), read here ‘as also Elijah did,’ making the
allusion to 2 Kgs 1:10, 12, 14 more explicit. The shorter reading has better and earlier support (Ì45,75 ‫ א‬B L Ξ 579 700*
1241 pc lat sa). It is difficult to explain how the shorter reading could have arisen from the longer, especially since it is
well represented early on. However, the longer reading looks to have been a marginal note originally, incorporated into
the text of Luke by early scribes.” (NET Bible notes)
4 Luke, writing for a predominantly Greek-speaking (and perhaps Gentile?) audience, sometimes seems to portray
Jesus as a philosopher—a way of life that would have been familiar in Greco-Roman society. Several great writers of
antiquity, including Epictetus and Dio Chrysostom, taught that homelessness was often the lot of the true philosopher.
3
do not embark on this journey until you have weighed it prudently and understood its implications. For similar admonitions, see
Luke 14:26-33, where Jesus cautions would-be disciples to seriously think through what discipleship may demand of them.
59-60: “Follow me”: unlike the first potential disciple (who apparently offers himself spontaneously), this second individual is
actually called by Jesus Himself.
“first let me go and bury my father”: for a devout Jew, ensuring a proper burial for the dead is considered one of the highest of all
possible mitzvot (commandments)6, and so, both religiously and emotionally, we can understand his request 7:
According to [Jewish] tradition, it is a high mitzvah to give the dead a decent burial. A rabbinic saying has it that
this is the most sincere act of benevolence, since one cannot expect from the dead any favors in return. (Louis
Jacobs, The Book of Jewish Belief, p. 235)
…the Midrash Tanchuma … points out that kindness shown to the dead is indeed an act of true love, since there is
no prospect of repayment or gratitude: a poor person may one day be in a position to repay his benefactor, but the
dead person cannot repay. (Kerry M. Olitzky and Ronald H. Isaacs, Rediscovering Judaism: Bar and Bat Mitzvah
for Adults, p. 238)
“Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God”: this is certainly one of the most cryptic,
challenging and widely-debated phrases in Jesus’ teachings, and its seeming insensitivity on Jesus’ part clashes for many Christians
with their image of Jesus as gentle, compassionate and understanding of people’s needs. Could it possibly
mean what it seems to mean on a surface level? Almost from the beginning, Christians have grappled
with how to understand these apparently callous words of Jesus.
Does it mean (as many have suggested) that the spiritually dead should take care of other
spiritually dead people8—and that this person is being invited to leave the realm of spiritual
death behind him (including his “unbelieving” father), to embark on a path of new spiritual
life? This would suggest that the world is divided up into the “spiritually alive” and the
“spiritually dead,” and the former should not be concerned with the latter? This seems to
promote a somewhat élitist view of Christianity, and does not seem to correspond with
what we see of Jesus throughout the Gospels—reaching out to grievous sinners and social
outcasts, who would certainly be considered “spiritually dead” by many. The Gospels (and
certainly not Luke!) do not portray people as “spiritually dead,” as if they were a lost cause
and were no longer of interest.
Does it suggest that such mundane, earthly tasks can no longer be a concern for those
whose hearts are set on the Kingdom, and that they must not allow even the demands of
sorrow and family ties to impede the urgent call of discipleship? Sometimes in
Christianity, it has been interpreted in this way, even to the point that, in the past, priests and nuns were sometimes denied
permission to attend their own parents’ funerals, to emphasize the radical “break” they had made with their past, and their
“distance” even from the bonds of family.
Jesus’ reply … has always been troubling, even outrageous. It would be a mistake to attempt to soften Jesus’
command; it is intended to shock. But it is also important to pay close attention to Jesus’ choice of words. When
Jesus says ‘let the dead bury their own dead,’ he implies that what is truly at stake for this would-be follower is
more than a matter of a family obligation. What is at stake is no less than the challenge of the kingdom, and that is
a matter of life or death.
Of course, “laying one’s head” is a metaphor for sleeping—but, on a deeper level, it is also a metaphor for death, when
a person “lays down one’s head” in the grave. Matthew is the only one of the Gospels to specifically say so, but the
others certainly strongly suggest that the tomb in which Jesus will be laid is the family tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
Thus, even at the end of His earthly life, Jesus does not have “a place to lay his head,” and even His grave must be
provided through the generosity of a friend.
6 See the example of the pious Jew Tobit in the Old Testament book by the same name.
7 Some Jewish commentators suggest that the commandment to “honour one’s father and mother” includes ensuring
the honourable burial of one’s parents; in such a case, the man is faced with the extremely difficult choice of obedience
to the commandments, or obedience to Jesus.
8 A variation of this interpretation has Jesus meaning, “Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead”. This is the
interpretation of the New American Bible and many other commentators. For example:
“A man in England, who lived to the age of 84, but was converted when 80 years old, had the inscription on his tomb:
—‘Died, aged 4 years’—i.e., he reckoned that he was really only alive when he served God … Man has a soul and body,
each of which dies in its own way; and so either of them may be alive while the other is dead. There is a sense in which
Adam died on the day when he sinned; and there is another sense in which Adam lived 930 years … There are
multitudes of people who seem to be alive but are no better than dead … They are twice dead, as Jude 12 saith, dead
once by nature and dead again unto grace … [As a Persian proverb says:] A benefactor is alive, though removed to the
mansions of the dead; the wicked is dead, though in the mansions of the living.” (James Long, Eastern Proverbs and
Emblems Illustrating Old Truths [1881], pp. 111-12)
5
In Jesus, the kingdom of heaven has drawn near, and everything is changed. The old world has passed away; it is
dead and gone, and the new reign of God has begun. The only true response is to turn around, leave the old
behind, and become a part of the new … Thus, the critical question for everyone is: To which realm do you belong,
to which epoch do you give your loyalties—the old age, which is dead, or the kingdom of heaven, embodied in
Jesus? Many of us, like this disciple, want to keep a foot in both ages; we want to have a good life, but we also want
the good life. We have one foot on the dock and one in the boat, and Jesus warns us: The boat of the kingdom is
launching out to sea. (Thomas G. Long, Westminster Bible Companion: Matthew, p. 93)
Some have suggested that the “burial” suggested here is actually the “secondary burial” which, in the time of Jesus, took place a year
or so after the initial burial. After the flesh had decayed, the bones of the skeleton were gathered and placed in a carved stone
ossuary (“bone-box”) and placed on a shelf in the family tomb. If this is the case, then this man could be asking for several months’—
perhaps up to a year’s—grace before following Jesus (saying that he wished to remain at home during the mourning period, until
after the secondary, permanent burial had taken place). The proposed delay would, therefore, be in sharp contrast with the
immediacy of Jesus’ calling—a sense that this is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” not to be missed or postponed until a more
convenient time9.
…the presence of dual references to the kingdom of God announces the reorganization of former allegiances, with
the result that one may be called upon, as in this case, to engage in behaviour deemed deviant by normal
conventions. But this is the nature of the kingdom of God in Luke, which makes its presence known through a
reordering of the character of human interaction. (Joel B. Green, New International Commentary on the New
Testament: The Gospel of Luke, p. 408)
61-62: “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home”: again, the very natural demands of love for one’s
family would seem to demand at least an explanation of one’s departure, and a “goodbye” before embarking on a mission that might
mean separation for long periods of time—or forever. “The sense of this saying is the same as Luke 14:26, ‘unless one hates one’s
father and mother…’” (Luke Timothy Johnson, Sacra Pagina: Luke, p. 163). Especially in the ancient Middle East, where one’s
family constituted one’s basic network of social identity, to turn one’s back on one’s family was a tremendous insult, and basically
made a person into an outcast, cut off from everything that defined him or her, isolated and a pariah within the broader community.
“No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”: again, unusually hard words from Jesus! Jesus
seems to suggest that the commitment to the Kingdom must be total and immediate, with no wavering, hesitation or second
thoughts. It suggests that anyone who struggles or questions, at a later point in their life, is “unworthy” of the gift of th e Kingdom
that Jesus is announcing. Surely that is not the point He is making here?!?
The adjective euthethos describes not a moral category but one of aptitude, so that for ‘kingdom’ here, we should
understand ‘preaching the kingdom of God’. For this, a sense of direction and concentration is required. The
image of the plough recalls Elisha, who was called while plowing, and begged leave to ‘kiss my father and mother,
and then I will follow you’ (I Kings 19:19-21). Elijah allowed him; Jesus’ demand is stricter. (L.T. Johnson, p. 163)
Most probably these interested persons would have heard about the wonderful things that Jesus is doing. Like the group Jesus has
earlier called, they probably foresee the time when they will sit close to Jesus in His power, “on His right and on His le ft.” For His
Father Donald Gelpi doesn’t find this explanation to be very convincing, however: “Is the young man really asking for
time to rebury his father's bones, as recent scholarship has suggested? Apparently, after the body had decayed,
Palestinian Jews did rebury the bones in a funeral urn. If the young man desires to rebury his father's remains, he
could be asking for as much as a year, the time it would take for the body to decay. The text, however, says ‘bury,’ not
‘rebury’ or ‘bury again’. Did, then, Jesus really say to the young man, ‘Let the corpses with whom your father lies buried
take care of the second funeral?’ I, for one, do not find a great deal of plausibility in the suggestion. Cf. Byron R.
McCane, ‘ “Let the Dead Bury Their Own Dead’: Second Burial and Matthew 8:21–22,” Harvard Theological Review,
83 (1990), pp. 31–43; Jack Dean Kingsbury, ‘On Following Jesus: The ‘Eager’ Scribe and the ‘Reluctant’ Disciple
(Matthew 8.18–22),’ New Testament Studies, 34 (1988), pp. 45–59” (The Firstborn of Many: A Christology for
Converting Christians, Vol. 2, p. 246)
Other commentators suggest just the opposite of the “second burial” thesis: they argue that, in the ancient Middle East,
burial took place almost immediately after death, within a matter of a few hours. In this case, then, the man was simply
asking for a few hours in which to attend to his father’s interment; Jesus is saying that, given the urgency of the
Kingdom’s message, even a delay of those few hours cannot be countenanced.
…or, as others suggest, perhaps his father is merely elderly and extremely ill, and the son is asking for time to spend
with him in his last days or weeks, knowing that his father is dying, and that his funeral is a foregone conclusion?
As can be seen, the sparseness of this particular encounter allows for a great deal of creative speculation, leading to
widely differing opinions.
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part, Jesus gives the downside of discipleship: He follows a precarious life, a life in which the Kingdom takes precedence over all.
To follow Jesus, one must go beyond sentimentalism. Discipleship that is based on mere “feeling good” soon dies out when the
feeling is gone. More than feelings, discipleship involves choice and commitment. Real commitment, however, can only be the fruit
of discernment. Discernment, in turn, only happens when there is authenticity. Jesus helps the would-be disciples to discern by
letting them see both the good and bad sides of following Him. (Manila Bulletin, October 4, 2006)
Indeed, the cost of discipleship is high. One who wishes to follow Jesus must be ready and willing to give up the security of the
known and the familiar, to set aside all present and future concerns that could get in the way of preaching the Gospel, and to stop
looking back at the past or the what-might-have-beens in order to concentrate fully on the tasks at hand. (Manila Bulletin, June 27,
2004)
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein, 1891-1942], “Meditation for the Feast of the Exaltation of the
Cross”:
The Saviour has Himself preceded us on the path of poverty. To Him belonged all of the riches of heaven and earth. They posed no
danger to Him—He could certainly have made use of them while keeping His heart completely free. But He knew that it is almost
impossible for a human being to own riches without becoming subordinate to them—without becoming a slave to them. It was for
this reason that He abandoned everything, and in this way, He showed us by His example—even more so than by His words—that
the only person who truly possesses everything is the one who possesses nothing. His birth in a stable, and His flight into E gypt
already showed us that the Son of Man was not to have a place to rest His head. Those who wish to follow Him must know that we do
not have a lasting dwelling-place here on earth. The more keenly we are conscious of this, the more passionately we will direct
ourselves toward our future dwelling-place, and we will exult at the thought that we can lay claim to the heavenly city. (My
translation from a French original)
Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess
you have given me. I surrender it all to you to be disposed of according to your will. Give me only your love and your grace — with
these I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more. (Prayer of St. Ignatius Loyola, 1491-1556)
The Summons
Will you come and follow me
If I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know
And never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown,
Will you let my name be known,
Will you let my life be grown
In you and you in me?
2. Will you leave yourself behind
If I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind
And never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare
Should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer
In you and you in me?
3. Will you let the blinded see
If I but call your name?
Will you set the pris’ners free
And never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean,
And do such as this unseen,
And admit to what I mean
In you and you in me?
4. Will you love the “you” you hide
If I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside
And never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found
To reshape the world around,
Through my sight and touch and sound
In you and you in me?
5. Lord, your summons echoes true
When you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you
And never be the same.
In your company I’ll go
Where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I’ll move and live and grow
In you and you in me.
© 1987 John L. Bell and The Iona Community.