Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another, Jesus said, “Follow me!”
But he answered, “Let me go back now, for, first, I want to bury my father.” And Jesus said to him
, “Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them, and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another
said to him, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” And Jesus said to
him, “Whoever has put his hand to the plow, and looks back, is not fit for the kingdom of God.”
Reflect:
While I was doing my studies in theology, we had a professor of the treatise on Grace who tried
to drive home the primacy of God thus: “If you do not mention the phrase ‘primacy of God’ in
the final examination, I will fail you.” It goes without saying that during the examination, I mentioned
the phrase as many times as I could and passed with flying colors! The vocational narratives in
today’s gospel underline this primacy and priority of God in life. You cannot respond to the call of
God in piecemeal fashion. Once we choose to respond, it must be absolute and irrevocable, with all
other commitments and relations coming a distant second. Once we embrace the call, we must burn
the bridges behind. Once we put our hands on the plough, we must not look back or turn around –
unless we have been ploughing in the opposite direction to God!
© Copyright Bible Diary 2022