DEMANDS OF DISCIPLESHIP
When
I was in Papua New Guinea, I remember being shocked when I saw large
crowds following a person. After asking who this person was, I learned
that he was a famous politician. Since it was almost election time, he
was campaigning and making his presence felt. It was amazing to see
large crowds following one single person.
Jesus must have experienced something like this when He went through
the towns and villages of Palestine. We read throughout the Gospels that
crowds followed Him. Jesus was not a politician, but He was a man of
truth and many were attracted to His ministry, His person and way of
life.
Today, we have Matthew’s version of discipleship. We find two different characters
in the Gospel account. First, a scribe (interpreter of the law) wants
to follow Jesus wherever He goes. Jesus accepts his enthusiasm but
reminds him that to follow Him is urgent and requires total reliance on
the provision of God. Second, one of His disciples is willing to go
deeper in following Jesus. He wants to be even more loyal and committed
to following Jesus. But he is caught up with family affairs and
responsibilities. Jesus tells the man to leave behind the
responsibilities — let the dead bury their
dead.
Many crowds followed Jesus but few were chosen to be in His company. We
are called to be disciples of Jesus; to follow Him is an all or nothing
response. We need to reassess our commitments and priorities in
following Jesus. Even family must come after Jesus, as the second
disciple found out. The Lord Jesus should be number one in our lives. To
follow Jesus involves trust, loyalty and grace to live up to the
demands of discipleship. The question now is, will you follow Jesus? Fr. Brian Steele, MGL
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you willing to let go of everything to follow the Lord? What is holding you back from following Him?
Lord,
You are kind and merciful. You invite us to be Your disciples and to
follow You. Let us follow You wherever You may go. Amen.
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