Luke 9:57-10:12   Expand passage

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.”

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

   5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

   8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

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Part of the series,

Let the dead bury their own dead

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Luke 9:60

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

If you’re following our Daily Readings sequentially, you’ll see that we are back in Luke’s gospel for the second half. After a few weeks away, I had forgotten just how punchy Luke was. He shows Jesus to be a true radical, a real counter-cultural teacher. If we sometimes think of Jesus in collages and applique, today’s reading brings us back down to earth with a gritty reminder that following Jesus is a shocking pursuit. Jesus’ three responses in verses 57-62 show just how distinctive the Christian life is.

Firstly, it is a restless way of life. As Christians we can never be settled or complacent. We may not undertake an itinerant preaching ministry like Jesus, but we keep moving in our own ways. We keep looking out for our neighbours; keep praying for our enemies; keep building up the church; keep growing in our knowledge of God; keep witnessing to the world.

Secondly, it is a living faith. The gospel is not about death, but life. The Christian life is focussed on the resurrection of Jesus and the hope of eternal glory. As we fix our eyes on the new creation, we know that the death and destruction of this world will not amount to any eternal significance. What counts for eternity is the gospel of Jesus Christ who rose from the grave to save us from our spiritual death.

Thirdly, it is ruthless towards those things which might keep us from worshipping God. The weeds of this life can come and tangle us, distracting us from God and his mission. We can easily become slowed down and preoccupied by the cares of this world. Let’s keep a radical focus on the gospel today, the living hope of glory.

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As part of our active lifestyle of prayer and Bible reading, we are currently reading a small section of the Bible together each day and sharing our responses to it with each other. We also publish a short devotional thought on a key verse or two from each day's passage to prompt prayer or reflection.

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15th Oct   Luke 9:57-10:12
14th Oct   Genesis 26
13th Oct   Genesis 24:61-25:34
12th Oct   Genesis 24:1-60
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