“Follow me.” With these words Jesus invited his earliest followers to leave the life and story that defined them, and to take up his. It is a call that has been given and responded to by countless others throughout history, some have said yes and others have said no, but for many the response has been “hold on a minute.”
There is something about Jesus’ call that keeps people uneasy. The problem with Jesus’ call is he doesn’t explain fully how it will work. It demands imitation, and it demands you start today. For many that road is both a terror and a joy. Jesus’ story follows an arch that both resonates with, and repulses the hearts of those who hear it. There is a power in it, but also weakness. It contains life, but also death. In Luke 9: 51-62 we see a tension in the story that Jesus was telling, with the story people wanted Jesus to be telling, and a call to follow Him regardless.
This part of Luke begins what is called the “travel narrative,” and the passage includes two sections. In the first section, Jesus is rejected in Samaria and rebukes his disciples after they ask if they should send fire from heaven to burn a Samaritan village. The second section records three people who desire to be disciples, but hesitate because of the cost. On closer inspection these passages are an invaluable source for understanding the mission of Jesus, and the story he was telling according to Luke.
This week we will be going through a series looking closely at this passage. I have been working on this stuff for a couple months so I hope you guys enjoy it!
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