“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow
on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring
repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession....
Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace
without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost Of
Discipleship
(Gospel Text: LK 9:57-62)
As
Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to
him,
"I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus answered
him,
"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man
has nowhere to rest his head."
And to another he said, "Follow
me."
But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my
father."
But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead.
But you,
go and proclaim the Kingdom of God."
And another said, "I will follow
you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home."
Jesus
answered him, "No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was
left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God."
Today’s Gospel passage is a clear
example. Jesus enters into dialogue with three would-be followers. Because he
is listening not only to their words but to their hearts, he says not what each
of them is expecting but precisely what each needs to hear. He shows them that
the kind of discipleship he is asking of them is different from the noble
intentions they are offering to him. And he does this by painting a powerful
picture that clarifies how each person’s decision should change his or her
life.
It’s interesting that we never find
out how these people respond. In a sense, we don’t have to. Jesus is content
to have us ponder his questions ourselves. His goal is not to give us
mini-biographies of these people but to ask all of us to listen to him more
deeply. When we enter into dialogue with the Lord, we don’t always get the
answer we seek. But we always get an answer.
So linger long enough to listen,
and let his words of invitation pierce your heart.
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