Have you ever felt the tug between the comfortable “later” and the risky “now”? These brief Gospel encounters cut straight to that ache in our hearts—the longing to follow Jesus without lying to ourselves about what it will cost. The questions people bring to Jesus in these scenes are our questions: Can I follow you and still keep my safety, my obligations, my goodbyes?
In Matthew 8:19–22 and Luke 9:57–62 we read similar but not identical stories. In both Gospels a would‑be follower says he will come, and Jesus answers, “Foxes have holes... the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (a reminder of the itinerant, costly life of discipleship). Matthew records two exchanges (the scribe’s question and another disciple asking to bury his father, Matt. 8:19–22). Luke gives three brief encounters (including the “let the dead bury their own dead” reply and the added saying about not looking back when you put your hand to the plow, Luke 9:57–62). Notably, Luke includes the plow image that Matthew does not.
These moments reveal who Jesus is and what the kingdom asks: He is both uncompromising and merciful—uncompromising about priorities, merciful about our weakness. Jesus refuses to sentimentalize delayed commitment. “Follow me” is not a suggestion to be filed away; it announces an immediate reordering. At the same time, when he says let the “dead bury their own dead,” he’s not endorsing coldness toward family but insisting that spiritual urgency sometimes outruns social expectations. The Gospel’s grace frees us from hiding behind culturally respectable delays.
Practical, concrete today: name one small, costly obedience and do it before evening. It could be a phone call you’ve postponed that risks relationship, joining a local ministry, saying yes to someone who needs help, or carving out one hour to pray and ask Jesus where he wants you to go. If you find yourself always planning to follow “later,” pray, “Lord, teach me to follow you now,” and take one unmistakable step. The kingdom often begins with a single, immediate yes.
In Matthew 8:19–22 and Luke 9:57–62 we read similar but not identical stories. In both Gospels a would‑be follower says he will come, and Jesus answers, “Foxes have holes... the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (a reminder of the itinerant, costly life of discipleship). Matthew records two exchanges (the scribe’s question and another disciple asking to bury his father, Matt. 8:19–22). Luke gives three brief encounters (including the “let the dead bury their own dead” reply and the added saying about not looking back when you put your hand to the plow, Luke 9:57–62). Notably, Luke includes the plow image that Matthew does not.
These moments reveal who Jesus is and what the kingdom asks: He is both uncompromising and merciful—uncompromising about priorities, merciful about our weakness. Jesus refuses to sentimentalize delayed commitment. “Follow me” is not a suggestion to be filed away; it announces an immediate reordering. At the same time, when he says let the “dead bury their own dead,” he’s not endorsing coldness toward family but insisting that spiritual urgency sometimes outruns social expectations. The Gospel’s grace frees us from hiding behind culturally respectable delays.
Practical, concrete today: name one small, costly obedience and do it before evening. It could be a phone call you’ve postponed that risks relationship, joining a local ministry, saying yes to someone who needs help, or carving out one hour to pray and ask Jesus where he wants you to go. If you find yourself always planning to follow “later,” pray, “Lord, teach me to follow you now,” and take one unmistakable step. The kingdom often begins with a single, immediate yes.
Matthew: 8:19-22
When a scribe offers to follow him, Jesus warns that discipleship means giving up earthly comforts—“the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”—and when another asks to bury his father first, Jesus insists on immediate, radical commitment, saying “let the dead bury their own dead.” In short, Jesus teaches that following him requires putting him above personal security and family obligations.
Open VerseLuke: 9:57-62
Jesus warns potential followers that discipleship is costly and often homeless, saying the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head, and he demands immediate, single-minded commitment—telling one man to "let the dead bury their own dead" and warning that anyone who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom.
Open Verse