Set My Face

A Reflection on the Gospel for June 26th, 2022:
​Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Luke
9.51-62

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem.

And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for Jesus; but the Samaritans did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

To another Jesus said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

We’ve all heard the expression “talk is cheap.” How easy it is to promise to do a thing. The tough part comes when it’s time to get off the comfy couch, put our shoulder to the wheel, and follow through until we’ve made good on that promise. Follow-through demands long-term commitment.

I was reminded of this while reading the Gospel for this coming Sunday. Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem to die. Along the way He meets some people. Two He invites to follow Him, and they agree, but there’s a catch: they need time to put their worldly affairs in order. Discipleship is all well and good, but people have obligations to their families, and doesn’t family come first? Jesus is having none of it — the Kingdom of God is at hand, and it supersedes all else.

The third man Jesus meets seems eager to begin following Jesus immediately, but Jesus provides fair warning: know what you’re getting into. “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Discipleship is not for the faint of heart. Those who dream of a newspaper and slippers at the end of the day will find the lifetime commitment of a wandering preacher to be a hard road indeed.

Finally, we witness James and John, actual Disciples who have committed their lives to Jesus. They are walking the hard road with Him — and still they miss the plot. Jesus is about to die, and all they can think about is commanding fire from heaven to come burn up some arrogant Samaritans.

The first line of the Gospel says, “Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem.” This is commitment and determination. Jesus is not preoccupied with the obligations of this world, nor is He distracted by the need to demonstrate His power. Jesus is walking the path God has set before Him.

Those who follow Jesus must be ready to make a lasting and clear-eyed commitment to discipleship. I must be ready to make a lasting and clear-eyed commitment to discipleship and to prioritize it above all else. That doesn’t mean I have to abandon my family and become a wandering preacher — there are many ways to live as a disciple — but, like Jesus, I must set my face, knowing that, if I give freely and unselfishly, the Lord will bless me in everything I do.




Donna Davis

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