Jesus would not have been an unusual figure in the Palestine of his day. In fact circumstances at that time would be familiar enough to us in our day. The established religion -orthodox Judaism- was going through very difficult times. It was perceived by many as too smug and complacent. It presumed on the people's allegiance and took their loyalty for granted. Because the traditional truths were self-evident to the leaders of the religion, it was presumed that they were self-evident to the followers also. But this of course was far from being the case.
People began to abandon orthodox Judaism in large numbers. Some forsook all formal religion entirely; but, as the orthodox body fractured, small splinter groups, complete with their own leaders, formed. As the numbers fell in the rabbinical schools in Jerusalem, maverick rabbis wandered the countryside with their small but dedicated bands of followers.
Jesus had collected such a band. His journey to Jerusalem will entail a trek through Samaritan territory. Jerusalem was bad news in such circles. It is bad news for two reasons here: The disciples are sent into a Samaritan village to prepare the way, to make provisions for board and lodgings and that sort of thing. But the Samaritans had long since withdrawn from worshipping at Jerusalem, setting up their own centre of worship at Samaria. Anyone going to Jerusalem is an enemy.
Thus read in today's extract: 'People would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem.' But there is another, thoelogical reason if you like. Jersualem had a very bad history of dealing with the prophets. In fact the city was known as 'the graveyard of the prophets'. In all probability those who accompanied him on the journey would share the same fate. This then was the context of Jesus. This too is the background to the three anonymous people, the three potential followers who offered their services to Jesus. In a very direct way he outlines the cost of discipleship.
The vast majority of his day would have regarded him as a maverick among mavericks, a wandering rabbi who was prepared to hunt for his flock. Of course when a Rabbi had established a little group, it was vital to retain their allegiance. Towards this end it was often necessary to employ an imaginative combination of stick and carrot! This then is the background to sinister-sounding exhortations found in today's gospel. If we view such exhortations outside their proper context, we run the risk of tainting him with a narrow fanaticism that was entirely foreign to his gentle nature.
When the follower asks permission to go and bury his father, the master replies: 'Leave the dead bury their dead; your duty is to spread the king of God.' In the Middle Eastern context, with its warm climate, the most urgent task confronting any human being was a hygienic disposal of the dead. So Jesus was indulging in a little bit of hyperbole, playing around with dramatic imagery. He was saying; Look, you all know that the burial of the dead is important; Well the spreading of the Good News is more urgent still. And again, 'Once the hand is laid to the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.' This is another bit of poetic indulgence on the part of Jesus. Such sayings should be tempered by other gospel sayings like 'The just man falls seven times daily.'
But, having said that, the central message of today's gospel remains a constant: Christian living is not a part time hobby; it is a way of life.
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