Daily Bible Reading 15th August 2026 // Luke 9:57-62
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 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.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The three incidents recorded in these verses continue the theme of discipleship and further stress what Jesus has already said about the spirit which must characterise those who follow Him. First of all, there was the scribe who offered Jesus unconditional discipleship. He had clearly been gripped by the glory and attractiveness of the gospel. But Jesus' reply in 58 indicates that He questioned whether the man really knew what discipleship of this nature involved. The second was a disciple to whom Jesus said 'Follow Me', and his reply was to the effect that family responsibilities would have to take precedence over discipleship. This is put in its starkest form to put the point as unequivocally as possible. As someone has put it, 'this disciple needs to be told not of the privations of the calling but of its lofty and imperative character. The opportunity must be embraced directly when it comes, or it may be lost; and therefore even sacred duties must give way to it. The third man's heart is still with the past. He must enjoy it just once more, before he gives it up. But a man who aspires to God ought not to be of two minds, nor must he cling to human interests. 'I accept no lukewarm service', says Jesus to him. The point that is being made in all three incidents is that we must reckon with the conflict of loyalties that discipleship inevitably brings. There is a matter of counting the cost - always.