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Luke 9:57-62 (ESV)

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57As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58And 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.”

59To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

60And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

61Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”

62Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

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1)       In accordance with what Jesus said in verse 58 what is the one word that could depict his lodging situation?

o   Homelessness.

 

2)       In accordance with verse 57 what would become of the man if he made good his pledge to follow Jesus?

o   He would follow Jesus into homelessness.

 

3)       In accordance with verses 57 and 58 what did Jesus intend for the man to do in pointing out to him that he would be following Jesus into homelessness?

o   Jesus intended for the man to first count the cost.

o   Before

o   Making such a generous pledge to follow him.

o   Wherever

o   He goes.

 

4)       In accordance with verse 59 had the man’s father just died and why?

o   No, he

§  Would be very busy handling the funeral.

§  And would not hang around for a conversation.

o   If his father had just died.

 

5)       How did the man prioritize between taking care of his father and heeding Jesus’ call to follow him?

o   He prioritized

§  Taking care of his father.

§  Until

§  He

Ø  Died. 

Ø  And was buried.

§  Over.

§  Heeding Jesus’ call to follow him.

 

6)       Was it legitimate for the man to take care of his father?

o   Yes.

 

7)       According to what Jesus said in verse 60 what did he mean to say in his response to the man’s seemingly legitimate excuse not to follow him?

o   Jesus meant to say that the man who was spiritually alive should

§  Let the spiritually dead worry about taking care of those who would eventually die a physical death.

§  And lose no time in proclaiming the kingdom of God.

 

8)       What did Jesus by suggesting an alternative arrangement for the care of the man’s father essentially tell him to do in terms of rearranging his priority?

o   Jesus essentially told the man to

§  Prioritize heeding his call to follow him.

§  Over.

§  Taking care of his father.

 

9)       Did still another man give an excuse not to follow Jesus when he asked Jesus to first let him say farewell to those at his home and why?

o   Yes, because he could

§  Have followed Jesus right away.

§  And then find an opportunity to say farewell to those at his home later.

 

10)   In accordance with what Jesus said in verse 62 what is the meaning of the imagery of the man putting a hand to the plow and looking back if we think along the line of feasibility?

o   The imagery is a picture of irreconcilable contradiction.

o   That

o   It is physically impossible for the man to

§  Plow the soil of the field.

§  And in the meantime look back.

 

11)   What kind of a promise of following Jesus did the man make in verse 61, given that the man gave a trivial excuse to evade following Jesus?

o   He made a hypocritical promise.

 

12)   What did Jesus mean in his reply to the man in verse 62, given that being not fit for the kingdom of God means being outside the kingdom of God?

o   Jesus meant that a person who makes a hypocritical promise of following him

§  Can have no part in the kingdom of God.

§  And is therefore outside of the kingdom of God.

 

13)   Did Jesus provide the man with a plan of remediation that he could pursue for the purpose of eventually following Jesus and why?

o   No, because Jesus would provide a plan of remediation only to those who

§  Are within the kingdom of God.

§  And genuinely need assistance for following him.

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Luke 9:57-62 (ESV)

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