The beloved physician Luke wrote concerning Jesus and His disciples, “ it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow you whithersoever you go. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow you; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house”, and in chapter nine and verse sixty-one of his book Luke shared how Jesus says, “no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom” where we read:
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough,
and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
The verse reads, “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, ...” Luke began with the words, “and Jesus said unto him” or “and the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate whose name means Jehovah is Salvation uttered, declared and proclaimed to the man who said he would follow Jesus after he went home to say goodbye to his family”, “no man” which means “no person whether male or female”, “having put his hand” or “after seizing or laying their physical hand” “to the plough” which means “to a ground plow”. Luke shared how Jesus began to respond to the man by referring to a person who is using a “plow” to make furrows in a field.
The verse continues, “... and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke added the words, “and looking back” which means “and turning back to consider what is behind them”, “is fit” or “is well place or appropriate” “for the kingdom of God” which means “to God's dominion, rule, reign and power”. Luke shared how Jesus said the person who begins to “plow” their field but keeps looking back at what is behind them is unfit for the Kingdom of God.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we see how Jesus used the illustration of a person plowing a field to share how the person who follows Jesus must put the past behind them. Because people tend to “live” in their past life, they look back, and those who follow Jesus are not to dwell upon the past. Paul the apostle wrote, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (See 2 Corinthians 5:17), and nothing in the past should be the desire of the person who believes and trusts in Jesus. As the song says, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back”.
Next time we begin a new chapter and see Luke shares how Jesus, “appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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