GOSPEL REFLECTION, WEDNESDAY, 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, 1 OCTOBER 2025

Luke 9:57-62.  ‘When the days drew near for him to be taken up,” Jesus has just resolutely ‘set his face to go to Jerusalem’ (v.51).  So began the long journey of Jesus and his disciples to Jerusalem.  Luke’s gospel takes ten chapters to tell of this journey.  On the way Jesus gives many teachings, sometimes to the disciples in private, sometimes to the crowds which followed them.  Some of these will become people of faith, Jesus’ close followers in addition to the twelve disciples.  As we follow this long journey, hearing Jesus’ teachings, we are in a real sense ‘on the way’ with Jesus and his close disciples and other friends.  It is a way of direct teaching, of parables, sayings, sermons, and of events that are parables in themselves.  As Jesus’ current disciples, we do well to travel with Jesus and the twelve disciples, learning yet again and reflecting yet again on what Jesus taught.  The long journey to Jerusalem can be a sort of framework in which we learn and relearn what Jesus had to proclaim of the Kingdom of God.  Their journey will take them through all the major parts of Israel, some of them riskier, some of them more hospitable.  Compared to Jesus’ ministry in Galilee when there seventeen miracles, Luke identifies only five during the long journey, so we must pay real attention to Jesus’ words and the events around him on the way.  Along the way we will witness many times when Jesus’ teaching is rejected and repeated statements that he will be killed in Jerusalem.  Jesus sent messengers ahead of him to prepare for his arrival in the next stopping place. 

In today’s gospel Jesus someone calls out that he will follow Jesus wherever he goes, but Jesus pointed out that the way would not be easy.  Jesus calls another to follow but that person had a big excuse.  Another said he would be a follower but first had to go and say farewell to his relatives.  Then Jesus says, ‘no one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.’  Here we have a recurrent teaching of Jesus: we are either on the way with him, or we are moving backwards away from him.  There is no stopping on the way, no holy floating, no resting, but only continual commitment to be on the way with him.