Let Go of Your Past
In this Gospel we join Jesus on this His last journey to Jerusalem. He has warned us of his impending suffering. Along with his disciples we have confessed our faith in him as Messiah on more than one occasion. We’ve been to the Mount of His transfiguration with Peter, James and John. With them we’ve witnessed the appearance of Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus as He was transfigured, his face and clothes becoming dazzlingly bright. None of us can begin to imagine the horror of Jesus’ last days. But Jesus knows something we don’t! And, He has “set his face” toward Jerusalem with unwavering determination.
He is so concentrated on his destiny that he shocks us giving seemly little notice to the Samaritan villagers. But He sees it all! So, when with the disciples, we want to call down fire on people who snub us, Jesus instead speaks of discipleship and the implications of following him. To make his point he speaks in an exaggerated manner. You heard what he said: “Be willing to let go of the past; bury the dead and move on.” Like an Alzheimer patient, let the offensive memories stay buried; rejoice in the simple pleasantness of each new day; greet each person like you’ve never met before.
And what’s this Jesus is saying? “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”? This a different metaphor but the same message, “Don’t let the past control the present, or your future”. Anybody who has plowed a field or prepared a garden bed knows that you have to keep your eyes intently on the path ahead to keep the rows straight. Look backward, and you’re bounded to veer off track.
How ironic it is that we, like the disciples, do exactly that. In their despair and confusion following the crucifixion and resurrection, they looked back and fall back into that they knew best (their comfort zone): their previous occupation of fishing. It wasn’t until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit empowered them, and they began their true work of spreading the Gospel of Jesus. When did you have your “Pentecostal experience?” How is your life different? Consider the once-popular bumper sticker that challenges us: “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
~Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
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