Leaving them behind

Jesus was traveling when someone came to Him and said, "I'll follow you wherever you go." Jesus said, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but I have no home." Another person said, "I'll follow you, but first let me go to my father's funeral." Jesus answered, "Leave the dead, and follow me now." A third person said, "Jesus, I'll follow you, after I say goodbye to my family." Jesus answered, "No one who looks back belongs in God's kingdom."

Camp is on the list for lots of kids this summer. If you've ever gone away to camp or just left home for a weekend, you remember how hard it is to leave, knowing you won't see your family for a while.

Sometimes, you feel scared or sad because you'll miss your parents; sometimes, you're nervous about whether you'll like the people or the food you'll be eating. Either way, leaving can be hard!

Even for adults, going away isn't always fun. In this week's Gospel (Luke 9:51-62), lots of people want to follow Jesus, but He reminds them they'll have to bravely leave their homes and families behind.

Going away leads to a lot of questions: Who will take care of you if you get sick? If you don't like the food, will you get to eat something else? If you're lonely, will you make friends?

That's why Jesus acted kind of hard on people when they said they wanted to follow Him. He knew that doing something different and new would be hard, and He wanted them to be sure it was what they really wanted -- more than going to a relative's funeral, even more than saying goodbye to their families.

For Jesus, going away to summer camp would have been easy. He taught people how to leave EVERYTHING they knew!

(6/24/04)