Jesus was particular in training the disciples about the need of his suffering and death as we may see from various New Testament passages. As Jesus chose his apostles and disciples without imposing any conditions on them, he did not allow anyone who wanted to follow him to propose conditions as a price for their following him. We have two versions of severe strictures in Matthew and Luke for those who would have their own way of following Jesus (Matthew, 8: 19-22; Luke, 9: 57-62). It is very important to note the attitude of Jesus towards his earthly life that was filled with the genuine spirit of detachment essential for our spiritual life. The man who wanted to follow Jesus wherever he went was reminded of a harsh reality unpalatable to the natural proclivities of any human being. "Jesus answered: 'Foxes have their holes, the birds their roosts; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head'"(Luke, 9: 58). Jesus was completely detached from material necessities and conveniences even while using them to sustain his earthly life. The saying also hints at the very essence of the fullness of the Son of Man who could not be contained by the provisions made by man in this world. Anyone who would like to follow Jesus should not place his or her trust in anything other than the master himself for which our minds and hearts should be focused. The next two cases are related to the urgency of proclaiming the Kingdom of God that does not wait for anybody to fulfill their perceived duties first and then come back to follow Jesus. From this requirement of urgency propounded by Jesus, we may gather the nature of discipleship of Jesus. When it is a matter of following Jesus that is the same as proclaiming the Kingdom of God, nothing else matters and complete detachment from everything is an absolute requirement. We are here talking about genuine discipleship and not about the pretensions of discipleship men and women are able to stage before the world. Since children are not able to pretend like the grown-ups, Jesus made children the true models of the Kingdom of God. Complete detachment required for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God was expressed by Jesus in answering the two would-be disciples with some of their conditions. The one who wanted first to go and bury his father, a very sacred duty. "Jesus said, 'Leave the dead to bury their dead; you must go and announce the Kingdom of God'" (Luke, 9: 60). The one who wanted to follow Jesus after going home to say good-bye to his own people, Jesus gave a stern warning: "To him Jesus said, 'No one who sets his hands to the plough and then keeps looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God'" (Luke, 9: 62).
It might seem from the above-mentioned instances that Jesus did not give any value to human relationships required for peaceful co-existence in this world. On the contrary, it is the resolution of conflicts that will invariably arise from the two world-views governed by this world and the Kingdom of God that is intended by Jesus. He speaks about the spiritual attitudes one should have when it is a question of the Kingdom of God and not about the physical presence or absence, at a particular time and place, of his disciples. In order to drive home the essential wedge between the earthly and heavenly values, Jesus had to use shocking language to convey the message that the Kingdom of God is not amenable to manipulations we are used to in our daily lives. The command to follow him without any thought of one's own family and to leave behind all activities one is normally associated with in this world should make us think about the spiritual world as against the material one. Whether one literally follows the command or not, unless the spiritual import of the command is enshrined in our lives it will not do any good in achieving its intended purpose. Leaving one's own dead father to be buried by others, who are attuned to the worldly spirit, and not looking back after putting one's hand to the plough are strong images demanding complete detachment and devotion from the part of the disciple. Just literally following the instructions without assimilating the spirit behind it would create unnecessary conflicts in human relationships not intended by Jesus. On the contrary, conflicts that arise in even the most intimate relationships because one wants to follow Jesus in letter and spirit are to be welcomed. What is important is to turn away from our habitual practice of living in this world governed by its rules and be assimilated to the ways of the Kingdom of God and its rules. This should be done by true detachment from worldly things even when we have to use them to survive in this world, the great secret of the same being to strive to be their masters instead of being mastered and enslaved by them! (To be Cont'd).
It might seem from the above-mentioned instances that Jesus did not give any value to human relationships required for peaceful co-existence in this world. On the contrary, it is the resolution of conflicts that will invariably arise from the two world-views governed by this world and the Kingdom of God that is intended by Jesus. He speaks about the spiritual attitudes one should have when it is a question of the Kingdom of God and not about the physical presence or absence, at a particular time and place, of his disciples. In order to drive home the essential wedge between the earthly and heavenly values, Jesus had to use shocking language to convey the message that the Kingdom of God is not amenable to manipulations we are used to in our daily lives. The command to follow him without any thought of one's own family and to leave behind all activities one is normally associated with in this world should make us think about the spiritual world as against the material one. Whether one literally follows the command or not, unless the spiritual import of the command is enshrined in our lives it will not do any good in achieving its intended purpose. Leaving one's own dead father to be buried by others, who are attuned to the worldly spirit, and not looking back after putting one's hand to the plough are strong images demanding complete detachment and devotion from the part of the disciple. Just literally following the instructions without assimilating the spirit behind it would create unnecessary conflicts in human relationships not intended by Jesus. On the contrary, conflicts that arise in even the most intimate relationships because one wants to follow Jesus in letter and spirit are to be welcomed. What is important is to turn away from our habitual practice of living in this world governed by its rules and be assimilated to the ways of the Kingdom of God and its rules. This should be done by true detachment from worldly things even when we have to use them to survive in this world, the great secret of the same being to strive to be their masters instead of being mastered and enslaved by them! (To be Cont'd).
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