«And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God’ » (Luke 9:61, 62).
IN THE DAYS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, the Rubicon River served as a boundary between Italy and the Cisalpine Gaul. For security reasons, the Senate had forbidden any general to cross the Rubicon with an armed force. But that is exactly what Julius Caesar did with his troops in the year 49 B.C.
It is said that when Caesar reached the river bank, he hesitated before crossing it, but moments later, he uttered these famous words: «Alea iacta est!» «The die is cast!» Since then, «Crossing the Rubicon,» means to take a great risk; to take a definitive step without fearing the consequences.
With this passage of history as a backdrop, we could well say that the man today’s verse refers to did not have the courage to «cross the Rubicon.» Jesus did not call him; he himself offered to follow Him, but on one condition: «Let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.»
What did he mean by «bidding farewell?» According to the SDA Bible Commentary, it was «more than a brief return home.» «According to Oriental custom it might take months or even years to arrange matters at home.» Jesus’s answer was emphatic: «No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.» That is, «He who would plow straight furrows must not look about him.»
The way the disciples replied when the Lord called them was very different! Matthew, for instance, was «sitting at the tax office.» The Lord told him, «Follow Me,» and «he arose and followed Him» (Matthew 9:9). When, after a night of unsuccessful work, Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John, to be «fishers of men,» they, «forsook all and followed Him» (Luke 5:11).
Let us remember that these fishermen had families to support. Nevertheless, in the decisive moment they «crossed the Rubicon.» Did they or their families ever lack sustenance? Let us read: «Then Jesus asked them, ‘When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?’ ‘Nothing,’ they answered» (Luke 22:35, NIV).
If you have «put your hand to the plow,» do not look back. Trust that you will lack nothing, because the One who said, «I am with you always, even to the end of the age,» has also said, «I will never leave you nor forsake you.»
Dear Jesus, I ask that You, who went to Calvary without looking back, help me to remain steadfast and faithful until the end, no matter the cost.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
