Reading 1
Am 2:6-10, 13-16
Thus says the LORD:
For three crimes of Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke my word;
Because they sell the just man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals.
They trample the heads of the weak
into the dust of the earth,
and force the lowly out of the way.
Son and father go to the same prostitute,
profaning my holy name.
Upon garments taken in pledge
they recline beside any altar;
And the wine of those who have been fined
they drink in the house of their god.
Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorites before them,
who were as tall as the cedars,
and as strong as the oak trees.
I destroyed their fruit above,
and their roots beneath.
It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and who led you through the desert for forty years,
to occupy the land of the Amorites.
Beware, I will crush you into the ground
as a wagon crushes when laden with sheaves.
Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong man shall not retain his strength;
The warrior shall not save his life,
nor the bowman stand his ground;
The swift of foot shall not escape,
nor the horseman save his life.
And the most stouthearted of warriors
shall flee naked on that day, says the LORD.
Gospel
Mt 8:18-22
When Jesus saw a crowd around him,
he gave orders to cross to the other shore.
A scribe approached and said to him,
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
Another of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But Jesus answered him, “Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead.”
Meditation: Matthew 8:18-22
Let the dead bury their dead. (Matthew 8:22)
Jesus sure had a way of getting to the heart of the matter! When those two followers came up to him as he was preparing to cross the sea with his disciples, he spoke words that cut right through them. It can sound as if Jesus was sending them away, telling them that they weren’t good enough to follow him. But in fact, Jesus was shining a light on the shortcomings in the way they saw discipleship. He wanted them to overcome their objections so that they could be with him fully.
As harsh as his words may sound, Jesus was actually speaking with compassion and wisdom. He wanted to get them on the right track. He wasn’t looking for a qualified surrender or a halfhearted discipleship. He knew that those men would not have been content following him under their predetermined conditions. There would always be something holding them back from giving everything to him—and receiving everything he wanted to give them. He had so much more for them if they could just overcome the limits they were putting on themselves and on him!
We are not so far removed from those two believers. Jesus continues to call us to a closer and deeper discipleship. Maybe we have hesitations about what it means to follow him. Maybe we have drawn lines in the sand. But Jesus is always trying to find ways to get us to step over those lines. He sees far more clearly than we can how fear or comfort or lack of understanding can limit our expectations and our hopes. And he knows how to help us move beyond these limits.
Jesus wants us to see that there really is no limit to how far we can go with him. Even if we have tried to fence off some areas of our lives, his love will find a way to draw us out. He will make the hope of a new and deeper life with him more and more desirable until we finally give in. And when we do, we will find even more joy and contentment than we ever thought possible!
“Lord, I want more of you! Shine your light into my heart and show me where I can go further and open myself to receive your life even more fully.”
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