Discipleship has always been challenging. We are prone to attempt to take the call to follow Jesus on our own terms. This is the very thing Jesus rules out in the sayings we are considering today.
Here we have a series of encounters with people who appear to have very reasonable excuses for why they cannot drop everything and follow Jesus.
Jesus’ direct challenge in response to each of these objections reveals the stark nature of his call. This is not about adding a religious veneer to your established life-style and priorities. This call goes fair against the grain and challenges us to consider what is, for us, most important.
