The Cost of Discipleship
Qn) The Cost of Discipleship (Matthew 8:18-22; Luke 14:25-33; John 6:60-65)
[57As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”
58Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
59Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.”
“Lord,” the man replied, “first let me go and bury my father.”
60But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.”
62Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”]
EXPLANATION
A devotee told Jesus that he will come back to join the divine service after visiting the house once. Jesus told that the human incarnation has no residential place since it has to move everywhere to propagate the divine knowledge. Hence, neither the human incarnation nor the devotee in the service can be stagnant in one place since moving everywhere constantly is required. However, the system in that old time was quite different from the modern latest situation in which one need not leave the residential place for propagation in view of the latest computer technology blessed to this world by God. Hence, divine service can be rendered by the devotee staying in own house along with own family also provided internally the mind is attached to God and subsequently detached from family and world. To remain in the family and do the divine service with secret attachment to God and secret detachment from the world requires highest talent called yoga. Yoga means attachment to God and detachment from the world through highly talented way of secrecy and art of acting (Yogah Karmasu Koushalam— Gita). The scripture called Yogavaashishta tells that for ordinary people, such talents are impossible and the straight way is to be away from the family while doing divine service. However, Lord Krishna says that such talent can be attained by constant practice (Abhyaasenatu... Gita). This talent is essential in this modern time especially when one need not leave the house and family in view of the available computer science for propagation.
The devotees following Jesus were not having such talent since they were straight fishermen. Neither facility of computer was available to avoid journey, nor such high talent is possible with them. Hence, Jesus is following the path of Yogavaasishtha and asks the interested devotees not to go back to their families if they are interested in joining the divine service along with Him. Once they go back, they will not come back. One is going back to bury his dead father. Jesus told that the dead (not having God’s grace on them, which is the real life) will bury the actually dead people. Only the real devotees are alive. Scripture says that forgetting God is death (Pramaadaakhyo...). Even farewell to family was not accepted by Jesus because an ordinary devotee without the above talent will be bound there itself by the bond to the family. However, with the present computer facility and the above divine talent, one is virtually attached to God and subsequently detached from the world even without physically leaving the family and house. Jesus was actually bothered only about mental attachment to the world and mere physical detachment from world does not matter at all for God. As long as the actual concept of doing divine service is not effected due to firm decision, external modifications like secrecy not to hurt others etc., are allowed and such modifications are not against the words of Jesus if you understand the actual meaning of His gospel in the context of that time.
Qn) The Cost of Discipleship (Matthew 8:18-22; Luke 14:25-33; John 6:60-65)
[57As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”
58Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
59Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.”
“Lord,” the man replied, “first let me go and bury my father.”
60But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.”
62Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”]
EXPLANATION
A devotee told Jesus that he will come back to join the divine service after visiting the house once. Jesus told that the human incarnation has no residential place since it has to move everywhere to propagate the divine knowledge. Hence, neither the human incarnation nor the devotee in the service can be stagnant in one place since moving everywhere constantly is required. However, the system in that old time was quite different from the modern latest situation in which one need not leave the residential place for propagation in view of the latest computer technology blessed to this world by God. Hence, divine service can be rendered by the devotee staying in own house along with own family also provided internally the mind is attached to God and subsequently detached from family and world. To remain in the family and do the divine service with secret attachment to God and secret detachment from the world requires highest talent called yoga. Yoga means attachment to God and detachment from the world through highly talented way of secrecy and art of acting (Yogah Karmasu Koushalam— Gita). The scripture called Yogavaashishta tells that for ordinary people, such talents are impossible and the straight way is to be away from the family while doing divine service. However, Lord Krishna says that such talent can be attained by constant practice (Abhyaasenatu... Gita). This talent is essential in this modern time especially when one need not leave the house and family in view of the available computer science for propagation.
The devotees following Jesus were not having such talent since they were straight fishermen. Neither facility of computer was available to avoid journey, nor such high talent is possible with them. Hence, Jesus is following the path of Yogavaasishtha and asks the interested devotees not to go back to their families if they are interested in joining the divine service along with Him. Once they go back, they will not come back. One is going back to bury his dead father. Jesus told that the dead (not having God’s grace on them, which is the real life) will bury the actually dead people. Only the real devotees are alive. Scripture says that forgetting God is death (Pramaadaakhyo...). Even farewell to family was not accepted by Jesus because an ordinary devotee without the above talent will be bound there itself by the bond to the family. However, with the present computer facility and the above divine talent, one is virtually attached to God and subsequently detached from the world even without physically leaving the family and house. Jesus was actually bothered only about mental attachment to the world and mere physical detachment from world does not matter at all for God. As long as the actual concept of doing divine service is not effected due to firm decision, external modifications like secrecy not to hurt others etc., are allowed and such modifications are not against the words of Jesus if you understand the actual meaning of His gospel in the context of that time.
