June 25, 2019
Tuesday’s Thoughts on Scripture comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9, verse 62: Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (NRSV)
Years ago, for some reason, I had the idea that riding my bicycle looking backward might be great fun. I went a short distance and did just fine, thinking that yes, it was as much fun as I thought it might be. Then the idea came, let me take this to the next level by closing my eyes. The thrill was even greater, right up to the moment when I hit the curb, flipped over the handlebars and busted my chin open. No longer did this seem like such a good idea and the scar remains today as a reminder of its folly.
I cannot imagine that Jesus was thinking about riding a bicycle when he said that looking backward was a bad idea. But I can understand his desire to warn folks about looking behind as they commit to moving forward, following Jesus. Looking backward can even limit our ability to move forward because it narrows the possibilities in our lives. No longer can we look to the future with hope if we are limited by focusing on the experiences of our past. What do we learn from them? Sometimes to be afraid to try again because things once turned out badly.
For Jesus, looking back meant keeping a focus on our earthly life and what we try to accomplish on our own in it. Conversely, the Kingdom of God focuses on the present and looks with hope and trust to the future, leaving behind regrets of the past or wondering “what if.” The Kingdom of God focuses on Jesus and his call to commit our lives, and future, to trusting him. And that trust is not in vain.
Blessings.
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