Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey. St. Luke uses the device of taking a journey to describe the shift that happens in the ministry of Jesus. Up until this point the work had been centered in Galilee, the home territory of Jesus and his disciples. Now they turned their faces toward Jerusalem, toward the center of Jewish life and, eventually, toward crucifixion. The journey starts with Jesus reminding those who wished to follow him that there would be a cost involved, that following him was not a triumphal parade but a pilgrimage toward the cross. The metaphor of a journey works to describe our life of faith as well. We are on the way to become more loving, more generous, more forgiving as followers of Jesus. And now as then we have to be aware there is a cost involved. We have to leave some things behind in order to keep our eyes on the prize of faithful discipleship. As the old spiritual put it: I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.
