(a) What demands did Jesus make of the prospective disciples he encountered? (b) Explain any...

Explanation

(a) As Jesus and his disciples were walking along the road, a man said to him "I will follow wherever you go". Jesus replied, "foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no where to lay his head." Jesus said to another man, "follow me", but the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father". Jesus said to him, "let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another man said, "I will follow you Lord; but, first, let me go back and bid goodbye to my family". Jesus told him that no one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.

(b) Demands of discipleship are:

(i) Jesus knew that this man was expecting a life of pleasure and satisfaction in discipleship. He wanted to enrich himself with these earthly requirements. Jesus disabused his mind by telling him that discipleship involved total sacrifice - physical and spiritual. He thought that it is a bed of roses to follow Jesus.

(ii) Jesus told the man that those who do not receive the gospel are spiritually dead.