Plowing Fields

Luke 9:62 “But Jesus said to them, “no one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

There is so much wisdom in this verse.  After being approached and followed by a group of self proclaimed followers Christ began to point out the difficulties and sacrifices they must make.   We see this illustrated in the actual physical sense to these men and the very real issues that they must be willing to face.

In the spiritual sense, we face the same issues today.  What a potent verse Luke 9:62 becomes, when we look at the full ramifications.  “Having put his hand to the plow…” implies both actual labor and commitment.  The great flaw in doing so is in looking back.  Anyone who has ever plowed a field knows that the only way to create a straight furrow is by looking forward to your destination.

I remember as a young child watching my grandfather plow his fields with a mule, fondly named Dooly, and a spade plow.  It was a real site to see.  Man and animal working together breaking the ground and creating furrows to catch and funnel rainwater.  It is important that the furrows all run accordingly so as to make the most use of the land and allow the crops to grow best.  I remember he had funny looking blinders that mounted over the mules eyes with the harness.  I once asked him what they were for and he told it was so that the mule couldn’t look back.  It was in this way that my grandfather could best keep Dooly headed in the right direction.  Because Dooly now only had partial use of his sight it only took a gentle nudge on the reins from my grandfather to keep him in line.  If not, for the blinders, Dooly would have shifted his head and been distracted by all that was going on behind him and in doing so would have pulled the plow off line into the direction he was looking.

Christ desire is that we are able to plow straight furrows.  We cannot look to the future, our goal, or the finish line when we are perpetually second guessing everything, wishing things to be different, or holding onto past grievances.  Christ perspective on this was that if we were going to commit ourselves looking back then we are not fit for the kingdom of God.  Wow, what strong words.  How hurtful this must have been to those following Christ that day?  How does it ring to our spiritual ears today? 

Christ has called us to a great and mighty work.  We cannot allow the distractions of the past: sin, past grievances, old arguments, disgruntledness, regrets, indecisions, grudges, temptation, dislikes, and etc.  We must lay these things aside and focus on the prize.  Just like old Dooly, we must be willing wear the spiritual blinders of the word of God and respond to the gentle tugs of the reins by the Master.  If not, rather than a field of straight furrows set ready for a bountiful harvest, we have a jumbled mess that resembles more the forest around it than a well tended garden.

Our value is found only in Christ Jesus and the garden He plows through us. I pray that today, you will set the past in the past and look to the value and the promise of a wonderful future in Him.

Bryan Taunton

Exec. Director FootWash Ministries

btaunton@footwashministries.org