Memory Text: Luke 9:61-62 NRSV “61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."”
Luke 9:62 PEOPLE’S NT COMMENTARY No man having put his hand to the plough. An agricultural figure. The plowman must look ahead instead of back. So, too, of the Christian… In thousands of instances it has been shown that the convert who goes to confer with unbelieving relatives before the final step is likely to part with Christ instead. Heathen, ready to be baptized, who go home for a final farewell before the step, are likely to be persuaded not to take it, so missionaries tell us.

Sunday – The Scribe
Matthew 8:19-20 MKJV “19 And a certain scribe came and said to him, Master, I will follow You wherever You go. 20 And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air [have] nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay [His] head.”
Matthew 8:19 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES It is not improbable that this man, who had seen the miracles of Jesus, had formed an expectation that by following him he would obtain some considerable worldly advantage. Christ, in reply, proclaimed his own poverty, and dashed the hope of the avaricious scribe.
Mark 10:30 KJ21 “but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life.”
Mark 10:30 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE wherever a Christian travels among Christians, the shelter of their houses, and the product of their lands, are at his service as far as they are requisite. Besides, these words were spoken primarily to the disciples, and pointed out their itinerant manner of life; and how, travelling about from house to house, preaching the Gospel of the grace of God, they should, among the followers of Christ, be provided with every thing necessary in all places, as if the whole were their own.

Monday – An Unnamed Disciple
Matthew 8:21-22 ESV “21 Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 22 And Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."”
Matthew 8:22 THE CLEAR WORD Jesus said to him, “If you really want to follow me, you can’t have a lot of stipulations. There are some things you will have to let other people do so you can give all your energy to my mission. In your case, you need to decide to join me now, not some time later.
Matthew 8:22 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES The thing to which he was called was moreover of more importance than any earthly consideration; and for that time, Christ chose to require of the man a very extraordinary sacrifice to show his sincere attachment to him. Or it may have been, that the Saviour saw that the effect of visiting his home at that time might have been to drive away all his serious impressions, and that he would return to him no more. These impressions might not have been deep enough, and his purpose to follow our Saviour may not have been strong enough to bear the trial to which he would be subjected.

Tuesday – The Rich Young Ruler
Mark 10:17-23 CEV “17 ¶ As Jesus was walking down a road, a man ran up to him. He knelt down, and asked, "Good teacher, what can I do to have eternal life?" 18 Jesus replied, "Why do you call me good? Only God is good. 19 You know the commandments. ‘Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Do not cheat. Respect your father and mother.’" 20 The man answered, "Teacher, I have obeyed all these commandments since I was a young man." 21 Jesus looked closely at the man. He liked him and said, "There’s one thing you still need to do. Go sell everything you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come with me." 22 When the man heard Jesus say this, he went away gloomy and sad because he was very rich. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "It’s hard for rich people to get into God’s kingdom!"”
Mark 10:22 COMMENTARY THE FOURFOLD GOSPEL He was not offended at the extravagance of Jesus' demands, for he was not one of the most hardened of the rich. He belonged to that class which hold Christ and their wealth in nearly an even balance. The narrative shows us how uncompromisingly Jesus held to principle. Though the ruler was sorry to turn away, and though Jesus loved him, yet the Lord did not modify his demand by a hair's-breadth to gain an influential disciple.
Ellen White, Desire of Ages, p. 520 – “The ruler was quick to discern all that Christ's words involved, and he became sad. If he had realized the value of the offered gift, quickly would he have enrolled himself as one of Christ's followers. He was a member of the honored council of the Jews, and Satan was tempting him with flattering prospects of the future. He wanted the heavenly treasure, but he wanted also the temporal advantages his riches would bring him. He was sorry that such conditions existed; he desired eternal life, but he was not willing to make the sacrifice. The cost of eternal life seemed too great, and he went away sorrowful; ‘for he had great possessions.’"

Wednesday – Nicodemus
John 3:1-21 God’s Word to the Nations “1 ¶ Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council. 2 He came to Jesus one night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that God has sent you as a teacher. No one can perform the miracles you perform unless God is with him." 3 Jesus replied to Nicodemus, "I can guarantee this truth: No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicodemus asked him, "How can anyone be born when he’s an old man? He can’t go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?" 5 Jesus answered Nicodemus, "I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh and blood give birth to flesh and blood, but the Spirit gives birth to things that are spiritual. 7 Don’t be surprised when I tell you that all of you must be born from above. 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it’s going. That’s the way it is with everyone born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus replied, "How can that be?" 10 Jesus told Nicodemus, "You’re a well–known teacher of Israel. Can’t you understand this? 11 I can guarantee this truth: We know what we’re talking about, and we confirm what we’ve seen. Yet, you don’t accept our message. 12 If you don’t believe me when I tell you about things on earth, how will you believe me when I tell you about things in heaven? 13 No one has gone to heaven except the Son of Man, who came from heaven. 14 "As Moses lifted up the snake on a pole in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. 15 Then everyone who believes in him will have eternal life." 16 God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. 18 Those who believe in him won’t be condemned. But those who don’t believe are already condemned because they don’t believe in God’s only Son. 19 This is why people are condemned: The light came into the world. Yet, people loved the dark rather than the light because their actions were evil. 20 People who do what is wrong hate the light and don’t come to the light. They don’t want their actions to be exposed. 21 But people who do what is true come to the light so that the things they do for God may be clearly seen.”
John 3:12 PEOPLE’S NT COMMENTARY He had spoken of the things that belonged to the kingdom of God on earth, of the new birth. If Nicodemus could not understand and believe this, how would he receive testimony concerning the heavenly kingdom, God, and eternal glory?
Ellen White, Desire of Ages, p. 173 - "’Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?’ Jesus asked. Surely one entrusted with the religious instruction of the people should not be ignorant of truths so important. His words conveyed the lesson that instead of feeling irritated over the plain words of truth, Nicodemus should have had a very humble opinion of himself, because of his spiritual ignorance. Yet Christ spoke with such solemn dignity, and both look and tone expressed such earnest love, that Nicodemus was not offended as he realized his humiliating condition.”

Thursday – Herd Mentality
Luke 4:16-20 KJ21 “16 And He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. 17 And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." 20 And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all those who were in the synagogue were fastened on Him. “21 And He began to say unto them, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." 22 And all bore Him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph’s son?" 23 And He said unto them, "Ye will surely say unto Me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal thyself! Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.’" 24 And He said, "Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you in truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. 26 But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Zarephath, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian." 28 Then all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him unto the brow of a hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong. 30 But He, passing through the midst of them, went His way.”
Luke 4:22 COMMENTARY ROBINSON’S NT WORD PICTURES The puzzle of the people was due to their previous knowledge of Jesus as the carpenter (Mr 6:3; the carpenter's son, Mt 13:55). For him now to appear as the Messiah in Nazareth where he had lived and laboured as the carpenter was a phenomenon impossible to credit on sober reflection. So the mood of wonder and praise quickly turned with whispers and nods and even scowls to doubt and hostility, a rapid and radical transformation of emotion in the audience.
Luke 4:29 COMMENTARY BY JAMIESON, FAUSSET, AND BROWN Nazareth, though not built on the ridge of a hill, is in part surrounded by one to the west, having several such precipices. It was a mode of capital punishment not unusual among the Romans and others. This was the first insult which the Son of God received, and it came from "them of His own household!"