Today's text starts us on Jesus' long, drawn-out journey to Jerusalem. In Luke, this is a 10 chapter-long sojourn (9:51-19:45), composed of material that is not found in Mark and only some of which is found in Matthew. The bulk of this material is characterized by the creative language, style and organization of material unique to this gospel writer. While Luke occasionally reminds his readers that Jesus is still on his Jerusalem journey (13:22, 33; 17:11; 18:31; 19:11, 28), for the most part the focus of this section is on Jesus' teachings on discipleship and the kingdom of God.

With typical Lukan artistry, today's text opens the journeying motif with grace and power. The NRSV translation tends to obscure Luke's introductory emphasis on the need for Jesus' journey to fulfill prophetic pla…