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For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page, which includes Nkosi's current Living by the Word column as well as past magazine and online-only content. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.

The invitation follow me is a common refrain in the ministry of Jesus. In our Gospel text for this week, the call to follow is intensified. Jesus has now “set his face toward Jerusalem,” and his response to someone who wants to follow him is an extreme one: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”