There are a handful of recorded instances of Jesus inviting a person to be his disciple. There are also a few recorded instances of a person seeking to be a disciple and being told by Jesus that he/she cannot be his disciple (in the sense of following him at that moment) but should instead pursue a different course. Our reading for today is one of two instances where Jesus invited a person to follow him only to have that person choose a different path after the invitation was extended. It is a profoundly sad story, yet one in which there is a lesson for all of us.