In last week’s sermon I pointed out that we were now in the long green season of learning to be better disciples of Jesus. I said that if we were going to do that, we would need to find time to listen . . . listen for God and listen to what Jesus has to say to us today. In that listening, though, we find some harsh realities.
But even though we are spending time with Jesus learning to become disciples, we have entered that process in a difficult time. We are past the point where Jesus simply walks along asking for people to drop their nets and follow him, or where he can create a miraculous catch of fish and tell people, “From now on you will be catching people.” Now it gets difficult.
Prior to this passage in Luke’s gospel we have some birth stories, John the Baptist crying out, Jesus being tested in the wilderness, some teachings, some healings, a few run-ins with the Pharisees, and some parables. Most of this takes place in and around the region of Galilee, where Jesus’ ministry is centered. In these accounts of Jesus’ life from Luke 1-8 there really isn’t anything too challenging for either the reader or the disciples. Up until now it’s been a few miracles, a few visions, and some teachings.
But now . . . Now things get serious. From here on out everything Jesus says and does is with the understanding that he will be crucified, die, be buried, and rise again. We see this change in the opening sentence of today’s gospel: When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And in this change, discipleship goes from simply following Jesus to understanding that discipleship involves major changes in behavior (both public and private) as well as understanding that the reign of God is oftentimes in direct conflict with the reign of humans.
The first indicator we have about changing our behavior is the incident with the Samaritan village. As Jesus begins his fateful journey to Jerusalem he sends messengers to a Samaritan village, but they will not welcome him. James and John are upset by this and their first response is to destroy the village.
The sons of Zebedee, however, either suffer from short-term memory loss or they have fallen back into old habits. Earlier in this chapter Jesus sent out the twelve to drive out demons, cure diseases, proclaim the kingdom of God, and heal. And if they were not accepted in a town they were to simply shake off the dust and move on. Nowhere does Jesus advocate for violence against those who differ from you.
The second indicator comes from his interaction with people who want to follow him. To one he claims a lack of rootedness. To the one with a deceased father he says, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” And to one who wants to say goodbye to family, he says, “Those who look back are unfit for the kingdom of God.”
These seem to be harsh interactions and responses from Jesus. But what Jesus is saying here is that following him is not to be taken lightly or conditionally, but it requires a difficult and complete change.
To the first Jesus says those who follow will have nowhere to lay their heads. This could refer to Jesus’ itinerate nature, always moving, never rooted in one place. For us today this could also address our desires to have a place of security and support. Jesus calls us to follow him, and not to follow those who affirm our own prejudices and hatreds. As the saying goes, if God hates the same people you hate, you’re probably not following God.
To the second Jesus says, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” This seems particularly harsh given that this person’s father may have recently died. But again, Jesus is saying that to follow him we need to commit all we have to that endeavor. In doing that, sometimes even family obligations take a back seat. Jesus asks us daily, “Am I your first obligation?”
The third person he rebukes comes from the desire to say goodbye to his family. In biblical history even Elijah, the greatest prophet of Israel, allowed Elisha to say goodbye to his family. But Jesus is making it clear that he is no ordinary prophet. His requirement is complete dedication. In a precursor to today’s passage, Jesus earlier said, “If any want to follow me, they must take up their cross daily.” Those are high stakes and that requires complete dedication, and it requires us to put Jesus and the kingdom of God ahead of anything and everything we might personally desire.
This passage asks us if we are really following Jesus as completely as we say we are. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. But that is often too hard, so we do what James and John wanted to do – call down destruction from the sky and destroy the homes of families, women, children, and those who are in some ways different from us.
Jesus sent out the twelve to cure, heal, and proclaim the good news. He fed people. He cured people. And for us, to cure, heal, feed, and offer good news of hope is the most basic job of following Jesus – which sounds a lot like loving your neighbor. If we aren’t doing that – as a people, as a church, as a nation – then we are not really following Christ, no matter how many copies of the Ten Commandments are put up in schools or public buildings, or how often people say otherwise.
We need to remember that Christ doesn’t bully, destroy, or abandon. Christ loves, builds, and abides. We must do likewise.
Thomas Merton, famed Trappist monk, once said, “It is easier to serve the hate gods because they thrive on the worship of collective fanaticism . . . but to serve the God of love one must love in spite of all unworthiness.”
The question today’s passage asks us is this: Are we following Christ above all, or are we following a god of religious fanaticism and self-interest?
Amen.
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