Accepting the Cost of Discipleship
Luke 9: 51-62
September 2, 2007
The Rev. Dr. Jean M. Coyle
Good morning. I’m very pleased to be joining with you in worship this morning.
Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.
Our passage from Luke’s gospel today takes us on part of Jesus’ journey. In this first part of this scripture, we note the unswerving intensity, and destiny-oriented sense of Jesus’ move toward Jerusalem. This helps us to grasp—at least a little—the UNCOMPROMISING demands that Jesus places on would-be followers. Earlier in this chapter, Jesus has prophesied his own suffering and death and then has called his disciples to life of DAILY CROSS BEARING (Craddock, 142).
In the first part of this passage, Jesus knows that his ministry is moving swiftly to its close. Also, Jesus is to be “received up,” an expression used later by Luke to refer to the ascension. The ascension implies, of course, the whole drama of crucifixion and resurrection, as well as ascension. Finally, in verse 51, we know that, toward that end, Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem. “Set his face” echoes the song of the suffering servant of Isaiah 50:7: “Therefore, I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near.” We can sense the strong opposition that will occur (Craddock, 142).
The journey to Jerusalem begins with a rejection. Just as Jesus’ baptism was followed by rejection in Nazareth, so now the transfiguration, an event parallel to the baptism, is followed by rejection in Samaria. Rejection by the Samaritans on one level testifies to the tension between Jews and Samaritans, but their Inhospitality also means they are unwilling to follow one on his way to suffering and death. Even more significant is the fact that Jesus has sent two disciples into a Samaritan village to arrange for lodging and food. Jesus was planning to take his ministry among these outsiders, these despised half-Jewish heretics! He has ministered to Jews and Gentiles, to social, ritual, and political outcasts, and now here in Samaria, as far away as one could be and still be in the land. Later, Jesus would say to his disciples, “And you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). According to Acts 8:5-25, the Christian mission was successful in Samaria; this was, perhaps, due, in part, to the warrant for such a mission in the visit of Jesus to that area (Craddock, 142-143).
We can almost appreciate the anger of James and John over the refusal of hospitality to Jesus. They are being protective and do not know how to handle rejection. They bring to mind overzealous evangelists of another generation who extended God’s grace to the audience and then tossed balls of hellfire at those who refused the offer. Jesus’ disciples remember quite well scriptural precedent for calling down heaven’s fire (II Kings 1:9-10), but they have forgotten the recent words of Jesus: when on a mission, accept the hospitality offered you. If none is extended, shake the dust off your feet and move on (9: 1-6). Is it not interesting how the mind can grasp and hold those scriptures which seem to bless our worst behavior and yet cannot retain, past the sanctuary door, those texts which summon to love, forgiveness, and mercy? Jesus rebukes James and John for an attitude of revenge and retribution, an attitude totally foreign to his ministry and theirs (Craddock, 143).
No sooner has Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem” than he meets opposition. As Jesus and his followers start out on their journey, a Samaritan village refuses to receive them. The overtones of this section are set up by its location in the narrative and its allusions to Elijah. In the end, Jesus asserts not only his determination to go to Jerusalem, but also the nature of his mission (NIB, 215).
Malachi 3:1 declares that the Lord will send a messenger to prepare the way. The connection can hardly be missed, then, when we are told that Jesus sent messengers to prepare his way (v. 52). The first reference to Samaria occurs in this scene, but it foreshadows Phillip’s work in Samaria in Acts, which results in Peter and John laying hands on the Samaritans. That a Samaritan village should refuse to receive Jewish pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem was not unusual. Later in the first century, a serious incident that led to the removal of Herod Antipas from office began with a massacre of Jewish pilgrims in Samaria. The repetition of “his face was set toward Jerusalem” in v. 53 underscores the importance of this new information (NIB, 215).
Just as John erred in hindering the unauthorized exorcist, so now James and John ask Jesus to let them call down fire on the Samaritan village. The request echoes Elijah’s answer to the officer sent by the king of Samaria: “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty” (2 Kings 1:10, 12). Because James and John are called “Sons of Thunder” in Mark 3:17, it has been suggested either that the nickname was derived from this incident or that the name explains why Luke names these two disciples in this scene (NIB, 215).
This episode allows us to study the temptation to use violence to achieve right. Does insult entitle one to do injury? Does being right or having a holy cause justify the use of force or violence? Elijah had called down fire on the Samaritans; could not Jesus’ followers do the same? Misunderstanding the identity of the one they followed, the disciples mistakenly thought they could achieve his ends by violence. How often have those who claimed to be following Christ repeated the mistake of these early disciples? They had yet to learn that violence begets violence, and that Jesus had come to break the cycle of violence by dying and forgiving rather than by killing and exacting vengeance (NIB, 216).
Introduction to the journey to Jerusalem continues with a warning of the radical demands of discipleship. The responses of three would-be followers of Jesus show that they have not understood the demands of discipleship and are not prepared to give it the priority that Jesus demands (NIB, 216).
Together, the three stories function to set the call to discipleship above every other duty, whether care for self, care for the dead, or care for family. So stringent is the demand, however, especially in the second saying, that one is tempted to place these sayings in the category of Semitic hyperboles that dramatize a point, but are not meant to be taken literally (NIB, 216).
The three would-followers are similar, but not identical, cases. The first came with the lofty, enthusiastic promise, “I will follow you wherever you go.” The promise is made “as they were going along the road,” however, a setting that reminds the alert among us of the journey’s tragic destination. Jesus had told his followers that he would be rejected and despised. He had been in Samaria, and the people there would not receive him. Would this enthusiastic volunteer really follow him in the face of such rejection? (NIB, 217).
The first saying establishes two relationships, one explicitly and one implicitly. Explicitly, it contrasts the security of the Son of Man with the condition of animals at the mercy of nature. Even foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no such home. Implicitly, the saying works on the assumption that the follower will be like the one who is followed. If the Son of Man has no place to lay his head, then neither will those who follow him. Does the would-be follower realize what he has promised? (NIB, 217).
To the first man, Jesus’ advice was, “Before you follow me, count the cost.” No one can ever say that he was induced to follow Jesus under false pretences. Jesus paid people the compliment of pitching His demands so high that they cannot be higher. It may well be that we have hurt the Church very seriously by trying to tell people that Church membership need not make so very much difference; we would be better to tell them that it must make ALL the difference in the world. We might have fewer people, but those we had would be totally pledged to Christ (Barclay, 133).
Jesus then calls another to follow him. This would-be follower asks for permission to “go and bury my father.” The duty to bury the dead was binding on all devout Jews. In Jewish folklore, for example, Tobit’s piety is demonstrated by his faithfulness in burying the dead, and his son, Tobias, takes seriously his duty as an only son to bury his father and mother. From the sparse context, it is not clear whether the father has already died. The one whom Jesus called may have been pledging to follow Jesus as soon as possible. First, however, came the responsibility to care for one’s parents for the rest of their lives (NIB, 217).
Jesus’ response is harsh. It demands that the priority of service to the kingdom be set ABOVE EVERY OTHER PRIORITY. The saying should probably be understood to mean, “Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead.” Others who had not come alive to the sovereign rule of God, could discharge the duty of burying the dead. Again, the saying assumes implicit relationships. Those who have not responded to the call to the kingdom are like the dead, thus let the dead bury the dead. Those who have responded to the call to discipleship are no longer dead. Their concern should be with life and the living: “Go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (NIB, 217).
The point that Jesus was making is that in everything there is a crucial moment; if that moment is missed the thing most likely will never be done at all. This man in the story had stirrings in his heart to get out of his spiritually dead surroundings. If he missed the moment, he would never get out. The psychologists tell us that every time we have a fine feeling, if we do not act on that feeling at once, the less likely we are to act on it each time. The emotion becomes a substitute for the action. It is Jesus’ insistence that we must act at once when our hearts are stirred within us (Barclay, 133-134).
The third example is similar at points to each of the first two. The third would-be disciple offers to follow Jesus—as did the first—but asks to bid farewell to his family first, a milder version of the request made by the second. Both Jesus’ call, “Follow me,” and the disciple’s response echo I Kings 19:19-21, which records Elijah’s call to Elisha. Elisha, who was plowing at the time, responded, “Let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you” (I Kings 19:20). The Elijah motif links this scene with earlier scenes with allusions to the expectation of the coming of one like Elijah. Unlike Elijah, however, Jesus will not let the would-be disciple turn aside from the call to follow him EVEN to bid farewell to his family. If one looks back while plowing, the furrow will be crooked. Therefore, building on this element of the story of the call of Elisha, Jesus emphasizes again the unconditional demand of the call to discipleship. On the way to the cross, there is no place for rash promises or misunderstanding regarding the cost of following Jesus (NIB, 217).
Jesus’ words to the third man state a truth which no one can deny. There are some whose hearts are in the past. They walk forever looking backwards and thinking wistfully of the good old days. Watkinson, the great preacher, tells how once at the seaside, when he was with his little grandson, they met an old minister. The old man was very disgruntled and, to add to all his troubles, he had a slight touch of sunstroke. The little boy had been listening, but had not picked it up quite correctly, and when they left the grumbling complaints of the old man, he turned to Watkinson and said, “Granddad, I hope YOU never suffer from a sunset!” The Christian marches on, not to the sunset, but to the dawn. The watchword of the Kingdom is not, “Backwards!” but “Forwards!” To this man, Jesus did not say either “Follow!” or “Return!” Rather, he said, “I accept no lukewarm service,” and left the man to make his own decision (Barclay, 134).
The final scene, which depicts the errors of would-be disciples who do not understand that Jesus is on the road leading to the cross in Jerusalem, challenges us with the radical demands of discipleship to which Jesus inevitably means UNCONDITIONAL COMMITMENT to the redemptive work of God for which Jesus gave his life. The disciple will be like the Lord. Therefore, one should not rush into discipleship with glib promises. On the contrary, the radical demands of discipleship require that every potential disciple consider the cost, give Jesus the highest priority in one’s life, and, having committed oneself to discipleship, move ahead without looking back (NIB, 217-218).
Had Jesus’ words “Take up your cross daily” never been spelled out concretely, they could have remained an ethereal ideal having the effect of background organ music or they could have sunk to some meaningless act of self-inflicted pain such as walking to work during Lent with a tack in one’s shoe. Here, however, Jesus’ words are translated into specific circumstances. The threefold pattern is, “I will follow,” “Follow me,” and “I will follow.” The one who has set his face like a firm stone to go to Jerusalem has no bargains to offer. “I am totally dependent on the hospitality of others; are you will to be?,” he says to the first volunteer. “Loyalty to me takes precedence over a primary filial obligation,” he says to the second prospective disciple. “I expect more from you than Elijah asked of Elisha” is his word to the third, also a volunteer. The radicality of Jesus’ words lies in his claim to priority over the best, not the worst, of human relationships. Jesus never said to choose him over the devil but to choose him over the family. And the remarkable thing is that those who have done so have been freed from possession and worship of family and have found the distance necessary to love them (Craddock, 144).
This sermon could have been entitled, simply, “Follow me.” Because Jesus didn’t say, get your affairs in order, say your farewells, get your life organized—and, then, follow me.
He said, in a very straightforward manner, “Follow me.” Make the decision for servanthood to Christ and “follow me.”
Focus not on the details and detritus of daily life, but rather on the ultimate goal of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, making disciples of all nations.
Let me share several stories with you.
Have you ever watched a stream of ants stretching between their anthill and a food source? Some will be going to pick up their load, others will be returning to deposit their prize in the recesses of the anthill. The whole process will be very organized, very precise. Then ask yourself, “Why are these ants so organized in their task?” The reason is that ants are good followers, each dependent on the ant in front of him to lead him to the food supply. Because each ant follows the other, there is a straight line between the anthill and the food—no wasted energy, no unnecessary detours. There is a lesson in that for would-be disciples (Green, 151).
Imagine a field covered with freshly-fallen snow. Off to the one side, you notice two figures entering the field. The first is larger than the second—perhaps they are a father and his son. As they walk across the field, you notice that the father pays no particular attention to where he is going, but his son, on the other hand, follows directly behind, making a special effort to step in his father’s footprints. After the two figures pass off the scene, you notice that there is only one set of tracks visible in the field, although two people had walked across it. The Christian life is that way. In our daily walk, we ought to be following Christ’s example, particularly in times when we are suffering. If someone were to observe the snow-covered fields of your life, would there be one set of tracks, those of Christ? Or would you see two sets—one belonging to Christ and the other distinctly yours? (Green, 53).
Finally, an illustration that reminds us what it means to surrender our lives to Christ. Why do people resist surrendering themselves to Christ? Think of some of the people who have long been on my list of heroes and heroines—Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr. All of them said, “Use me, Lord.” For many individuals, the reason they give for not surrendering their lives is that they don’t really trust God to handle their lives to their suiting. A young lady stood talking to an evangelist on the subject of consecration, of giving herself wholly to God. She said, “I dare not give myself wholly to the Lord, for fear He will send me out to China as a missionary.” The evangelist said, “If some cold, snowy morning a little bird should come, half-frozen, pecking at your window, and would let you take it in and feed it, thereby putting itself entirely in your power, what would you do? Would you grip it in your hand and crush it? Or would you give it shelter, warmth, food, and care?” A new light came into the girl’s eyes. She said, “Oh, now I see, I see. I can trust God!” Two years later, she again met the evangelist and recalled to him that incident. She told of how she had finally abandoned herself to God—and then her face lit up with a smile, and she said, “And do you know where God is going to let me serve Him?” Here, there was a twinkle in her eye—“In China!” (Hewett, 443-444).
Do you remember the words of the old Indian folk song?
I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back, no turning back.
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.
Christ’s command was very direct and simple—“Follow me.” Don’t count the cost. Don’t make lists. Don’t wait to get your life organized. Accept your discipleship. “Follow me.”
References
Barclay, William. The Gospel of Luke. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1956.
Craddock, Fred B. Luke: Interpretation. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1990.
Culpepper, R. Alan. The Gospel of Luke: The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995.
Green, Michael P., Editor. 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1989.
Hewett, James S., Editor. Illustrations Unlimited. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1988.
Miller, Donald G. The Gospel According to Luke, Volume 18, The Layman’s Bible Commentary, edited by Balmer H. Kelly. Richmond, Virginia: John Knox Press, 1963.
September 2, 2007
The Rev. Dr. Jean M. Coyle
Good morning. I’m very pleased to be joining with you in worship this morning.
Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.
Our passage from Luke’s gospel today takes us on part of Jesus’ journey. In this first part of this scripture, we note the unswerving intensity, and destiny-oriented sense of Jesus’ move toward Jerusalem. This helps us to grasp—at least a little—the UNCOMPROMISING demands that Jesus places on would-be followers. Earlier in this chapter, Jesus has prophesied his own suffering and death and then has called his disciples to life of DAILY CROSS BEARING (Craddock, 142).
In the first part of this passage, Jesus knows that his ministry is moving swiftly to its close. Also, Jesus is to be “received up,” an expression used later by Luke to refer to the ascension. The ascension implies, of course, the whole drama of crucifixion and resurrection, as well as ascension. Finally, in verse 51, we know that, toward that end, Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem. “Set his face” echoes the song of the suffering servant of Isaiah 50:7: “Therefore, I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near.” We can sense the strong opposition that will occur (Craddock, 142).
The journey to Jerusalem begins with a rejection. Just as Jesus’ baptism was followed by rejection in Nazareth, so now the transfiguration, an event parallel to the baptism, is followed by rejection in Samaria. Rejection by the Samaritans on one level testifies to the tension between Jews and Samaritans, but their Inhospitality also means they are unwilling to follow one on his way to suffering and death. Even more significant is the fact that Jesus has sent two disciples into a Samaritan village to arrange for lodging and food. Jesus was planning to take his ministry among these outsiders, these despised half-Jewish heretics! He has ministered to Jews and Gentiles, to social, ritual, and political outcasts, and now here in Samaria, as far away as one could be and still be in the land. Later, Jesus would say to his disciples, “And you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). According to Acts 8:5-25, the Christian mission was successful in Samaria; this was, perhaps, due, in part, to the warrant for such a mission in the visit of Jesus to that area (Craddock, 142-143).
We can almost appreciate the anger of James and John over the refusal of hospitality to Jesus. They are being protective and do not know how to handle rejection. They bring to mind overzealous evangelists of another generation who extended God’s grace to the audience and then tossed balls of hellfire at those who refused the offer. Jesus’ disciples remember quite well scriptural precedent for calling down heaven’s fire (II Kings 1:9-10), but they have forgotten the recent words of Jesus: when on a mission, accept the hospitality offered you. If none is extended, shake the dust off your feet and move on (9: 1-6). Is it not interesting how the mind can grasp and hold those scriptures which seem to bless our worst behavior and yet cannot retain, past the sanctuary door, those texts which summon to love, forgiveness, and mercy? Jesus rebukes James and John for an attitude of revenge and retribution, an attitude totally foreign to his ministry and theirs (Craddock, 143).
No sooner has Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem” than he meets opposition. As Jesus and his followers start out on their journey, a Samaritan village refuses to receive them. The overtones of this section are set up by its location in the narrative and its allusions to Elijah. In the end, Jesus asserts not only his determination to go to Jerusalem, but also the nature of his mission (NIB, 215).
Malachi 3:1 declares that the Lord will send a messenger to prepare the way. The connection can hardly be missed, then, when we are told that Jesus sent messengers to prepare his way (v. 52). The first reference to Samaria occurs in this scene, but it foreshadows Phillip’s work in Samaria in Acts, which results in Peter and John laying hands on the Samaritans. That a Samaritan village should refuse to receive Jewish pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem was not unusual. Later in the first century, a serious incident that led to the removal of Herod Antipas from office began with a massacre of Jewish pilgrims in Samaria. The repetition of “his face was set toward Jerusalem” in v. 53 underscores the importance of this new information (NIB, 215).
Just as John erred in hindering the unauthorized exorcist, so now James and John ask Jesus to let them call down fire on the Samaritan village. The request echoes Elijah’s answer to the officer sent by the king of Samaria: “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty” (2 Kings 1:10, 12). Because James and John are called “Sons of Thunder” in Mark 3:17, it has been suggested either that the nickname was derived from this incident or that the name explains why Luke names these two disciples in this scene (NIB, 215).
This episode allows us to study the temptation to use violence to achieve right. Does insult entitle one to do injury? Does being right or having a holy cause justify the use of force or violence? Elijah had called down fire on the Samaritans; could not Jesus’ followers do the same? Misunderstanding the identity of the one they followed, the disciples mistakenly thought they could achieve his ends by violence. How often have those who claimed to be following Christ repeated the mistake of these early disciples? They had yet to learn that violence begets violence, and that Jesus had come to break the cycle of violence by dying and forgiving rather than by killing and exacting vengeance (NIB, 216).
Introduction to the journey to Jerusalem continues with a warning of the radical demands of discipleship. The responses of three would-be followers of Jesus show that they have not understood the demands of discipleship and are not prepared to give it the priority that Jesus demands (NIB, 216).
Together, the three stories function to set the call to discipleship above every other duty, whether care for self, care for the dead, or care for family. So stringent is the demand, however, especially in the second saying, that one is tempted to place these sayings in the category of Semitic hyperboles that dramatize a point, but are not meant to be taken literally (NIB, 216).
The three would-followers are similar, but not identical, cases. The first came with the lofty, enthusiastic promise, “I will follow you wherever you go.” The promise is made “as they were going along the road,” however, a setting that reminds the alert among us of the journey’s tragic destination. Jesus had told his followers that he would be rejected and despised. He had been in Samaria, and the people there would not receive him. Would this enthusiastic volunteer really follow him in the face of such rejection? (NIB, 217).
The first saying establishes two relationships, one explicitly and one implicitly. Explicitly, it contrasts the security of the Son of Man with the condition of animals at the mercy of nature. Even foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no such home. Implicitly, the saying works on the assumption that the follower will be like the one who is followed. If the Son of Man has no place to lay his head, then neither will those who follow him. Does the would-be follower realize what he has promised? (NIB, 217).
To the first man, Jesus’ advice was, “Before you follow me, count the cost.” No one can ever say that he was induced to follow Jesus under false pretences. Jesus paid people the compliment of pitching His demands so high that they cannot be higher. It may well be that we have hurt the Church very seriously by trying to tell people that Church membership need not make so very much difference; we would be better to tell them that it must make ALL the difference in the world. We might have fewer people, but those we had would be totally pledged to Christ (Barclay, 133).
Jesus then calls another to follow him. This would-be follower asks for permission to “go and bury my father.” The duty to bury the dead was binding on all devout Jews. In Jewish folklore, for example, Tobit’s piety is demonstrated by his faithfulness in burying the dead, and his son, Tobias, takes seriously his duty as an only son to bury his father and mother. From the sparse context, it is not clear whether the father has already died. The one whom Jesus called may have been pledging to follow Jesus as soon as possible. First, however, came the responsibility to care for one’s parents for the rest of their lives (NIB, 217).
Jesus’ response is harsh. It demands that the priority of service to the kingdom be set ABOVE EVERY OTHER PRIORITY. The saying should probably be understood to mean, “Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead.” Others who had not come alive to the sovereign rule of God, could discharge the duty of burying the dead. Again, the saying assumes implicit relationships. Those who have not responded to the call to the kingdom are like the dead, thus let the dead bury the dead. Those who have responded to the call to discipleship are no longer dead. Their concern should be with life and the living: “Go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (NIB, 217).
The point that Jesus was making is that in everything there is a crucial moment; if that moment is missed the thing most likely will never be done at all. This man in the story had stirrings in his heart to get out of his spiritually dead surroundings. If he missed the moment, he would never get out. The psychologists tell us that every time we have a fine feeling, if we do not act on that feeling at once, the less likely we are to act on it each time. The emotion becomes a substitute for the action. It is Jesus’ insistence that we must act at once when our hearts are stirred within us (Barclay, 133-134).
The third example is similar at points to each of the first two. The third would-be disciple offers to follow Jesus—as did the first—but asks to bid farewell to his family first, a milder version of the request made by the second. Both Jesus’ call, “Follow me,” and the disciple’s response echo I Kings 19:19-21, which records Elijah’s call to Elisha. Elisha, who was plowing at the time, responded, “Let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you” (I Kings 19:20). The Elijah motif links this scene with earlier scenes with allusions to the expectation of the coming of one like Elijah. Unlike Elijah, however, Jesus will not let the would-be disciple turn aside from the call to follow him EVEN to bid farewell to his family. If one looks back while plowing, the furrow will be crooked. Therefore, building on this element of the story of the call of Elisha, Jesus emphasizes again the unconditional demand of the call to discipleship. On the way to the cross, there is no place for rash promises or misunderstanding regarding the cost of following Jesus (NIB, 217).
Jesus’ words to the third man state a truth which no one can deny. There are some whose hearts are in the past. They walk forever looking backwards and thinking wistfully of the good old days. Watkinson, the great preacher, tells how once at the seaside, when he was with his little grandson, they met an old minister. The old man was very disgruntled and, to add to all his troubles, he had a slight touch of sunstroke. The little boy had been listening, but had not picked it up quite correctly, and when they left the grumbling complaints of the old man, he turned to Watkinson and said, “Granddad, I hope YOU never suffer from a sunset!” The Christian marches on, not to the sunset, but to the dawn. The watchword of the Kingdom is not, “Backwards!” but “Forwards!” To this man, Jesus did not say either “Follow!” or “Return!” Rather, he said, “I accept no lukewarm service,” and left the man to make his own decision (Barclay, 134).
The final scene, which depicts the errors of would-be disciples who do not understand that Jesus is on the road leading to the cross in Jerusalem, challenges us with the radical demands of discipleship to which Jesus inevitably means UNCONDITIONAL COMMITMENT to the redemptive work of God for which Jesus gave his life. The disciple will be like the Lord. Therefore, one should not rush into discipleship with glib promises. On the contrary, the radical demands of discipleship require that every potential disciple consider the cost, give Jesus the highest priority in one’s life, and, having committed oneself to discipleship, move ahead without looking back (NIB, 217-218).
Had Jesus’ words “Take up your cross daily” never been spelled out concretely, they could have remained an ethereal ideal having the effect of background organ music or they could have sunk to some meaningless act of self-inflicted pain such as walking to work during Lent with a tack in one’s shoe. Here, however, Jesus’ words are translated into specific circumstances. The threefold pattern is, “I will follow,” “Follow me,” and “I will follow.” The one who has set his face like a firm stone to go to Jerusalem has no bargains to offer. “I am totally dependent on the hospitality of others; are you will to be?,” he says to the first volunteer. “Loyalty to me takes precedence over a primary filial obligation,” he says to the second prospective disciple. “I expect more from you than Elijah asked of Elisha” is his word to the third, also a volunteer. The radicality of Jesus’ words lies in his claim to priority over the best, not the worst, of human relationships. Jesus never said to choose him over the devil but to choose him over the family. And the remarkable thing is that those who have done so have been freed from possession and worship of family and have found the distance necessary to love them (Craddock, 144).
This sermon could have been entitled, simply, “Follow me.” Because Jesus didn’t say, get your affairs in order, say your farewells, get your life organized—and, then, follow me.
He said, in a very straightforward manner, “Follow me.” Make the decision for servanthood to Christ and “follow me.”
Focus not on the details and detritus of daily life, but rather on the ultimate goal of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, making disciples of all nations.
Let me share several stories with you.
Have you ever watched a stream of ants stretching between their anthill and a food source? Some will be going to pick up their load, others will be returning to deposit their prize in the recesses of the anthill. The whole process will be very organized, very precise. Then ask yourself, “Why are these ants so organized in their task?” The reason is that ants are good followers, each dependent on the ant in front of him to lead him to the food supply. Because each ant follows the other, there is a straight line between the anthill and the food—no wasted energy, no unnecessary detours. There is a lesson in that for would-be disciples (Green, 151).
Imagine a field covered with freshly-fallen snow. Off to the one side, you notice two figures entering the field. The first is larger than the second—perhaps they are a father and his son. As they walk across the field, you notice that the father pays no particular attention to where he is going, but his son, on the other hand, follows directly behind, making a special effort to step in his father’s footprints. After the two figures pass off the scene, you notice that there is only one set of tracks visible in the field, although two people had walked across it. The Christian life is that way. In our daily walk, we ought to be following Christ’s example, particularly in times when we are suffering. If someone were to observe the snow-covered fields of your life, would there be one set of tracks, those of Christ? Or would you see two sets—one belonging to Christ and the other distinctly yours? (Green, 53).
Finally, an illustration that reminds us what it means to surrender our lives to Christ. Why do people resist surrendering themselves to Christ? Think of some of the people who have long been on my list of heroes and heroines—Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr. All of them said, “Use me, Lord.” For many individuals, the reason they give for not surrendering their lives is that they don’t really trust God to handle their lives to their suiting. A young lady stood talking to an evangelist on the subject of consecration, of giving herself wholly to God. She said, “I dare not give myself wholly to the Lord, for fear He will send me out to China as a missionary.” The evangelist said, “If some cold, snowy morning a little bird should come, half-frozen, pecking at your window, and would let you take it in and feed it, thereby putting itself entirely in your power, what would you do? Would you grip it in your hand and crush it? Or would you give it shelter, warmth, food, and care?” A new light came into the girl’s eyes. She said, “Oh, now I see, I see. I can trust God!” Two years later, she again met the evangelist and recalled to him that incident. She told of how she had finally abandoned herself to God—and then her face lit up with a smile, and she said, “And do you know where God is going to let me serve Him?” Here, there was a twinkle in her eye—“In China!” (Hewett, 443-444).
Do you remember the words of the old Indian folk song?
I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back, no turning back.
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.
Christ’s command was very direct and simple—“Follow me.” Don’t count the cost. Don’t make lists. Don’t wait to get your life organized. Accept your discipleship. “Follow me.”
References
Barclay, William. The Gospel of Luke. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1956.
Craddock, Fred B. Luke: Interpretation. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1990.
Culpepper, R. Alan. The Gospel of Luke: The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995.
Green, Michael P., Editor. 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1989.
Hewett, James S., Editor. Illustrations Unlimited. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1988.
Miller, Donald G. The Gospel According to Luke, Volume 18, The Layman’s Bible Commentary, edited by Balmer H. Kelly. Richmond, Virginia: John Knox Press, 1963.
posted by David Ensign at
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