Luke 9:51–62
“No
Looking Back”
The Gospel
of Jesus Christ, the mission of the church, and those workers in his kingdom,
are always on the move. You look at the
Gospels, and Jesus doesn’t set up shop in one place and make everyone come and
hear him there. But he goes from town to
town, village to village, preaching the kingdom. He says, “that is why I have come”.
It’s not like the Old Testament temple, where
Jews would come from hundreds or even thousands of miles away to make their
pilgrimages. Jesus discussed this with
the Samaritan woman at the well – since Jews and Samaritans argued over which
place was the proper place to worship.
And Jesus told her that a time was coming when people would worship in
spirit and in truth.
The
Christian faith has never been about sitting on our hands, resting on our
laurels, keeping what we have, and simply being comfortable. Rather, we have a mission – and we plant
churches, send missionaries, and seek to fulfill the great commission – making
disciples of all nations, even to the ends of the earth. We give witness to Christ in our own
vocations, to family and friends. By our
words when we can and by our actions in all things – we send a message, we live
a message, that proclaims and exhibits the hope within us. People ought to, and many people have, become
open to hearing more about Christ because they’ve seen the love and
faith-in-action of Christ’s followers.
Of course it can’t just stop there, but it’s always good to remember. And so, no one is a private Christian. All of this happens in full view of the
world. We confess Jesus before men, and
he confesses us before his Father who is in heaven.
But it’s
not always easy. Look at Elijah. He had just had this great success. A moment on the mountaintop – both
figuratively and literally – as he defeated the prophets of Baal in spectacular
fashion. Their idol-god was silent, but
Yahweh sent down fire from heaven. A
miracle. A triumph of faith. Glory be to God! But then wicked queen Jezebel found out about
it, put a contract on Elijah’s life, and he fled into the wilderness in
fear. Now hunkered down in a cave, he
throws himself a pity-party and wallows in the false idea that he’s the only
one left. Poor Elijah. Boo hoo.
Yahweh has
no time for such drama. He has work for
Elijah to do. Speaking not in the wind
or earthquake or fire, but in the tiny whisper, God sends Elijah back and gives
him his marching orders. Anoint this
one, anoint that one, and get your successor Elisha ready. Swords will be drawn. Blood will be shed. There’s no time for this despair,
Elijah. God is on the move. Full forward.
And then
you get to our Gospel reading, where Jesus is gathering followers. He sends his disciples into a Samaritan town,
and they are rejected. James and John do
not take this well. They want to start
dishing out the judgment. They want fire
and brimstone. They want this town to
get a whooping. How dare they reject us,
Jesus?! Do you want us to call down fire
from heaven, like Elijah did? Can we go
all Sodom and Gomorrah?
But instead,
Jesus rebukes them. We don’t know the
exact content of that rebuke, but knowing Jesus, you can imagine it. Don’t be so quick to judge, James and John. Don’t be so quick to condemn. For with the measure you apply, it will be
measured to you. And you’re not free
from sin, either. You don’t follow me
like you should, either. You deserve
your own portion of that fire and brimstone.
And of course we all do. Rather
than beat a dead horse, harangue sinners who’s hearts are already hardened,
Jesus just moves on. He keeps
preaching. He casts the seed into other
soil, where perhaps it will take root and produce a harvest. No looking back.
There’s
much to learn here, for us individually, and as a church, even a church
body. Don’t be surprised when Jesus is
rejected, when people spurn the Gospel.
Don’t be too keen to mete out the judgment that belongs to God
alone. But don’t get bogged down when
they reject you, or the Bible, or common decency, for they’re really rejecting
Jesus. And don’t dwell on the failures
of the past, the sins of the past, the unfinished business. The kingdom of God moves ahead; it has an
aim, a hope, a future. Faith looks forward.
And then
Jesus sees these other people, who at first, at least, want to follow him – but
with strings attached. “I’ll follow you
wherever you go!” Oh, will you? Where do you think I’m going, to a palace? To a great throne? Of course you’d want to follow there. But I don’t even have a home to rest my head. This following may not be what you’ve cracked
it up to be, friend.
And then
there’s the fellow who wants to go bury his father, and Jesus gives what seems
like a callous reply. Did he mean, let
me wait around until my father dies? Perhaps.
It was considered the oldest son’s duty to bury his father, and then to
receive the inheritance. Or was he
interested in waiting around for a year to re-bury the bones, as was the custom
of some Jews (and as is even done in New Orleans today)? Even though the 4th commandment
teaches us to honor our parents, the 1st commandment tells us who
ought to come first. Following Jesus is
more important than following the traditions of man, however honorable they may
be.
And
finally there’s the one who just wants to go back and kiss his family goodbye
first. And even for this man there’s a
gentle rebuke from Jesus! “No one who
puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God!”
Jesus sees
the heart. He knew what each of these
men needed to hear. Of course he answers
well, even if it seems strange or harsh to us.
But the Holy Spirit also inspired Luke to write this dialogue for us,
and for all Christians. We, too, need
the reminders to put Christ first, to let the dead world bury its own dead, and
to keep our eyes forward and hands on the plow for service and life in his
kingdom.
Of course,
we don’t do so well. Quite often, we’re
like Lot’s wife, looking back to our former way of life. Like a dog that returns to his vomit, we,
too, return to the sins from which Christ has freed us. To the sin that so easily entangles us. The Old Adam and the New Creation in us
strive and struggle for supremacy. Who
will win the day? Who will set the agenda?
Will we go forward, or are we stuck looking back?
Enter
Jesus, the one who never looks back. The
one whose face is set toward Jerusalem.
And he’s not just going there for a picnic. He’s not going there even to celebrate a
solemn feast with his disciples, or teach in the temple. And he’s certainly not going there to call
down the lightning and fire of judgment.
He knows what lies ahead for him.
And so do we.
Jesus is
dead-set on the cross. His hand is on
the plow, even when they drive in the nails.
His face, sweating blood, never turns aside from his mission. He will not pass this cup to any other. Jesus Christ, Son of God from eternity, has
an appointment with death just outside of Jerusalem. And he will not be deterred, distracted,
talked out of it, or hindered in anyway.
Not even his beloved disciple Peter can turn him aside from that cross,
instead he says, “Get behind me Satan!”
No, Jesus is only going forward, forward, ever forward to Calvary,
Cross, and death.
For all
your turning back and turning away, Jesus stays the course. For all your conditions and strings attached
– Jesus gives his grace freely. For all
your half-hearted, hard-harted, self-righteous and self-deluded attempts to
find your own way – you can come up only lost.
But Jesus knows the way. And he
rescues the sheep. He cries out to us in
a clarion call of mercy that invites us forward with him. “Follow me”.
“Follow
me” is not just an invitation to go for a walk, or even on a long journey. It is the call to faith. But it also entails going where he goes, at
least in some sense. Jesus goes forward
to his cross, but he also calls us to take up our own crosses. Jesus passes through the grave and gate of
death, and so do the sheep who follow him.
But Jesus also leaves death in the dust, breaks open the grave, and
rises never to die again. So too we
those who live and believe in him – even though we die, yet shall we live. And Jesus even promises a place for us in the
mansions of his Father’s house.
Follow
Jesus. Believe and trust in him. And never look back. Your future is secure in Christ. May your eyes ever be fixed on him. Amen.
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