Luke 9:51-26

Beaumont Presbyterian Church

June 27, 2010

The Rev. Susan Warren

One of my more annoying habits, according to my family, is my insistence that, before we leave for vacation, the house must be immaculate. I can’t bring myself to load the car with suitcases and beach chairs and a portable barbecue grill and pull out of the driveway knowing that I’ve left a mess behind. Although our children are grown now and family vacations are harder to come by, my ways haven’t changed. Our home probably is cleaner when Jim and I leave for vacation that at any other time!

I don’t know how or why I acquired this compulsion. It’s possible that in the back of my mind I fear some unknown tragedy might befall us on our trip, and I want to be sure that our loved ones who have to settle our estate will find it in perfect order. But really, my main concern is that I don’t want to return to a messy house. And so the first words out of my mouth whenever we return from vacation are, “see, isn’t this nice, wasn’t that worth it?” By “worth it” I’m referring to the hour or two delay in leaving while we vacuum and dust, change the sheets and fold the laundry.

Jesus wouldn’t have liked my excuses, would he?

Our text this morning from Luke is important because it marks the beginning of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. He’s been teaching and preaching in Galilee. Now he sets his face toward Jerusalem. And so begins what we know as Luke’s travel dialogue. Many of the upcoming stories are found only in the third gospel.

Luke tells us it’s time for Jesus to be “taken up,” and we see he’s been studying Jewish scripture, studying Elijah who is taken up in the whirlwind. Luke makes another allusion to Elijah when he talks about the messengers – James and John – who are rejected by the Samaritans. They ask if Jesus wants them to command fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans. That’s what Elijah did when he was upset with some Samaritan misdeeds.

But Jesus says no. He rebukes James and John. It’s not in the NRSV that we just read, but some ancient manuscripts say, “Jesus rebuked them and said, ‘You do not know what spirit you are of, for the Son of Man has not come to destroy the lives of human beings but to save them.’”

These disciples who have been so close to Jesus all during his ministry still have a lot to learn, don’t they? They have yet to learn that Jesus has come to break the cycle of violence by dying and forgiving rather than by killing and exacting vengeance. (New Interpreter’s Bible)

Next Jesus finds some would-be followers along the roadway. He gives them ample warning that, if they follow him, unlike creatures of nature that have holes and nesting places, they will have no home, no bed.

Maybe that information gave them pause. Something prompted their delaying tactics. Maybe they were afraid. Maybe they knew that Jerusalem was a dangerous place for a prophet like Jesus.

And so they were torn. “I want to follow you, Jesus, I really do … just as soon as I tend to some personal matters.” First, let me bury my father. Doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request, does it? Devout Jews were responsible for their parents, including their burial.

When Elijah called Elisha to follow him, he approved Elisha’s request to first kiss his mother and father goodbye.

But Jesus is not Elijah. Jesus demands that a commitment to discipleship, to kingdom work, takes priority over every other responsibility.

So we’ve learned at least two things about Jesus’ call to aspiring disciples: No raining fire on enemies; and no dilly-dallying.

Let us ponder our tendency toward the same mistakes as the early disciples.

I don’t suppose we think about raining down fire on our enemies. But what about the modern-day equivalents? What might they be? Well, if we’re a country, the equivalent might be tanks and missiles. If we’re a civilian government the equivalent might be laws that benefit the powerful who write them and trample on those who have no influence.

If we’re politicians, the modern-day equivalents are the members of the opposing party. They can’t rain down fire, but they certainly can demonize, can’t they. In fact, demonizing is the way of some ministers and so-called Christian leaders. The “enemies” are people of other faiths or even other Christians who “hear” Jesus differently than they.

Any what about you and me? Is there anyone you would like to rain some fire down upon? I suspect we’re all guilty. People who cut us off in traffic. Or how about the driver who veers past you into the only parking space? Brimstone! And there are the folks who don’t agree with us or who get in the way of something we’re trying to accomplish; the teachers who give us bad grades, the bosses who give us bad reviews and no raises. Most of us are guilty, like James and John, of pondering vengeance, of not knowing what spirit we are of.

Think with me what other obstacles come between us and true discipleship. I’ve told you about my proclivity for having a clean house before I can go on vacation. I suppose that’s not such a big deal, but what if I apply the same compulsion to readying myself to serve?

Presbyterians are known for doing everything decently and in order – and that’s the way I tend to like things. Small steps before large steps. Test the water before jumping in. Spend a lot of time preparing. We do that in church, too. We can find all sorts of reasons for not becoming the kind of disciples Jesus calls us to be.

Maybe we don’t invite our friends to church because the Sunday School room needs painting or because that new tune for the doxology just doesn’t suit. Maybe we don’t sing in the choir because we don’t like the robes or we don’t sing as well as our friends or we don’t like this week’s selections. Maybe we don’t contribute to the food pantry because we’re not 100 percent positive that some of the clients are all that needy. Maybe someone is taking advantage of us.

Perhaps we don’t tell people about our church because we’re small -- they probably wouldn’t be interested. Maybe we don’t tell people about our experience of the living God in our lives because we’re Presbyterians and Presbyterians don’t really evangelize. Maybe we don’t want to do this or that because, well, we’ve just never done it that way before.

I love the final metaphor today’s text. Jesus says “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” I get this image of a farmer plowing his field looking back over his shoulder, and pretty soon the tractor is veering all over the place and all the rows are crooked.

Friends, if we’re going to plow, we’ve got to look forward. That’s true of our life together as a church and true of our individual lives. If we want to follow Jesus we need to shift our priorities and move discipleship up on the list. We need to think differently about those we perceive as enemies – all of the Samaritans in our lives -- and we must shed all the easy excuses we find for not acting. You’re not too old. You’re not too young. You’re not too busy – or at least you shouldn’t be. You’re not too poor or too shy or too inexperienced or too anything.

What you are is blessed by the Holy Spirit with everything you need. Everything.

There is a time to reflect, to analyze where we are and why. But if we want to plow, we’ve got to look forward. Forward is the way to the Kingdom of God!

Amen.