Luke 9:51-62
6th Sunday after Pentecost Lectionary 13
We’ve got lots of excuses. “I can’t come. I’ve got to check the expiration date on my milk.” “My cat is high-maintenance.” Then there are our standard reasons for not getting out of the house on time. “Let me find my book first.” “I’ll be there after I water my plants.” We are good at minor delays. “I will start an exercise program when the weather gets colder.” “Another weight gain of five pounds and then I will go on a diet.” We are also good at delaying major things. “We will have children as soon as we can afford a house.” “I will go see my sister in Denver when airfares get a bit cheaper.” “I’ll go back to school when the kids are older.” Timing is everything, isn’t it?
Jesus said, “Follow me.” “But, Jesus, my father just died. You know that. I’ll be with you as soon as the funeral is over. You understand.” Jesus said, “Follow me.” “I’m coming! I just have to say goodbye to my mother first.” But Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Ouch! That’s harsh! Jesus was born into a human family. He knows that we have important things to do!
What about our careers? What about our loved ones? What about our lives? “I will follow you, Jesus,” the person said. As if to say, “You might not understand what you are getting yourself into,” Jesus answered, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,” Jesus tells us. He is without a permanent home, and has few possessions. Material goods will not hold him back. Jesus won’t say, “I can’t come feed the hungry. I’m waiting for my couch to be delivered.”
Jesus had just finished his journey through Galilee. “…his face was set toward Jerusalem,” we are told. Jesus is preparing those who follow him for what lies ahead. Jesus has in mind his death. He is prioritizing his life and things he has to do. From his perspective, even food and shelter are secondary. Being human means there is an urgency to time, to our years, and our days, to our moments.
Ten days ago, someone’s son said “I’ll see you later” to his family and went out for the night. Someone told her sister, “I’ll be back.” They went to a nightclub expecting a night of dancing and laughter. On June 16, 50 people were killed and 53 injured in the mass shooting at the Orlando nightclub. 364 days before that, 9 people were killed at a bible study at Mother Emanual AME church in Charleston by a white supremacist gunman who said he had wanted to start a race war.
Life is fragile. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Moments matter. Given that Jesus himself was headed toward death, his command to follow him now and not look back was not insensitivity. It was urgency. Every minute counts. Every moment matters. And not just every moment, but every person. We are called to help bring in the kingdom of God. What takes second place to that?
Knowing us, Jesus knows our tendency to put things off. We have ready excuses. What is yours? What holds you back from rushing headfirst into following Jesus? What do you need to do before you follow Jesus with both reckless abandon and heartfelt commitment?
Are we waiting to tell others about Jesus until we understand the theology of the atonement? Are we waiting for our neighbors to move to live Jesus’ command to love our neighbors? Are we waiting to speak out about racial and gender equality until it impacts our son or daughter? Are we waiting to do something about ensuring systems value on the basic necessities of life for those with no voice and no power? Are we waiting for God to do something other than what God has already done? Are we waiting for someone else to do something?
You have probably heard the story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.[1]
Every minute matters. Every moment makes a difference. “I will follow you, Jesus, after I do this,” they said. Discipleship isn’t something that comes afterwards. Discipleship is for now, for this moment. My husband has a saying that I found useful on many occasions, and you have heard me say before, “when given a choice take both.” I wonder what Jesus would have said if the disciples answered his call to follow him while they were tending to the matters of their lives instead of after. What if the one whose father died said, “I will follow you even while I am grieving.” What witness we can give to proclaim and live God’s love for us through Jesus Christ in the midst of our own suffering.
Jesus is persistent in his invitation for us to follow him. Because every moment matters, living life in God through Christ, following Jesus, is an urgent matter.
~Pastor Cheryl Ann Griffin
[1] Author unknown. http://www.columbia.edu/~sss31/rainbow/whose.job.html. Web. Accessed June 24, 2016.