READING: Luke Ch 9 v 51 – 62

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village.

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

SERMON

In today’s Gospel reading we find Jesus on the road which ultimately leads to the cross with all that came with it such has rejection and suffering. His call to follow him is absolute and he calls us to 100% commitment.

I wish to look at one verse from our Gospel reading – verse 59 where Jesus said: “Follow me.”

In Matthew 16 v 24 Jesus elaborates on what he means by following him when he said: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

And in those words you find the heart of the Christian Gospel.

In the Great Commission of Matthew Ch 28, Jesus tells his church to go and make disciples in other words that is people who will follow him.

Have you ever been quoted out of context? Have you ever been misunderstood?

Jesus was often misunderstood, and when we hear these shocking words from the life of Jesus when we are reminded that following him requires us to always follow, and not to dip in and out of following him.

If I say, “This week Jesus I have not got time to follow you or to be with you. Sorry Jesus. Next week will be different, but this week I’ve got the house to clean, the grass to cut, the shopping to buy, the neighbour to visit and all those letters to write and yet if I say these things then I have missed the point about following Jesus, because following him takes in the whole of life.

Someone once said this and I love it: “Going to Church no more makes you a Christian than going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger”

Jesus was on his journey towards Jerusalem; it was his journey to the cross and the experience of rejection and hatred. A few verses earlier (9:51) we read this: “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”

So we must hear these shocking words of Jesus in the context of the extremities of being one of his disciples. We must hear these words for ourselves in our own various and different situations; but we must hear them from the mouth of a loving Lord Jesus who longs for us to follow him with 100% commitment.

On the journey a man sees Jesus and his band of followers. There must have been something attractive about this movement, something wonderfully attractive about Jesus himself. (v 57) “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Now Jesus knows that he must face the cross and he replies by saying that “the son of man has nowhere to lay his head” (v 58). Jesus means that the comforts of this world are going to be denied to him, and a would-be follower must consider the potential cost of following Jesus. Most of the disciples were eventually murdered, martyred, some crucified because they refused to stop saying that Jesus had risen from the dead!

So Jesus wanted the first man to know that before starting to follow, he needs to know that the ride will not be easy. When we present the claims of Jesus to men and women today, we must not pretend that Christianity is an easy, sentimental crutch. It is not!

On the journey Jesus asks a man if they will follow him (v 59). Again, Jesus knows that his own life of discipleship is taking him to the cross, and he knows that he must live his last days in total obedience to God. The man replies, “Lord, first let me go and bury my Father.” We cannot but feel taken aback by Jesus’ reply: “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (9:60).

When I took a dear friend of mine’s funeral it was an unspeakable privilege.

However, conducting his funeral did not come before my walk with Jesus. It was my walk with Jesus, and I was able to proclaim the Kingdom of God to mine and his friends.

The question is whether the traumas of life will stop us from following Jesus on the road to the cross.

It’s as if the man were saying, “I will follow you once I’ve got family life sorted out. I have other priorities right now.”

My own experience has been that following Jesus is often tough, but life is enriched and enhanced as a result of following him.

Another man offers to follow Jesus, but only after he has gone back to say good-bye to his family (v:61). Similar to the last reply, Jesus needs us to know that he asks for total commitment. We cannot say, “I haven’t got time to follow you this week. Once I’ve done all the chores at home, then I will follow you.”

Let’s not misunderstand Jesus. He is not saying that we abandon our family. No!

However, he must come first; and when he is first we will in reality be better people.

So I ask again, are we following Jesus today? Amen

PRAYERS

Blessed are you, Lord our God, for you have given us a world full of beauty and wonder and have created us in your image. Yet we have abused the world and marred your image. Lord, in your goodness, heal your world and restore us. Blessed are you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Lord in your mercy hear us

We give thanks that you have called us to work for you. Through your Spirit give us the wisdom and love in all our dealings. We ask your blessing upon the Church where it is working among the oppressed and rejected peoples of our world and communities. Give your Church courage to stand against evil and work for the good of all.

Lord in your mercy hear us

We give thanks for the balance and harmony of creation. We pray for all who are working to stop pollution of land, sea and air; all who work to protect the species and harvests of our world. We pray for all who strive for justice and for the social welfare of all people.

Lord in your mercy hear us

We give thanks for our loved ones and our homes and ask you to bless and protect us. We remember all who are forced to live in slums or shantytowns and those who live on the streets of our towns and cities. We pray for all who suffer in silence due to the feelings of fear.

Lord in your mercy hear us

We pray for all who have suffered through the wickedness or evil of others. We remember victims of crime, violence and abuse. We pray for all whose memories are scarred. We ask your blessing on households that have suffered loss in whatever way. We pray for all who are ill and in need of others in whatever way.

Lord in your mercy hear us

We give thanks that you are a loving and forgiving God; in you we can be healed, restored and renewed. We ask you to bless our loved ones departed, that they may know and rejoice in your love. We commit ourselves and all creation to your saving power and love.

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
And so we bind our prayers together in the words that Jesus taught his disciples.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen

Revd Kevin.
Associate Priest at St.Wilfrid and St.Thomas