Toward Jerusalem
Luke 9:51-62
And he set his face to go to Jerusalem. When I first read this, I somehow imagined Jesus managing to walk in a circle while all the time facing in one direction. Sure would be uncomfortable if you were heading south and looking north. Can you imagine traveling all day looking like this? (look hard right and walk a bit)But of course, what is meant by the phrase, is that Jesus resolutely set out to go to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was not just an idle destination for Jesus. He was going to Jerusalem, not to enjoy the Passover, but to die. From this point of Luke in chapter 9, until chapter 19 we are going to see Jesus traveling and teaching about what it means to follow, to be a disciple of Jesus.
We see clearly in that journey though Luke what it is like to be his follower. His travels are a steady march, a journey not to riches and plenty, but to a cross. His followers can expect that what happens to Jesus can happen to them too. Jesus tells them that they should deny themselves and take up there cross. That real life is found in losing ones own, for his sake. That the values of the world, our values, are turned upside down as we are transformed by the journey.
The first thing we see in our gospel today, is that Jesus is refused hospitality. This was not a small thing in Palestine, where you were expected to protect with your life if necessary, those who found refuge under your roof. But there was no love lost between the Jews and the Samaritans, and Jesus and his little band were turned away. Through the discussion with James and John we are reminded that if people don't want to receive you, you just go on to the next, simple as that. No fire and brimstone calling, no mater how satisfying it might be sometimes.
Then we hear of Jesus being really hard on a couple of people that seem to want to be followers. First he tells someone, good to hear that you want to follow…but by the way we are NOT staying in 5 star hotels, or 3 star hotels, errr, or hotels at all, we are going to be on the road with not much of anything!
The he sees several people, and asks them to follow. And the people make excuses…in fact they might have been reasonable excuses. One says he wants to bury his father, and another just wants to go and say goodbye. Images of dead bodies lying around like in a Monty Python movie come to mind. Why would Jesus say no to burying you father. And why no saying goodbye. This very thing Elisha asked of Elijah and Elisha was allowed to do it. No excuses for Jesus followers.
Then Jesus says if you "put your hand to the plow and look back" you're not fit for the kingdom. The sense of this is more like "to plow you need to focus on a target ahead of you, not on what is behind you" and not " if you glance back you loose" .
But this is all hard. Very hard. Jesus says that his yoke is easy and his burden light, but that is hard to hear in this gospel. Here we see: focus on the goal and no excuses.
Let's face it. You and I are both pretty much the same as those that Jesus was talking to that day. Every one of us has said no to Jesus at one time or another. Every one of us has known Jesus to be calling us to something, and decided to do something else. And every one of us has let our focus waver from the target.
There is no taking the edge off this passage. It comes down to this. We, every one of us, ARE NOT fit for the kingdom of God. Why would we even want to be?
Perhaps Frederick Beuchner1 has an answer to the why question when he asks:
Have you wept at anything during the past year?Buechner answers his own questions by saying that if you can say yes to all or most of these, then chances are you are alive, if not then you're dead, breathing or not.Has your heart beat faster at the sight of great beauty?
More often than not do you really listen when people are speaking to you instead of just waiting for your turn to speak?
Have you thought seriously about the fact that some day you are going to die?
Have you stood up for something in the past year that you would consider of the highest value - something that you would be prepared to give your life for?
Is there someone whose place you would take, if you could suffer pain for them? If one of you had to suffer great pain, you would volunteer yourself.?
We are only human, truly human, as we walk the path of discipleship.
We walk the road of discipleship poorly, and we fail often, but that isn't the important part is it. Because, as badly as you and I walk our roads, Jesus stood tall, shouldered the load and walked toward Jerusalem. He walked with his arm's outstretched in love, and with his shoulders carrying the burden, right up to the foot of the cross, and beyond. He reached his cross, he carried it, stepped through the agony, and transformed the world. So that each of us as flawed and broken as we are, can walk with him now. We can walk with our heads up and our eye's focused on the goal, not because we deserve it or because we are able, but because he carries us. We do it not in our own strength but in the strength of the Spirit. We have failed. We do fail. But that is not the message of Jesus to us today. It is Onward. Forward. Focused on the goal. Let us set our faces toward Jerusalem.
Amen
©2004 Steve E. Timpson
1 Frederick Buekner, "Wishful Thinking, A Theological ABC", (Harper and Row, New York, 1973), p 51.
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