But First, Jesus

Introduction

Good morning Church, if we haven’t met yet my name is AJ and I’m one of the associate pastors here in Immanuel. Before we get into a passage, there is something I must confess to the church. To be honest, I contemplated hard about whether to share this with you about myself, because I’m not sure how you all will see me after you learn this about myself. The truth is, I’m better now. This issue used to grip me very tightly, and if not for the grace of the Almighty God, I don’t know how else I might have turned out. Are you ready? The truth is, I’m a geek. Yes, you heard that right. The EU was the Starwars expanded universe before it was ever the European Union. I know the family trees of Lord of the Rings characters more than I know my own. I often drew dragons growing up. And one thing I was a huge geek for when I was growing up was something called Yu Gi Oh cards. I loved them, and I collected them. I had many cards memorized from top to bottom. They were so important to me that in a lot of ways I put these cards first and above most other things in life - clearly, I didn’t even want to take a picture without them.

Don’t worry, I know it’s silly. But as I studied the passage for today, I couldn’t help but reflect on the so many things we put first and above Jesus - and how, on an eternal perspective, they’re all silly. Pray with me…

Scripture

Luke 9:51–62 “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 loocks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Our passage follows three moments where Jesus was rejected. And for what reason? Ultimately, inconvenience.

v51-56

These verses tell us that Jesus is touring around Samaria again. If Samaria sounds familiar, you might be thinking about Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well in John 4. By now, we’re approaching the end of Jesus’ ministry (which is why he’s working his way towards Jerusalem)

The different reasons for rejection

Earthly honor and glory

Earthly attachments

Good relationships

The Great Divorce is a story in which the main character experiences faith in the form of “climbing a mountain” and on the way to the foot of the mountain, our main character meets different Ghosts who all choose to remain in hell for different reasons. What’s interesting, and what I find incredibly relevant to today where even Christianity is polarized along the political spectrum is the character, Sir Archibald. A ghost who wanted to understand God so much that he opted for the study of God rather than the presence of God.