Faithful & Focused

Radical Divine Grit

6.29.25 [Luke 9:51-62] River of Life (3rd Sunday after Pentecost)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and his Son, our Lord Jesus with whom we are united in suffering, comfort, strength, and joy. 

There are two kinds of people on a road trip. There’s the person who has the route all mapped out, the stops all planned out, and the schedule set in their mind. They’re hoping to make great time. Then there’s the person who wants to see where the trip takes them. They don’t know what roads they're going to take. They’re excited about the stops they haven’t planned. They aren’t tied to a schedule and they couldn’t care less about making great time. Which one are you?

When you’re traveling with others and you have different goals, you’re bound to experience some stress and frustration. 

In our Gospel reading from Luke 9, we see that this isn’t a modern phenomenon. There’s a shift that marks the beginning of our text. Lk 9:51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. This is not some throwaway time-stamp. Luke wants us to see that there is a shift in Jesus’ focus. Up until this point, Jesus had been focused on proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God, preaching, teaching, and healing. Now he was focused on accomplishing the eternal work of salvation. So he set his sights on Jerusalem, knowing that he would give his life.

As he made his way to the Holy City, he had to journey down from Galilee to Judea, where Jerusalem was. As the crow flies, that meant traveling through Samaria. Though the Samaritans were distant ethnic relatives to the Jews, most Jews viewed them as spiritually corrupt. They didn’t worship in Jerusalem. They only acknowledged the first five books of the Old Testament. Good Jews did not associate with the foolish people of Samaria. But Luke tells us that Jesus did not avoid them. 

Instead, Lk. 9:52 he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. When his messengers got the word out, they found out that Jesus wasn’t welcome there. Lk. 9:53 because he was heading for Jerusalem. In their minds, if you recognized the importance of Jerusalem, then you would not be recognized by the Samaritans. 

Jesus’ disciples did not take this in stride. When James and John saw that this village refused to give Jesus a proper welcome, Lk. 9:54 they asked: ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?’ To them, this village was guilty of a greater sin than Sodom and Gomorrah, so they deserved a similar fate. But instead of confronting this foolish village, Jesus turned and rebuked his disciples. Why? Because Jesus was locked in on his destination—Jerusalem. He had come to save sinners, not punish them, for now. 

James and John were thinking like insulted passengers. Maybe you’ve been there. Someone is driving like a jerk. They’re speeding. Merging abruptly without signaling. Then they cut you off. You have to slam on the brakes. In the heat of the moment, you want to chase them down. But Jesus reminded his disciples that where he was headed was more important than how he was treated. 

As they continued down the road, Jesus ran into some spiritual hitchhikers. Maybe they were from that village and had second thoughts or didn’t agree with the rest of their town. Perhaps they just happened to be on the road alongside our Savior. 

The first one was an eager beaver. Lk. 9:57 I will follow you wherever you go, he offers. Jesus tempers his enthusiasm by exposing the rigors of life on the road for his disciples. Lk. 9:58 Foxes have dens. Birds have nests. The Son of Man—the leader of this band—has no place to lay his head. This isn’t going to be a smooth ride. It will be uncomfortable and unsafe.     

Then Jesus invites another man: Lk. 9:59 Follow me. But he replied, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Now, we don’t know anything else about this man or his father. It’s unlikely that his dad had already died. He wouldn’t have been walking along the road if that were the case. But maybe he felt like the clock was ticking. Regardless, Jesus’ response is shocking. Lk. 9:60 Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. 

And while those words are still rattling around our brains, a third individual is interested. Lk. 9:61 I’ll follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family. Then, rather enigmatically, Jesus replied: Lk. 9:62 No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. 

Is this the Jesus you’re familiar with? Does he seem demanding or difficult? How can he in one moment say something like: Mt. 19:14 Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these and then say Lk. 9:59 Let the dead bury their own dead or Lk. 9:62 no one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. Don’t those charges contradict each other? 

It might seem that way. But if we stop and think about it, we’ll see there’s no contradiction. In the first situation, the disciples were actively trying to prevent little ones from being blessed by Jesus. The disciples were functioning as roadblocks. In this case, Jesus was advising would-be followers of the rough road ahead. 

Imagine you’re on a road trip and you expect it to be a freshly paved four-lane highway. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the pavement stops. The road turns to gravel. Then dirt. Then there are giant potholes and boulders in your way. Wouldn’t you be frustrated with the map service? Why did they take you this way without warning? Who wants to be caught by surprise like that? 

Jesus is warning would-be disciples of the hidden costs of following him. You will sacrifice your comfort and your security. Earthly relationships will be entirely different. You will be compelled to make painful sacrifices. You will leave loved ones behind. 

Have you felt those pains in following your Savior? Have there been times in your life when being a Christian has made you feel uncomfortable or like you are under attack? 

Maybe it’s at work. Perhaps righteousness is viewed as a hindrance or a handicap there. Maybe the way the guys talk about the boss or their old ladies does anything but keep the fourth and fifth commandments. Maybe it’s a workplace where stealing from or lying to the company or customers is just business as usual. 

Perhaps it's a group of people you hang out with. They’re not all your friends. Some are just acquaintances. Do you find yourself coveting their standard of living or yearning for a taste of their wicked wanton ways? You’ve heard them bash the church, the bride of Christ. You’ve heard them gossip about the people down the street. You’ve heard them attack the character of complete strangers. You’ve heard them lie and then laugh about it. 

Have you stood up for what your God says? Have you championed the truth? Have you defended your faith and the good name of others? Have you pursued righteousness, regardless of the relational cost? Or have you kept your head down and your mouth shut? Have you made excuses for their behavior and your inaction? Have you just switched seats, changed topics of conversation, or just waited for it to all blow over? 

Following Jesus means we’re headed down a painful path. Not just socially or financially—but emotionally and relationally too. Jesus tells us that we must have a different perspective on life and death and family and friends when we follow him. 

Do you proclaim the truth of the kingdom of God in matters of life and death? When people mutter about hoping to go to heaven because they’ve done enough good things—do you courageously correct them by saying all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags in the sight of our Righteous God? When people talk about how their deceased loved ones are still with them or looking down on them from above—do you nod your head in agreement? When you see your own flesh and blood living in ways that are setting their souls on fire, do you turn a blind eye? Do you make excuses because you don’t want it to be awkward or tell yourself that they’ll never listen to you anyway, because they know your past too well?

Following Christ means picking up your cross and living in a way that glorifies him-even when it makes you uncomfortable. Even when it makes you sad. Even when it causes you and your loved ones short-term pain. Serving in the kingdom of God means our minds are set on eternal outcomes, not temporal situations. 

Everything is done with the ultimate destination in mind. 

Who is fit for this kind of service? None of us can claim to have done this perfectly. That’s why we need a Savior who demonstrates radical divine grit and determination. What Jesus demands of these three potential disciples is inconvenient, a little insulting, and perhaps even an inconceivable sacrifice. But God never demands anything of us that he has not already done for us.

Jesus left behind the comfort and security of heaven. Imagine for a moment what that change must have been like. God became flesh and made his dwelling in a young woman’s belly. He was born in a stable and placed in a manger. Maybe you grew up poor and now life is more comfortable. Would you ever go back to the way you used to live? Who would choose to? We like our comfort. We like our security. But Jesus gave it up and even lived a humble on the road life so that he might proclaim the good news of the kingdom. 

Not only that, but Jesus left behind his Heavenly Father. Conversations that once happened face to face in the divine palace, now happened in the dead of night in lonely places. If that weren’t enough, Jesus even left behind earthly family and friends in Nazareth and went to Galilee and Judea to preach. He put his hand to the plow and did not look back—knowing exactly what it would cost him. He knew the path he was walking led to the cross. There he would be more than uncomfortable. He would be made to suffer. There he would be abandoned by his Father and forsaken by most of his friends. And that made all the difference for us. Listen to how the writer to the Hebrews says it changes us. 

Heb. 12:1-3 Let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles us and let us run with physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, even after enduring such opposition from sinners. Jesus endured all this with joy because he knew what it would accomplish for us. You are the reason Jesus did not ask the Father to save him from his suffering and death. He loved you. He wanted to save you. He wanted you to be with him eternally. 

Jesus was not on a leisurely road trip to Jerusalem. He was on a business trip. He was on a flight for life. Time was of the essence. Your life hung in the balance. And he refused to let you down. That same Savior will sustain you as you follow him. He will strengthen you through his Word and Sacraments. He will steel you as you endure opposition from sinners. He will uplift your heart and invigorate your spirit as you take up your cross and follow him. 

You and I need that for the days ahead. I would love to say that this move to Verrado Heritage Elementary School will be a walk in the park and a dream come true. There will be challenges. There will be opposition. There will be moments when people we’ve relied upon let us down and even disappoint our God. There will be times when we are guilty of the same. Fix your eyes on your Savior. The Jesus who was patient and kind to the villagers is no less patient and kind to you and I as we follow him. And pray for strength that we might serve him as we ought, so that one day God will greet us with those encouraging words: Mt. 25:21 Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. Come and share in your master’s happiness! Amen.