Distracted
Welcome
Intro
Pete left a note on an old water well in the desert, saying that the finder would also find a jar of water under the pump with just enough water to prime the pump. All the water was to be used for that purpose; none was to be drunk. If instructions were followed, the finder would have more than enough water from the pump to care for all his needs.
A difficult decision for the thirsty man: Shall he drink from the jar first, or use it all to prime the pump?
An account similar to this is in the Bible (1 Kings 17). Elijah the prophet asked a woman to make him some food before she and her son would eat their last bit of food. What should they do? Who should be first? The concept of Jesus first is fundamental to the Christian life
People who really love God welcome the opportunity to reassess their commitment to Him. People who haven’t fallen in love with Christ usually squirm in the pew when we approach the “would-be” disciples.
O Eternal, almighty, and most gracious God, heaven is your throne, and earth is your footstool, holy and revered is your name; you are praised by the heavenly hosts and in the congregation of your saints on earth, and will be sanctified in all that come near unto you. We are sinful and unworthy dust, but being invited by you, are bold, through our blessed Mediator to present ourselves and our supplications before you. Receive us graciously, help us by your Spirit; let your fear be upon us: let your Word come unto us in power, and be received in love, with attentive, reverent, and obedient minds. Make it to us the savour of life unto life. Cause us to be fervent in prayer, and joyful in your praises, and to serve you this day without distraction, that we may find that a day in your courts is better than a thousand, and that it is good for us to draw near to God; through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
RICHARD BAXTER
Message
Future Distractions
Present Distractions
The Jews counted proper burial as most important; to leave the father unburied ‘was something scandalous to a Jew’ (Marshall). The duty of burial took precedence over the study of the law, the temple service, the killing of the Passover sacrifice, the observance of circumcision and the reading of the Megillah (Megillah 3b). But the demands of the kingdom are more urgent still.
For a Jew this was a religious duty having precedence over everything else. Only in the case of a temporary Nazirite vow (Num 6:6–7) or if one were the high priest (Lev 21:10–11) could one be absolved from this duty.
He was worried about somebody else’s funeral when he should have been planning his own!
Past Distractions
Jesus demands unqualified commitment, far beyond what a rabbi might require of his disciples.
Close
Three men: One says, “I will follow,” but he has something else in mind. To Him Jesus says, “You will be disappointed.” Jesus invites the second one to follow, but the man’s answer is delay. The third volunteers to go, but he has something more important to do first.
The only correct answer is the answer of the disciples who, when they heard Christ’s call, “immediately … left their nets and followed Jesus.”
A. The would-be disciples might have been miserable in Christ’s service because they would want to keep one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom of God.
B. To long for other things while in the Kingdom of God is a contradiction in terms and could even turn one into a pillar of salt. The Kingdom of God is the major teaching of this unique part of Luke’s Gospel (chapters 9–19). To have it with half of a heart is like asking for a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich at a Thanksgiving dinner.
Conclusion
I have never found it easy to be a Christian, but I have consistently found it to be best. Jesus wants no summer-time soldiers or fair-weather disciples. Let’s do whatever it takes!
