Following Jesus

 Does wisdom come with age? Not always. Patrick, 10yo: "Never trust a dog to watch your food." Michael, 14yo: "If your dad is mad & asks, 'Do I look stupid?' don't answer." Michael, 10yo: "Never tell your mom her diet isn't working." Naomi, 15yo: "If you want a kitten, start by asking for a horse." Joel, 10yo: "Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat." Eileen, 8yo: "Never try to baptize a cat." Humanly, they're very wise. But what does spiritual wisdom look like? We'll see in Luke 9:51-62. Let's look. 51aThe time approached for Jesus to be taken up to heaven. The time of His crucifixion, death, resurrection, & ascension. 51bJesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Literally, He set His face [&] set out. It's a more than 1-day journey, & the shortest path was thru Samaria. So, 52He sent messengers on ahead into a Samaritan village to prepare for him. The Lord of Creation chose to bless that village by staying a night. 53aBut the people there didn't welcome him. Why? 53bHe was heading for Jerusalem. So what? Why? In 722 B.C., Assyrians took the northern kingdom (Israel) captive. They left only poor Israelites behind & brought Gentiles in to replace the others. These poor Israelites intermarried with these Gentiles & became the Samaritans of Jesus' day. When the Jews returned from their own exile, they called the Samaritans half-breed apostates. Samaritans got even. They called Jews full-blooded apostates. They set up a rival temple & published their own Pentateuch. Above all, they rejected worship in Jerusalem. Is Jesus on the way there? No hospitality. Not because He's Messiah. But because He's a Jew. 54James & John saw it. "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" Are they serious? Oh, yeah. They know Jesus is powerful. Like Elijah. They remember 2 Kgs 1:9-12. Elijah called down fire & brimstone on a bad king's lackeys. The brothers also think Jesus is a military Messiah. Will He want to treat Samaritans like Elijah treated those lackeys? Aren't we, too, ready to call down fire & brimstone against those who reject us? Some churches take a strong stand against sin, the devil, alcoholism, sexual sin, especially homosexuality, and... (make your own list). We see it in their doctrinal statements. Long lists of what they're against. People flock to join "against" churches. It's much harder to attract people to a church that tries to love enemies. These Sons of Thunder would fit right into an "against" church. Does Jesus want to call down fire & brimstone on these Samaritans? They're ready to do it. What will Jesus say? He won't have it. Not even a little. He already taught them to love enemies & to pray for them. So, 55Jesus turned & rebuked them. He's on His way to love those who reject Him by dying for them. Not to call down fire & brimstone on them. So, 56they went to another village. 57As they walk along, a man says to Jesus, "I'll follow you wherever you go." What's he doing now? Isn't he already following? Well, yes. But he wants to be recognized as a disciple of Jesus. He wants honor. Is he ready to pay the price of discipleship? No. Mt 8:19 tells us he's a scribe. A lawyer. Well off. He's used to his creature comforts. Is he ready to deny himself? 58Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes & birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Jesus doesn't mean this literally. He often stayed with friends in their houses. But homelessness isn't his point. What is? Disciples must be ready to deny self of all comforts. This man hasn't counted the cost of denying self to put Jesus 1st. He isn't ready. 59Jesus said to another man, "Follow me." What an honor! But the man replied, "Lord, 1st let me go & bury my father." Isn't that request reasonable? It seems so. But consider this. He's worried about someone else's funeral. He should be planning his own! Yes, we're to honor parents, but not if it fails to put Jesus 1st. Also, in the Ancient NE, dead bodies decayed rapidly. Burial followed death immediately. His father isn't dead! (The text never says he's sick!) He's asking if he can follow Christ later when it's convenient. 60Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead. But you-go & proclaim the kingdom of God." To follow Christ means His priorities become our priorities. His call is now. We need to respond now. Not when convenient. Besides, why look back at our old lives when we were dead in sin? 61Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back & say good-by to my family." This too seems reasonable. But he's already in ministry. He's already put his hand to the plow. What's he really asking for? A 'time-out' for himself. Personal reasons. Jesus expects we'll put Him 1st. 62Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow & looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." If you look back while plowing, what will the row look like? Exactly. Crooked. We can't mow a lawn by looking in a rearview mirror, either. It just won't work. To be Jesus' disciple, we need to put Him 1st, look forward, & follow Him. What do we need if we're going to walk with Jesus? Love Him 1st. That's 1st & foremost. Job One. We'll also need tender mercy & steely commitment. In mercy, forgive without retaliation. That's what God does for us. Do the same for our enemies. Don't call down fire on them. Or anyone else who hasn't welcomed Jesus. Instead, call down the Holy Spirit. Call down fires of regeneration & new life on them. When we walk with Him, Jesus expects us to show mercy. Be tenderhearted, compassionate, & forgiving. Want a heart like His? Then want only the best for others. Even our enemies. We'll also need steely commitment to walk with Him. Be ready to accept hardship. Nurture in ourselves an urgency to preach the gospel. The dead can bury the dead. But the living must preach the gospel while we can. Focus on Christ's plans for us. Not on mourning the past. Jesus calls us to tender mercy, steely commitment, & loving Him 1st. What does that look like? William W. Borden was heir to a wealthy Chicago family. In 1904 & 1905, at age 18, he traveled around the world. He followed this with a brilliant education at Yale, then Princeton Seminary. While there, he committed his life to winning Muslims in China to Christ. Before he left, Borden gave away over $500,000 ($10,000,000 in the 1990s). At 23 yo in 1911, he served as a trustee of Moody Bible Institute. At 26 in 1913, he left for Egypt & never looked back. That was the last year of his life. What happened? In Cairo, he contracted cerebral meningitis. As he lay dying, he scribbled: "No reserve, no retreat, no regrets." Lastly, remember the 3 stories in today's verses? How did they end? Scripture never says. We don't know how they responded. The KoG calls for unconditional surrender. It's all or nothing. We don't know if they accepted the Lord's call, or if they waited. The risk of waiting is the same for us as it was for them. When Jesus calls, it's now. Now is the acceptable time. If we wait, the opportunity may pass us by. For a season? Maybe even for eternity. Luke didn't tell us the endings on purpose. He wants us to ask ourselves the same question. What will I do with Jesus' call? Will I follow Him 1st? Wherever He sends me? Whether or not I'll have a roof over my head? Will I follow Jesus completely? Whether or not it's convenient? Will I deny myself to put Him 1st? Will I follow immediately? Without delay? Without looking back? Remember how we said these verses would show us what wisdom looks like? Who is God's Wisdom in person? Jesus. In these verses, He calls us to live the way He did. Put the Father & His will 1st. Follow completely. Deny self. Go wherever we're sent. Completely. Whether or not it's convenient. Whether or not there'll be a roof over our head. Without delay. And without looking back. That's what Jesus did. Will we do the same for Him? Let's pray... Following Jesus - Luke 9:51-62 Page 1 of 1