Pentecost 3C

3rd Sunday after Pentecost, Year C

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Today’s Gospel lesson gives us a close look at what happens when Jesus calls you to follow him. Luke shows us three quite different situations in these new disciples: two who approach Jesus of their own accord, and then one who hears Jesus call to follow him. The first new disciple seems quite eager: “I will follow you wherever you go.” Wherever? Maybe he’s a little too eager. Does he really know what he’s getting himself into? And that’s exactly what Jesus’ response addresses:

“We must not have an exaggerated condition of Jesus’ poverty; we suppose He always had lodging and shelter, when He needed it, and all His state of humiliation was voluntarily assumed and endured: but he was a pilgrim and stranger on the earth, and His followers must expect no higher state. Jesus did not refuse this proffered close disciple, but only would have him count the cost, realize what his profession meant.” [H. Louis Baugher, Annotations on the Gospel according to St. Luke, ed. Henry Eyster Jacobs, vol. IV, The Lutheran Commentary (New York: The Christian Literature Co., 1896), 190.]

Jesus never said that following him - being his disciple - would be easy. And so he tells this would-be follower what it really means.

The second individual in this passage only responds after Jesus calls him: “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Now that seems like a totally reasonable request. It’s a difficult time, and a good and noble thing to honor a parent who has died. Jesus’ answer, then, might be a bit surprising to us: “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Seems rather harsh, doesn’t it? So what is this second would-be follower actually saying that would elicit such a cold response from the Messiah?

Scholars are divided on this one. Some think that his father is already dead, and this man is simply asking for time to have the funeral. But others think it means that his father is *almost* dead, and the man is asking Jesus for an indefinite extension to this invitation, so that he can remain with his father until he does die. There’s no way of knowing how long that will really be, and so what he’s really doing is avoiding following Jesus by using his father’s failing health as an excuse not to go with Christ. “Burying the dead is something anybody can do, and something that there will always be enough to do. Do not trouble [yourself] about that; there’s a higher call for [you]—Go... and publish abroad the kingdom of God, be a herald of life and salvation. This is a higher call than to bury the dead...” [Baugher, 191]. Jesus could see through this man’s hesitation and excuse, and he called him out.

And then there is the third person - another who volunteers to follow Jesus: “I will follow you, Lord,...” If he had stopped there, Jesus may well have been satisfied with that volunteer statement. We don’t know however, because that’s not all that this man said. He adds: “but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Again, I don’t think any of us would see this as an unreasonable request. “Let me say goodbye to my family.” It certainly seems reasonable to me. There is a risk, though. “But when this man gets back among his people, tells them of his intention to follow Jesus, and starts to bid them all farewell, will he be able to resist their pleading to stay with them and to give up Jesus? All honor to friendship and love, but humanly noble affections may prevent us from entering the kingdom.” [R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 563.]

Jesus is pretty tough on this one, too: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” In Jesus’ day, a plow was a very simple device, and it took a steady, constant hand to control it and plow rows in straight lines. If you were going to do it well, you had to focus on what was ahead of you. There was no way to do it properly if you were focused on what lay behind you. This is also a metaphor for looking to past joys and “things which have been left behind, given up, forsaken… A divided heart will not produce a straightforward Christian life. ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.’” [Baugher, 192]

In Jesus’ response, the word “‘fit,’ [here] does not refer to moral, meritorious fitness or self-adaptation on the sinner’s part for entering the kingdom but to the unfitness of inward opposition, the attachment to the world which often persists in spite of the gracious drawing of Jesus and the gospel and will not be overcome. It makes little difference to what part of the worldly life the heart looks back with longing and is unable to tear itself away, the effect is always the same: not fit for the kingdom. The man who could not give up his worldly friends completely when he stood in the presence of Jesus and those friends were absent could far less give up those friends when he was again standing in their presence and Jesus was absent.” [Lenski, 564]

In this season after Pentecost, we reflect on our own growth in faith. This call to follow Jesus is how we get the words “disciple” and “discipleship”. We are going to be talking about discipleship a lot in the weeks and months ahead. On the weekend of August 19-21, we’ll be visited by Pastor David Wendel from the NALC staff, who will be guiding us through a deep, hard look at ourselves and our life of faith as a congregation. To prepare for that, we’ll soon be sending out some questions for everyone to answer. Some of us (particularly Council members) have some research to do. On Saturday, August 20, we’ll meet with Pastor Wendel for a few hours as he helps us to look at ourselves from every angle. I hope all of you will come and participate in this - it is an investment in our future as a congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ. Pastor Wendel’s visit does not cost us anything. It can only help us. It would cost us more in the long run, I think, *not* to invest in this effort.

As we go through this reflection on ourselves, I suspect most of us - myself included - will readily identify with one of the three individuals described by Luke in this passage. The question we must then ask is whether we want to address the problem that Jesus identifies with each of those three. I pray that God will help me to address that problem in my own heart.

Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer had much to say about discipleship. As someone who died for his faith at Hitler’s hands, I’m inclined to listen to his wisdom: “When holy scripture speaks of following Jesus, it proclaims that people are free from all human rules, from everything which pressures, burdens, or causes worry and torment of conscience. In following Jesus, people are released from the hard yoke of their own laws to be under the gentle yoke of Jesus Christ. Does this disparage the seriousness of Jesus’ commandments? No. Instead, only where Jesus’ entire commandment and the call to unlimited discipleship remain intact are persons fully free to enter into Jesus’ community. Those who follow Jesus’ commandment entirely, who let Jesus’ yoke rest on them without resistance, will find the burdens they must bear to be light. In the gentle pressure of this yoke they will receive the strength to walk the right path without becoming weary. Jesus’ commandment is harsh, inhumanly harsh for someone who resists it. Jesus’ commandment is gentle and not difficult for someone who willingly accepts it. ‘His commandments are not burdensome’ (1 John 5:3). Jesus’ commandment has nothing to do with forced spiritual cures. Jesus demands nothing from us without giving us the strength to comply. Jesus’ commandment never wishes to destroy life, but rather to preserve, strengthen, and heal life.” [Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, ed. Martin Kuske et al., trans. Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss, vol. 4, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 39.]

Hear that again: “Jesus commandment is gentle and not difficult for someone who willingly accepts it. Jesus demands nothing from us without giving us the strength to comply. Jesus’ commandment never wishes to destroy life, but rather to preserve, strengthen, and heal life.” This is what Jesus offers us. He wants something better for us than the world has to offer. But when we are surrounded by the world for much of our week, what the world offers often either makes sense, or looks more appealing than what Jesus tells us. Sometimes both. But what Jesus offers us is better.

In my time with you as pastor, we’ve been through some real turbulence. We got through the IRS mess. It took effort, but we got through it. We were just starting to enjoy our recovery from that when the pandemic hit us. That has been difficult at times, but we’ve weathered that storm, too. Throughout that trial, we’ve come together as a church family as best we could. We’re once again starting to move forward. In our Council discussions, we agree that this look at ourselves and our discipleship is a critical part of discerning what God is calling us to. But which of these would-be followers are we most like right now?

Are we like the first person - too eager to jump in without a real understanding of what the Kingdom of God is really about and what it means to leave things behind and follow Christ?

Or are we more like the second person - too caught up in lowly tasks that we’re unwilling to let them go so that we can focus on the higher tasks?

Perhaps the 3rd person’s similarity is the scariest for us: is our past holding us back? Are we so caught up in looking backward that we are unable to look forward to the path Jesus is calling us to? This is always a hazard to any church with a long history. Like many historic churches, our history is a huge part of our identity. Our history is the backdrop for what we do and how we do it. Our history is a strong influence in what holds us together. And yet, Jesus tells us that it isn’t important. That’s a scary thing for a church like ours that looks back 182 years. What does that mean for us? Do we have to forget our history?

I don’t believe that Jesus commands us to forget our history. I *do* believe that Christ means that our history shouldn’t be more important to us than he is. Like many things in Jesus’ teachings - money, family, status, power, legacy... we should not idolize our history and turn it into something that it shouldn’t be. It should not be more important to our life as a church than Jesus is. Our history should not be more important than our call to follow Jesus. Our history is not as important to Jesus as the path he wants us to follow. I believe that we can honor and respect our history without letting it become an idol. As we look deeply at ourselves, I think that the Holy Spirit will make it clear for us.

I will let Pastor Bonhoeffer leave us with a final thought:

“Where will the call to discipleship lead those who follow it? What decisions and painful separations will it entail? We must take this question to him who alone knows the answer. Only Jesus Christ, who bids us follow him, knows where the path will lead. But we know that it will be a path full of mercy beyond measure. Discipleship is joy.

“Today it seems so difficult to walk with certainty the narrow path of the church’s decision and yet to remain wide open to Christ’s love for all people, and in God’s patience, mercy, and loving-kindness (Titus 3:4) for the weak and godless. Still, both must remain together, or else we will follow merely human paths. May God grant us joy in all seriousness of discipleship, affirmation of the sinners in all rejection of sin, and the overpowering and winning word of the gospel in all defense against our enemies. ‘Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’” (Matt. 11:28–30). [Bonhoeffer, 40]

Discipleship is joy. Our joy is in Christ and all that he has done for us, and we find that joy in loving and following our Lord and Savior. Let us all pray and reflect on that as we pursue growing in our faith: both as individual Christians and in our life together as a congregation of His Church. God has good things in store for us. Let’s work together to follow the path He has laid out for us.

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.