2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Luke 9:51-62
“Follow me.”
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Luke tells the story of three would-be followers of Jesus; they all had something in common: they had no idea the level of commitment it takes to be a follower of Jesus Christ. The first volunteer was completely clueless to the practical aspects of following Jesus…like not even having a settled place to sleep, but at least his heart was in the right place. The second and third had excuses that sounded like two other words many of us use in daily life: “but first….”
It’s pretty much a but-first world (you can do with that phrase what you want!) Before we make a commitment, doesn’t it always seem like there’s something else we have to do first? Is it because we want it all…or maybe we believe we have to have it all…or we need it all to have the good life we want? The “but-first let me…” comment reveals a difficult insight about our willingness to commit ourselves to Jesus. We don’t want to have to choose between his way of life and ours.
Let me give you an explanation from one of the world’s great theologians, Dr Seuss.
The good doctor nailed the human condition in his “children’s stories”; his knack of doing so is probably the reason we never tire of his tales. Seuss wrote a poem about a character named Zoad whose struggle to make a chancy choice resembles our own resistance, too:
Did I ever tell you about the young Zoad? Who came to a sign at the fork of the road? He looked one way and the other way, too. The Zoad had to make up his mind what to do – Well, the Zoad scratched his head, and his chin, and his pants. – And he said to himself, "I’ll be taking a chance. If I go to Place One, that place may be hot, so how will I know if I like it or not? On the other hand, though, I’ll feel such a fool If I go to Place Two and find it’s too cool, In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue. So Place One may be best and not Place Two. Play safe," cried the Zoad, "I’ll play safe, I’m no dunce. I’ll simply start off to both places at once. And that’s how the Zoad who would not take a chance went no place at all with a split in his pants.
Split pants are one thing—they almost always can be mended; yet, a heart divided between the wants of this world and requirements of faithful discipleship usually makes one a would-be follower of Jesus…more like his fan, not his follower. Jesus does not need nor want more fans; he wants followers who commit themselves to living as he lived, loving as he loved, giving as he gave, and sacrificing as he sacrificed.
If you’re like me, you might be wanting to ask Jesus why following him has to be all or nothing. Why can’t we have it both ways, Jesus? Do you really expect us to drop everything, to change all our plans, to follow you? Well, yes, that’s exactly what Jesus expects.
The reason Jesus expects us to make the unconditional commitment to follow him is because what Jesus does makes a difference in the world…TODAY. Do not be fooled; this difference Jesus makes to our lives is not about what will or will not happen to us after we die. It is all about being Christ right now to the hungry, homeless, sick, poor, naked, addicted, lonely, widowed, orphaned, outcast and imprisoned.
A would-be follower will say to the hungry child, I will feed you, but first I have to go home and cook my family a meal. A real follower will take the hungry child home right away, and feed that child—and his family—at the followers’ own table. You see, action is key; when Jesus says, “Follow me,” he means, “Be me; be my body in the world right now.”
We have received new members into our church family this morning. You have made promises to us; we have made promises to you; yet the most important promise of all is the one we make to Jesus Christ:
“I will follow you wherever you go” (Luke 9:57b).
Being a part of the body of Christ is not about attending church; it’s about following Christ wherever he leads us and doing whatever he does.
When Christ says, “Follow me,” He asks no more of us than he did of his first followers: Peter and Andrew, James and John: they jumped out of their boats, laid down their nets, and never said “but first let me say good-bye to my father”; they followed him even though they had no idea where he was going, what each day would bring or how it would all end in Jerusalem.
Think about Mary. When God sent his messenger to this young girl, she gave over her body, her reputation, her very self to give life to God’s Son—“let it be with me according to your word,” she said.
The Body of Christ, real followers of Jesus, daily lay down their nets, leave their boats, and hand over their bodies for his use. “Let it be with us according to your word,” real followers say.
Are you a would-be follower, yet desire to be a real follower of Jesus? Then an examination is necessary. Ask yourself: Does Jesus make a noticeable difference in my life? Can others see him in me? Do the grace, mercy and love of God made incarnate in Jesus override my plans, dreams, and hopes? Does my faith shape my life, or do I shape my faith to fit my life?
I think these are very important and intriguing questions to pose to this body of Christ, as we are about to go into our annual meeting and make decisions that will deeply affect the ways we minister in Jesus’ name for the next year and beyond. Our choices, played out in our votes, will likely reveal whether we are would-be followers, could-be followers or real followers of Jesus Christ.
Is it fair for us to stand around scratching our heads and chins, wondering what to do when Jesus is urgently calling to us, “Follow me”? Shall we put our hands to the plow and look back on our glory days, or shall we plow ahead, in a straight line for Jesus, and give all the glory to God by serving his son in the fox holes of faith?
The choice is not simple but it is life-changing, life-expressing: forget about trying to go in two directions at once; let’s turn our faces, with Jesus, toward Jerusalem. Let’s choose to be a church not of Zoads; but of chance-taking Christians, real followers of Jesus Christ; it makes all the difference to the world. Amen.
June 30, 2013
First Parish Federated Church of South Berwick, ME
The Reverend Donna Lee Muise, Pastor
