No Looking Back

Luke 9:51-62New International Version (NIV)

Samaritan Opposition

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[a]?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

A few nights ago we took the kids to Pizza Ranch and among the chaos that ensues when the Wallace clan heads out into the public, something happened that I won’t soon forget.  Griffin needed to use the restroom and Cora decided she needed to tag along so it was just Guthrie and I.  He was upset when the others left and I was left with the chore of trying to keep him calm/entertained until they returned.  He had just taking a pretty big bite of pizza and was soon upset quickly afterwards.  I kept encouraging him to please chew up his food and take a drink but he insisted on throwing a fit.  Then my fear came to fruition.  He started choking.  I lightly tapped him on the back in the hopes to dislodge the cheese from his throat.  Making light the situation that was taking place.  A few seconds later, I quickly realized just how real the situation was.  So many things running through my mind, I recalled the children’s Hemlick we learned at the birthing class before Griffin was born.  With his face turning red and him gasping for air.  I quickly got the cheese dislodged but the panic didn’t leave me.  The others soon returned after our fiasco but I couldn’t shake what had just happened.  I just wanted to get out of there and rushed everyone off to the car.  Recalling the event still bothers me.  We were a long ways from a truly dire situation but the sense of urgency that came across me in that moment was enlightening given our scripture for this week.  

We need to have a sense of urgency.  Not because the world will end tomorrow or the next day and not because the world is in a dire situation.  The sense of urgency I am referring to is much like the one Jesus referenced when speaking to his three potential followers.  He had three different responses to the three of them and each offer insight into the urgency that we are called to.

1. The first man tells Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you.”  This man represents those who have recently come to the realization of the power found in God’s grace and love.  If you recall your initial belief it is likely you felt similar.  There are other instances where something stirs us to action and we rush in without much consideration to the possible outcomes.  But Jesus warns the man that “...the son of man has no place to rest his head.”  Initially, I thought Jesus was warning the man that a dedicated following of Christ leaves one without shelter.  But William Barclay clears things up and says Jesus’ warning is more along the lines of “Before you follow me, count the cost.”  True discipleship of Christ means you will find some form of persecution.  It means that some will not like the stance you may take on certain issues.  It means standing up for those that many choose to forget about.  Barclay says, “It may well be that we have done great hurt to the church by letting people think that church membership need not make so very much difference. We ought to tell them that it should make all the difference in the world.”  If we are aware of the difficulties that may lie ahead we can better prepare our hearts and minds for the difficulties of faith.  
2. In the second instance, Jesus orders the man to follow him but the man is hesitant and asks Jesus if he could first bury his father.  At first look, it seems like a legitimate request and Jesus’ answer seems harsh, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  Again, Barclay makes things clear.  He says that in all likelihood the man’s father was not dead and probably nowhere near death.  Barclay thinks that the proper translation of the man’s comment was something like, “I will follow you after my father has died.”  This leads Barclay to what he calls “crucial moments.”  These are moments that we often find ourselves in.  For example, how many of us have had the thought that we should go on a diet, or we should start running, or we should start some form of a workout plan, or that we are going to read our Bible everyday, or we are going to... fill in the blank.  How many of us have thought I am going to do the dishes, mow the yard, do the laundry, wash the car and then we sit down or get distracted and don’t get to it?  Then the urgency to start whatever we were going to start is gone?  Sometimes it is a ministry we want to start and we don’t pursue it right away.  What happens to those great intentions? They fall by the wayside.  Barclay says, “The man in the story had stirrings in his heart to get out of his spiritually dead surroundings; if he missed that moment he would never get out.”  These are the crucial moments we find ourselves in everyday.  We often have only moments to decide what to do.  These critical moments are really the directors of our lives.  Will we study our Bible, or start tomorrow?  Will we pray tonight or wait til another time?  Will we approach the board chair or minister about a need in the community or will we put it off? Will we help that family in need or wait for someone else to take care of it?  These, and many others, are examples of these critical moments.  I don’t know how scientific it is but Barclay says that when we have a feeling and don’t act on it, the less likely we are to act on it at all.  Instead, the emotion becomes a substitute for the action.  The story of the second man is a story about Jesus urging us to act at once when our hearts are stirred.
3. The third and final instance especially resonates with those of us with a farming background.  When the third man told Jesus that he would follow him but wanted to bid his family farewell first Jesus responded by saying, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  Barclay makes the point that no one driving the plow has ever ploughed a straight furrow while looking back over their shoulder.  In other words, we can often keep our minds and hearts in the past.  We often allow our thoughts to fade into the history of the “glory days.”  It is good to acknowledge both the good and the bad of the past but keeping our hearts and minds in those moments keeps us from focusing on the present and looking to the future.

There is an urgency in life and faith but not not because the world is ending tomorrow.  The reason the situation with Guthrie wasn’t dire is because I was prepared by that class. There is an urgency but Jesus wants us to be prepared as well.  The order in which Jesus speaks to the men is also important.  First, we must prepare, then we must act when stirred, and finally cannot get stuck in the past.  Such a great analogy for life and faith: prepare, act, and do not let your pride keep you stuck in the past.  Amen.