Return to Sermon Page

June 27, 2004; Proper 8, Year C
    The Rev. Harold "Skip" Comer, Rector

Martin Luther wrote, “ A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”[i]  Our Gospel reading for today addresses the cost of being a Christian.  The cost is couched in the story of three men who say that they want to follow Jesus, but have excuses to delay their immediate commitment to follow him.  I believe that this story challenges us to look at the excuses, many of which may seem reasonable to us, as to why we cannot become committed followers of Jesus Christ..

Our Gospel reading for today bluntly confronts the making excuses for not being quote “good Christians.”  The desire to follow Jesus is very demanding, and as the Gospel reading reveals, it often requires that we leave behind things or people that we treasurer very much.  But then, no one ever said that being a Christian was going to be easy.   Let’s look at the excuses of the three men who said that they wanted to follow Jesus.

The first man went to Jesus and said, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  I believe that Jesus’ response gives and indication that this man had no idea of the commitment needed to follow Jesus.  “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests: but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  At a minimum, following Jesus means that we will be inconvenienced.  While most Christians have a place that they call home, how many would be willing to move if Jesus told them too.  In today’s world, people move frequently.  Some of the moves are necessary in order to have a job.  Others move because they can no longer afford to pay the rent or mortgage.  And there are many who move in pursuit of their dream home.

The underlying message of Jesus to this would be follower is that following him will require sacrifice.   How much of what he had and thought was important was he willing to let go of in order to follow Jesus?  How much are we willing to let go of in order to be a follower of Jesus Christ?

Though the second man agrees to follow Jesus, he first wants to bury his father.  This certainly seems like a reasonable request, and Jesus’ response seems very harsh and insensitive.  “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom.”  It has been explained to me that this man’s father was not dead yet.  He was probably very old, maybe even expected to die very soon, but at that moment he was alive.  What Jesus is actually referring to is those who have not responded to him.  They are spiritually dead already.  Jesus is about the business of transforming lives, and those who would follow him must be about the same business.

G. B. Caird, a New Testament scholar, states, “the most difficult choices in life are not between good and evil, but between good and the best.”  This is a struggle that we all face.  We all have those things that we value in life, but are they more important than the kingdom of God?  While we may have a good life now, Jesus is saying that the best life lies ahead when we become one of his followers.

The third man agrees to follow Jesus if he can first go home and say good-bye to his family and friends.  This certainly seems like a reasonable request.  After all, as we heard in our reading from First Kings today, Elisha was permitted to say good-bye to his mother and father after being called by Elijah to be the next prophet of Israel.  Jesus’ response once again reveals that there is more to the request than meets the eye.  His response, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God,” indicates that the man was have trouble with the fact that he would have to leave his family and friends.  There is often a hesitancy to let go, let go of the known and comfortable life, to venture into the unknown.   Jesus told this man, and is telling us, that we cannot dwell on the way things might have been if we had not become a Christian.   We are called to accept the call with the understanding that sacrifices will have to be made.

These three situations in our Gospel reading convey the difference between being interested in becoming a follower of Jesus Christ and being ready to make the commitment to follow him.  The different between interest and commitment is the degree to which we will follow through and how much inconvenience or sacrifice we are willing to make in order to make something happen.

The same can be true of us.  Sometimes we want a less demanding religion, a convenience store Christianity, if you will, where we can choose from a smorgasbord of religious beliefs and practices.  Robert Bellah, in his book, The Good Society, states that religion in America has become in many instances another consumer good.  “Consumer Christians” shop for the church that is most convenient for their needs and switch as casually as they change brands of dishwasher detergent, if they think that they can get a better package deal elsewhere.

Jesus is not calling us to a convenient religion.  He is calling us to a fundamental transformation of our lives – one that involves commitment and sacrifice.   He wants first place in our lives, so that we will always be looking forward to cross and its victory, which leads us into the kingdom of God.

Return to Sermon Page