Jesus will not give you a convenient, comfortable message to preach this Sunday. But, because He fixed His gaze on the cross, He has called you to something greater than convenience.
Well, pastor, Jesus is really going to give you problems this week. The reading from Luke 9 finds Jesus speaking words of protection over political enemies, discouraging someone from following Him, and telling two people that His call on their lives takes priority over their families, even over the funeral of a man’s father. There you were, wanting to preach a Jesus who was comforting in the face of death, who focused on the family, who recruits the willing, and who establishes a strong national identity. After all, those are the sort of sermons that get you all the smiles and warm handshakes at the end of the service... and He will not give you any of it. Instead, He calls you to be a disciple and preach His word in all of its inconvenient demands. What is harder, He puts those inconvenient demands in your mouth, so they land in the ears of His baptized people.
That is just the way He is, though, is it not? Jesus is not all that interested in our convenience. He is certainly not interested in making us comfortable. What we find in our text today is that the call Jesus places upon His people is one which demands total allegiance. He will not give an inch to anything else that would seek to claim our hearts. What seem like the greatest of gifts (like our nation, the comforts of our daily bread, or even our family) can have the strongest attractions to our idol-seeking hearts.
When Jesus calls you to follow Him, that is when He baptizes you, He is simply making the claim on you as the God of the First Commandment: You shall fear, love, and trust Him above all else. The wonderful Methodist preacher, Will Willimon, in his delightful memoir Accidental Preacher, quotes a Canadian Lutheran who put it this way:
“The best part of being a Lutheran is baptism, when the Church just tells you who you are. I have spent my whole life trying to figure which path to take. So, at my baptism the Church doused me and said, ‘Here is who God meant you to be, this is the life you were created to live.’”[1]
Willimon says, “That we are not self-made implies we are God’s property, to be called for as God pleases.” [2]
This may be the hardest part of Jesus’ teaching for us in this reading. We must preach to our people, so they understand that they are baptized, which is to say, God’s property. God does not belong to them. He has not come to work for our national or cultural projects, especially when they are directed against our enemies. He does not put Himself out there as an option for us to follow when it is convenient. He will not take a backseat to our family or even to death. He is the Lord. He is the Lord who chose us. He is the Lord who calls us for His purposes. He is the Lord who gives Himself over to the Father’s will, not the will of His disciples.
We must preach to our people, so they understand that they are baptized, which is to say, God’s property. God does not belong to them.
We do not get to have the Jesus of our choice. Rather, Jesus baptizes us and makes us His own by His grace. This is the key, for though this text is hard to swallow, Jesus preaches all of these hard sayings with one thing in view: His gracious death on the cross for the salvation of the world, and for the salvation of your hearers.
As you preach from Jesus’ teaching this week, the last part needs to be emphasized. This narrative takes place at a very significant point in Luke’s Gospel. Arthur Just says that 9:51 is “the turning point in Luke’s gospel.”[3] It is here we find Jesus setting His face towards Jerusalem where He will carry out the salvation of the world. His eyes are set like flint (Isaiah 50:7) upon the cross He is about to endure. This cross He will suffer for the sins of the world and purchase forgiveness, life, and salvation with His own precious blood. That is His mission, and nothing will stop Him from accomplishing that salvation.
His forgiveness, life, and salvation are granted to us in our baptisms. There, Jesus gives us a new life where we are set free from sin, death, and the Devil. His claim on us saves us and is ultimate. Nothing, no matter how attractive, comfortable, or convenient, can come in the way of His love for us, nor should it come in the way of our faith towards Him. So, in our reading, Jesus addresses those attractive comforts and conveniences which sing a siren song to our faith to prevent us from giving in to their allurements.
For this sermon, I would suggest addressing Jesus four difficult statements head on. Proclaim the good news that all the baptized have received the salvation Christ has won on the cross and He alone is their Lord and redeemer. But then, show how even the good things of this world can become idols that get in the way of His call on our lives as His baptized disciples.
There are three strong idols Jesus addresses within the text. In themselves, they are all good things. But, when they get in the way of Jesus and His call upon us, they become idols:
Idol 1-National Pride (9:52-56)
When the Samaritan village rejected Jesus’ visitation, James and John wanted to call down fire on the village, but Jesus rebukes them. His is a kingdom where forgiveness reigns, even for those who are our enemies. You can talk about how national identity can become an idol that sets us against our political or national opponents, but how Christ died for them as much as for us. He calls us to proclaim forgiveness in His name, not judgment for our cause.
Idol 2-Personal Convenience (9:57-58)
A man comes to Jesus saying he is willing to follow Jesus anywhere, but Jesus is going to the cross. This man sounds like Peter who says he will die with Jesus, only to cower three times before the rooster crowed. Jesus tells Him the Son of Man has no place to lay His head, the head which will be crowned with thorns. He will not have the man follow Him on that man’s terms. Jesus remains Lord. He is not a choice to be made.
Jesus remains Lord. He is not a choice to be made.
Idol 3-Family Responsibility (9:59-62)
Third, Jesus calls a man to follow, but that man wants to do the “right thing” and bury his father first, but Jesus says the dead can bury the dead. This man is to proclaim the Kingdom of God. The man wants to deal with death. But, Jesus says, “You are not dead! I have called you. My call gives you life! Go, preach the new life that comes from the Kingdom!” Jesus will not stop for death.
Jesus also calls another man, but he wants to say goodbye to his family first. But, again, Jesus is not going to make this call convenient. When the Lord calls us, His call is ultimate and all the former relations in this world take a back seat. Nothing matters more than the Word Jesus proclaims over us.
Each of these statements from Jesus will be received as pretty harsh law, as they should! Jesus is not pulling punches here. Therefore, to deliver the Gospel, you will need to proclaim what Jesus gives with His call. He gives you a new community to be a part of in place of our national identity. He does not call you to convenience, but to a life where you will be conformed to His image. He promises a life greater than the one that leads to death so, when burying the dead, you can proclaim the resurrection. Finally, He calls you His brother and friend and draws you into the family of God.
No, Jesus will not give you a convenient, comfortable message to preach this Sunday. But, because He fixed His gaze on the cross, He has called you to something greater than convenience. He has called you to Himself!
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Luke 9:51-62.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Luke 9:51-62.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
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[1] Willimon, Will. Accidental Preacher: A Memoir. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2019. 53.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Just, Arthur A., Jr. Luke 9:51-24:53, Concordia Commentary. St. Louis: Concordia, 1997. 426-428.
