The Value of Following Jesus
Proper 18
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Luke14:25-33
The image or
metaphor that Jeremiah presents in today’s Old Testament reading is a rich and
powerful one. God as potter. God as artist, creator, shaping and
reshaping God’s people as the clay.
Although Jeremiah manages to make it sound like a threat, it is a
wonderfully hopeful image. As one
commentator said, in this image we are not finished yet, not fired, not
brittle. God’s creative work in us
continues, shaping us for good, as Jeremiah says.
As most of you
know, I’ve been preaching from the Old Testament prophets recently. Remember that image of God, the
potter. But today I want to spend
some time with this difficult Gospel passage.
What was Jesus
thinking?!! What was he
doing? Trying to run people
off? Trying to turn people away?
Or trying to
turn the Jesus movement into some sort of Army ranger unit where only a tough,
select few are included?
Jesus says: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my
disciple.”
Today’s passage
concludes with Jesus’ words: “None
of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”
Maybe he was just
trying to get people’s attention? More
than one commentator thinks that Jesus’ words are hyperbole.
The
definition of hyperbole is: an extravagant
statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken
literally… a
deliberate exaggeration used for
effect.
(It’s good to be able to recognize hyperbole
during an election cycle…)
Hyperbole. An extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken
literally… a
deliberate exaggeration used for
effect. In an effort to get peoples’ attention.
And some of the hyperbole may be Luke’s. The comments in my annotated Bible on
this passage say: “Hate is used in
vigorous, vivid hyperbole, the parallel passage in Matthew reflects Jesus’
meaning.” The parallel passage
describing this same event in Matthew isn’t exactly easy, but it’s not as harsh
as Luke. In Matthew, Jesus says: “Whoever loves father or mother more than
me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me.” Whoever loves
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me versus whoever does not hate
father and mother cannot be my disciple…
Discipleship is
the topic in both of these passages.
Being a disciple of Jesus.
Following Jesus. I don’t
know what sort of connotations discipleship may have for you, but take a step
back and think about what it really means. It means sharing Jesus’ life. Being with Jesus.
Having some part of the relationship he has of being one with God. Walking with him, yes, towards the
cross. But sharing the journey of
transformation and resurrection beyond the cross. Sharing Jesus’ life.
These passages
in Luke and Matthew are often titled “The Cost of Discipleship.” That’s very misleading. It implies that there is a cost to be
paid to acquire discipleship.
Discipleship is not a commodity that can be bought. Nor is it an Army ranger unit where
only the strongest, the best, the richest, the smartest… can succeed. Yes, discipleship is not fluff, a
casual hobby to be picked up from time to time… That is undoubtedly part of Jesus’ message. That discipleship is serious business
and that’s a message we need to hear, too. But don’t ever fall into thinking… if I only pay enough, or if only I
sacrifice enough, I can purchase the prize. There is no assigned cost that we must muster, small or
large, for the purchase of discipleship.
If these
passages aren’t about outlining the cost
of discipleship, what are they about? As I reflected on the Gospel this week I was thinking
about the risk of discipleship. What are the risks of becoming a
disciple of Christ? It was the
examples that Jesus gives in Luke’s version that raise that question for me. The builder who can’t complete the
tower and faces ridicule. The king
who faces certain defeat in battle.
Is it about being mindful of the risks of discipleship?
That is
definitely a question worth pondering….
What are we willing to risk to be Jesus’ disciples? But it’s an odd message for Jesus. I have to think it’s not Jesus’ main
point. Don’t begin this journey of
discipleship if you can’t finish it??
Don’t follow me if you can’t bear the risk?? It’s so contrary to Jesus’ message elsewhere.
For me, the best
way to think about these passages is about the value of discipleship.
The value of being disciples of Christ. Value and cost are very different things, as you know. That’s true throughout our lives. Jesus is talking about the value of
discipleship. And he challenges us
to acknowledge that we don’t recognize the value of following him.
So to get us to
think about the value of discipleship, Jesus talks about other things that we do value.
If we value
mother or children more than discipleship, the solution is not to love family
less. The issue is to ask why we
don’t love Jesus more. If we value our family relationships,
why do we so little value our relationship with Jesus?
If we value our
reputation, our success, our image, so much that we will do anything not to
risk or lose them, then we don’t recognize the value of sharing our lives with
Jesus in everything we do.
If we cannot
imagine anything more valuable than all of our possessions, then we don’t
recognize the true value of being disciples of Christ.
It’s good news,
amazing news, to think that Jesus offers us something as valuable as
discipleship, as the opportunity to share his life with him.
Let us pray that
God, the potter, will continue to re-shape our eyes and our hearts and our
minds so that we will recognize the true value of being disciples of Christ.
