I’m guessing that if I were to ask everyone in this church their favorite Bible passage, I’d get a lot of different answers. I’d probably get some references to the Psalms. I’m sure I’d get plenty of verses from Romans, Ephesians, or another of Paul’s letters. There would probably be plenty of people pointing to various parts of Matthew and John. But I’m fairly confident that no one would say Luke 9:51-62.
That’s because our Gospel reading for today isn’t Jesus at his touchy-feely finest. It’s not Jesus as his most inspiring or uplifting. In fact, Jesus doesn’t seem all that friendly or inviting at all here. In fact, some might consider Jesus to be a bit of a jerk as he lays down some pretty convicting law. In three short encounters, Jesus lays out the true cost of discipleship. There’s no bargaining. No negotiation. Just the cost.
And make no mistake, the cost is great. First, give up any hope of a permanent home in this world. And second, give up any family ties you have on this earth.
High, demanding prices indeed. A man who came to Jesus said, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go." But Jesus replied, "The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” In effect, "Do you think it is easy to follow Me? I’m not going to a particular place where I’ll settle down. I’m not stopping somewhere to put down roots. No, I wander the earth, and when I die it will be as a homeless man. Are you ready for that kind of life?"
Why does Jesus make it so hard? Well, He doesn’t. Not really. But he doesn’t want anyone to try to be a disciple without first seeing how difficult it is. Being a disciple of Jesus isn’t a hobby. It’s not a recreational activity. It’s not a part-time pursuit for when it’s convenient for your schedule. No, being a disciple of Jesus means that Christ must always come first.
When you think about it, as a follower of Christ, this world can’t be your permanent home. This world is full of sin. Full of death. Your permanent home is in the new heavens and new earth that will be ushered in upon Christ’s return. Until that time that you dwell in the presence of the Almighty God, you have only places of temporary rest. Halfway houses or rest stops on the way to your eternal home.
More than that, as Christ's disciple you must put Him before the whole world. He should be everything to you. What is this world compared to the Lord? What is a nice house or a new car compared to the love of Jesus? What are the any of the riches and comforts of this temporary world compared to His glorious kingdom?
But human hearts are fickle things. As the saying goes, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. One moment your whole heart is yearning for Christ. The next moment, you are yearning for some earthly trinket or prize. The flashy allure of gold and silver idols captures our eyes. Though they may be physical idols, they don’t have to be. While these idols could be the newest and most tricked-out phone on the market, it could just as easily be the love of a friend or a sense of safety. But all love and all earthly safety must be set aside, and all your life put in constant danger for the sake of your Lord. Otherwise, he says, you are not worthy of Him.
Chances are that you’re already aware in your heart that you are not worthy of the Infinitely glorious Savior. That nothing about you deserves the love and attention of the Son of God. Though you must strive to count Him alone as your treasure, in honesty you must also confess that you have failed to do so. You have held idols in your heart that distract from true discipleship. And if Christ counted those things against you, you would not only be unworthy, but you would be cast away into eternal fire. Not a happy thought.
But what is a happy thought is knowing and believing that he won’t do that to you. That you have nothing to fear. It’s supremely reassuring to have the unshakeable hope that he has already stopped it from happening, and promises you eternal safety and rest.
Surely for such a promise, for such a gift, he is worthy of all that you have. In response, surely all should be laid at his feet in thankful offering. For being spared the fires of hell, what wouldn’t you be willing to sacrifice?
Would you be willing to sacrifice your job? Would you be willing to sacrifice your dance or sports team? What about your family? Would you be willing to sacrifice the love of your family for the love of Christ? Would you be willing to make yourself an outcast to them for the sake of following Him?
Scripture doesn’t hide the fact that if you follow the true faith, but your family does not, then there will be division between you. It may be very polite division. It might not. It may lead to open hostility. It might not. In many Muslim countries, if you converted to Christianity, your own family might put you to death. In America, you likely wouldn’t face that much hostility. But who knows what the future of this nation may bring?
There’s a common idea out there that Christ wants you to do anything and everything for your family. That family should be your first priority. But that’s not what He says or desires. Certainly you are called to love and cherish your families, but You must not sacrifice your faith for your them. If the choice must be made, then you must even surrender your ties with them for the sake of your Lord.
Hopefully God will never ask you to make that decision. Yet if we are to take his words here in Luke seriously, you must be ready to, even now, or you are not worthy of Him. How hard it surely is to sacrifice the love of your family, which you can see, for the love of Christ, which is hidden! For your flesh, like that of all men, is too easily swayed by earthly loves. Too easily, family, or even sports teams, can draw you away from worship, away from Bible Study, and thus away from Christ. What Christ demands is difficult, more than the flesh alone can achieve.
When a man came to Jesus, but wanted to delay his discipleship for the sake of his father's funeral, Christ rebuked him with harsh words. "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." Whatever the exact situation of the man, the point is clear: The kingdom of God and the preaching of the word are more important than anything.
Another man wanted to go and bid farewell to his family. Christ said that no one who looks backward is fit for the kingdom. The man would be always thinking of those he left behind, and yearning for those he loved.
Who could blame these men if they failed to follow Christ? Could you or I have done better than them? I doubt it. The demands that Christ makes go beyond our strength. They seem impossible and unrealistic. Yet that does not mean that you should simply ignore them. As a disciple, you must try and work with all your might for the Savior who gave His all for you. Truly, the cost of discipleship is great indeed.
But try as you might, you will fail. Guaranteed. The call of earthly loves, or the appeal of earthly comforts, will eventually get the better of you. Such is the life of a sinner. In your heart there cannot be perfect devotion for Christ until this sinful flesh is done away with in the new Creation. Until then, your discipleship cannot be anything other than flawed and weak.
But there is good news. There is hope for those of us who can never hope to live up to the standard that Christ sets. And that hope comes from the fact that Christ did meet that standard.
He is the One who fulfills all things for you. Who made you worthy by giving you His glory. Thanks be to God that our Lord Jesus Christ covered the cost of your discipleship. He paid the price so that you could be counted as a perfect disciple.
Jesus left the perfect House of His Father to become homeless and penniless. Though through Him all things had been brought into being, He lowered himself to be a servant so that you are lifted up on high. He made himself an outcast, being forsaken even by His Father so that you might be reconciled to Him. He suffered the fire of His Father's wrath so that you will live on in unending comfort and majesty forever.
Christ never looked back to heaven, yearning to return home rather than redeeming you. He kept on, straight and steady, as He set His face stubbornly, like rock, firm and unyielding, ever putting the mission of death and resurrection as the one and only goal of His life. He sacrificed all. He gave up all comfort, and embraced ultimate agony and torture.
So you are not a disciple because you have done enough. You have never done enough for Christ. You are His disciple because He has made you one. He did not simply show you the right path and expect you to follow it. No, He walked the path for you, and when He was done, declared you His perfect disciple.
What was the price of your discipleship? Well, to quote from Luther’s explanation of the 2nd article of the Apostles Creed, “He did this not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, so that I may be His own.”
Therefore, look in faith to your true home, the New Jerusalem, the new creation over which God will reign in glory forever. Look in faith to your new family, with the Church as your mother God as your Father. Into this family you have been adopted. Through the waters of Holy Baptism you have been brought into a household which will last forever.
God keep you in this faith until that day when worlds burn in fire, and the new creation is revealed. In His Name and to His glory. Amen.
