I love preaching through the life of Jesus. There is something about his teachings and the things that he did that just stretches me again and again. Any time I start to think I have it all figured out, I just need to take another look at Jesus, and I know there are more wonders still ahead for me.
And because Jesus was so amazing you would think that everybody who had a chance to actually meet him and listen to his teaching and see the wonderful things he did would be deeply changed by it. Anyone who met him would never be the same. But it didn’t happen that way. In fact, there were days that he didn’t have very many followers at all. And there were some very religious people who were very interested in him, who traveled long distances to see him, but who weren’t impressed. And they saw the love and the miracles and they heard the words of grace and wisdom, but it didn’t sink in.
In today’s text Jesus gives an explanation for what went wrong. And it is a warning for all times and places for everyone who hears the good news about Jesus. Be careful how you hear so that it really can do you some good.
One day John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus a question. Jesus answered it graciously and they went on their way back to John. And then Jesus turned to the crowd and talked about John to them. He really honored John the Baptist. And then he pointed out that there were people who had heard the preaching of John the Baptist and now they had heard the teaching of Jesus, and in spite of sitting under the ministry of these two great leaders, nothing sunk in.
Our text for this morning is Luke 7:31-35. I encourage you to open up your Bible so that you can see it for yourself. Its on page 66 of the New Testament section of your pew Bible. Now please stand for the reading of God’s word.
31 "To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.' 33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon'; 34 the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35 Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
Is it possible that someone could actually get to meet both John the Baptist and Jesus, hear their teachings, look into their eyes, see how other people were changed, see the amazing lives they lived, and not be changed themselves? Yes it is! Lot’s of people did it. They saw John the Baptist preach to huge crowds and heard him preach. They saw Jesus heal the sick, feed thousands and they heard him do amazing teachings. But they just turned away and went on with their lives.
And Jesus doesn’t really say it out and out, but from the context of things around this, the people who couldn’t find anything to change their lives in either John the Baptist or Jesus Christ were not bad people or stupid people. They were good religious people, very religious people.
And as religious and as smart as they may have been, they didn’t use their religious knowledge or their intelligence for working out new lives. They used their Bible knowledge and their intelligence to make up excuses to just keep on doing what they always did, to keep right on walking down the comfortable road, rather than the difficult road of discipleship.
And what was their problem with John the Baptist? They said he was too serious. He lived out in the wilderness, where it was uncivilized. He wouldn’t even drink wine, and everyone drank wine then. He had the cheapest clothes, like only really hard-up people would wear. He didn’t eat very nice food. He just foraged for what you could find in the wilderness, things like locusts and wild honey. Gross! And, they liked people who were civilized, who appreciated the finer things of life that God has given us to enjoy.
So, they had their excuse for not listening to John. He must be demon possessed or something if he’s that different.
So, if God sent them a great teacher who just ate and drank like everyone else, would they be satisfied? No, Jesus came and he spent a lot of time visiting in people’s homes and there was so much joy around him that people often invited their friends to come for a banquet and eat some really good dinners and meet him. Jesus was really different than John.
So, did these people listen to Jesus? No. They just came up with another excuse. Now they said they wanted someone who was holier, who didn’t hang around with the party crowd.
They were so smart that they could find fault with even John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And because they lived by making excuses rather than taking steps to change their lives, they actually missed out when God himself came to earth and walked in human form. God was moving. And they missed it.
People wouldn’t make that same mistake today, would they? Could good religious people do such a thing today? Could it be that God speaks to his people today to do something new and wonderful and all he gets back are excuses?
Have you ever heard excuses for doing nothing in the church? What excuses have you heard? There’s a good project that we can do for God, and what excuses might come up?
We can’t afford it.
We don’t know how.
We don’t have time.
We never did it that way before.
I did an Internet search using the key word excuses this week and one of the first hits was a web site by someone named Steve Pavlina. I don’t know who he is, but he said some good things about excuses.
He said that one of the first steps you need to take to grow as a person is to stop making excuses. Too often we just don’t want to change. So, we think that throwing up an excuse, any excuse helps us to hide from the truth when we don’t want to change. Has that ever happened in your mind? I know it’s happened in me.
And of course there are many very real obstacles out there. Any time you really want to become a different person or live a different life there will be major obstacles out there. But don’t sell yourself short be making those obstacles bigger than they need to be. As big as those obstacles may be, are they bigger than God?
Pavlina picked out what he said were the three most common excuses.
“I don’t have enough time.” Have you heard that one before? It’s true that we are one of the busiest cultures in all of human history. But my watch ticks off 24 hours for me every day. Each hour has 60 minutes. Doesn’t yours do the same? We all have the same amount of time as each other. We all have the same amount of time as our grandparents. The problem is that we try to squeeze too many things into those 24 hours. And the solution is that we just need to weed out some of our activities that waste that precious time.
What are some of the time wasters that really could go? Or at least be trimmed back a bit? TV, talking on the phone, surfing the Internet, idle chatting. If someone offered you a million dollars to go without TV for a week, could you do it? Then why can’t we do it when God offers us a whole new life?
We don’t want to change. So, we make excuses.
The second excuse that he picked out was “I don’t know how.” Have you ever heard that one? “I can’t do that.”
The reality is that we have all learned many things. Adults have learned to drive, learned to cook at least some foods. We have learned to make polite conversation. We have learned a profession or a trade. We have learned to care for our bodies. We have learned how to take the bus or the Metra. We are learning about next year’s presidential candidates. There are thousands of things we have learned. Why do we stop and say, “I can’t” when it comes to learning about God?
We are surrounded by opportunities to learn. There are books on how to do pretty much anything worthwhile. We have amazing libraries in every city. You can buy your own copy. You can search the Internet and find information you need on pretty much anything. For the things of God we have the most amazing training manual, the Bible, which tells us over and over what lives looked like as people decided to respond to God’s call and step out in faith. And we have the Holy Spirit, who guides us into situations and challenges that are the best source of learning of all. We pastors are always dying to put together groups of people who want to learn God’s ways. We have all the learning resources we need. So, when we say, “I don’t know how,” could it be that what we really mean is, “I don’t want to make the effort.”
And the third common excuse is, “I don’t have the money.” Of all the people in the history of the human race, we have more money than any other generation. All too often the problem is that we are bombarded with so many good things we could spend our money on that there is nothing left for the best things in life.
And for most of us there really is room in our budgets to cut a little bit here or there. Many of us have some things of value that could be sold off, or could take some extra hours at work. If we all chip in something together there are lots of things who knows what things we could accomplish.
Every time we give in to easy excuses we are diminished. Every time we take a step of faith, following in the footsteps of Jesus, he stretches us and makes us into more than we ever had dared to hope we could be.
Our passage ends with Jesus’ statement that “Wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” Sure, let the armchair critics complain. They’ll find fault no matter what. But those who really commit to the wisdom of God, with the open and accepting attitudes of children, will see God’s wisdom vindicated.
And if there is anyone who attacks the problems of the world with hope and with energy it should be we who follow Jesus. Just think of the high calling we have, to bring the world to Christ. Think of who it is that is calling us, the God who created all things, who knows all things, who sends his Spirit to live inside us and be with us every day.
Every one of us will face the temptation this week to say no to God and offer a lame excuse for not obeying. When that moment comes, dare to trust that where God guides, he will provide. Dare to trust that God has good things for you to learn. Dare to believe that he will use you to make a real difference for someone. Dare to say yes to God, no excuses allowed. If this is your voice speaking to me, I trust that you will show me a way.
I picked out a few verses to encourage us to dare to say yes when God calls and put them into a litany. It’s printed in your bulletin. I invite you to join me in making it your response to God’s word today.
LITANY OF COMMITMENT
ONE: Lord, we confess that we have often chosen to take the easy path of disobedience and tried to cover it up with an excuse.
ALL: Lord, have mercy upon us and forgive us.
ONE: Lord, we confess that we have often given in to fear rather than trusting in your promise to Joshua:
ALL: I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
ONE: Lord, we confess that we have withheld our obedience from you because we didn’t trust in your provision. We forgot your promise to your disciples:
ALL: Do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?... 'But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31, 33)
ONE: Lord, we confess that we have failed to follow you because we just didn’t want to risk the discomfort to our bodies of going out to serve you when it was easier to stay in. Help us to remember the discipline that is an essential part of being your disciple.
ALL: Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24)
ONE: Lord, but above all these things we say now that you are our Lord and we will find our hope and fulfillment in serving you. Help us to lay aside every fear, all self-centeredness and all laziness and serve you as you deserve.
ALL: Yes, you are our Lord and King. We commit ourselves to say, “yes” to every time you call. AMEN
