The Parable Of The Fox, The Funeral And The Furrow
“A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing
and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”
(Martin Luther)
A Different Breed
America Under Attack – America At War – Siege On America – The Day That Shook America – The Day The U.S. Stood Still, these and other similar titles have blanketed the TV, radio and print media for the past several weeks. The hijacking and destruction of four jetliners, the complete destruction of the World Trade Towers, the partial destruction of the Pentagon and more importantly, a death toll of about 5000 people, will forever be burned into the hearts and minds of both Americans and Canadians. Indeed, this was America’s Pearl Harbour of the 21st century.
In the midst of this terror on America, I, like many of you, witnessed something incredible. We witnessed the bravery and commitment of New York City emergency workers: fire, police and EMS technicians. Hundreds of these courageous men and women entered the burning World Trade Towers to evacuate people. When the titanic-like towers collapsed, 300 firefighters, 70 police officers and an unknown number of EMS technicians perished. In Time magazine these words were printed, “On a normal day, we value heroism because it is uncommon. On September 11, we valued heroism because it was everywhere (Sept. 12th – online).”
People Weekly magazine quoted one New Yorker as saying of the firefighters, “They’re a different breed. You’ve been taught to run out of a burning building. They’re taught to run in (Sept. 24th).” On September 11th, some 370 emergency workers of New York made the supreme sacrifice in order to save others from injury and death. They had no second thoughts about their task or allegiance to the cause – for them there was no turning back. They had long ago made a commitment to rescue others and that fateful September morning they sealed it with their very lives. They are looked upon today as the valiant white knights of America. They are heralded as the “new princes of the city – a new breed of hero (People Weekly – Oct. 12th).”
All For Jesus
The Bible speaks about heroes: heroes not of fire fighting or policing, but rather heroes of faith. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab and David are just a few of those commended in the New Testament book of Hebrews for their great faith – heroes in the sight of God (Hebrews 11). Among these champions of faith are Christians who are un-named but included – people who faced persecution and death for the sake and purposes of Christ.
Like the emergency workers of New York – committed to the cause of bodily rescue, even to the point of death, these Christians were committed to the cause of spiritual rescue. Their commitment also often resulted in death. They, like the New York City firefighters, were a different breed. They too had stood resolute in their allegiance and commitment to their cause - serving Christ.
The Bible declares that those who choose to follow Jesus today are also to do so without hesitation or reservation. Absolute loyalty is to be the norm, not the exception. Christians are to live by the motto which banners Mary D. James’ hymn – “All For Jesus.” To be a Christian is to commit, without wavering, to the work of the kingdom of God. Kingdom priorities become our priorities – Jesus’ priorities become our priorities. “Discipleship means nothing less than being ready to obey Christ as unconditionally as the first disciples,” writes Brennan Manning the author of The Signature Of Jesus.
The Fox, The Funeral And The Furrow
The Gospel of Luke 9:57-62 will receive our attention this morning. In these six verses, Jesus spells out the depth of commitment He expects from followers. He is looking for a different breed of disciple, one who after committing himself to the cause will not harbor second thoughts about it.
“As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me. "But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:57-62).
On His way to Jerusalem Jesus is approached in some fashion by three potential disciples. What seems striking is the response He gives to each of these candidates. The Lord’s reply to each volunteer, so-to-speak, makes one ask the question, “What does the Lord expect of those who seek to follow Him?” For He seems to turn away more would be disciples than He takes on. In the end, however, we’ll discover that being a disciple of Jesus involves being, as was said of the New York firefighters, a ‘different breed’.
The first man told Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
What’s wrong with this first would-be disciple’s commitment; sounds pretty significant to me? We can’t tell what was truly in this man’s heart; what the motive was behind his expression of loyalty, but Jesus did. There was something about this would-be disciple’s desire to follow the Lord that caused the Lord to challenge Him… “You say you want to follow me, but do you know what that will cost you? Do you know what that will involve?"
A National Post / Compass poll last week noted that 81% of Canadians support a military alliance against terrorism. Asked if they would personally serve in the military if called too, 71% said yes (Sept. 20th – online). When I read these figures I wondered, did these people really understand the full commitment and cost of such a claim. It is easy to shout “count-me-in” from the comfort of our family room sofa in a land of peace and prosperity. We know so little about terrorism or about the culture and actions of countries like Afghanistan who harbor it. Yet, we have seven out of ten Canadians stating that they would answer the call to war. Do they truly understand the sacrifice? Have they seriously contemplated the cost?
Norman Hillmer, a professor of history who teaches foreign policy and defense at Carleton University in Ottawa gives all Canadians a stern admonition when he states, “We are much quicker with our words than we are with our deeds (Sept. 20th – online).” Did Jesus see in this would-be disciple a person who was much quicker with his words than with his deeds?
To follow Jesus meant a life that would be no better off than that of beasts: foxes and birds. Did this would-be disciple know this? A follower of Jesus entails a degree of separation and isolation from the world. Following Jesus means, as the Apostle Peter put it, being “strangers in the world (1 Peter 1:1)”. Why? Because Jesus calls us to new priorities, new values and new ways of daily living in stark contrast to this world.
Jesus was on His way to His own execution in Jerusalem. The way of Christ was the way of the cross. The way of Christ entailed suffering and persecution. Such is the case for many believers today. Just this past July in Indonesia, for example, 60 Christians were wounded when bombs exploded during a morning service. Two members of the church lost their legs because of the explosion. In Nigeria, again in July, twenty-five churches were burnt to the ground and eleven demolished by those opposed to Christianity (www.worldevangelical.org). In August of this year, eight workers with the foreign relief agency Shelter Now International serving in Afghanistan were arrested and are still in jail. Their crime? Sharing their faith in Christ with others. The Taliban penalty for their crime? Death.
There is a cost for following Jesus. Rejection is a part of it. We in North America have not truly experienced the hardship side of discipleship. I believe, however, our time will come. Did this would-be disciple know that he was following a rejected leader? Will we follow Jesus unconditionally – sacrificing comfort, security, health and even life? Jesus expects nothing less. The cross is not only our symbol of salvation; it is also to be the pattern for our lives (Manning).
The fifteenth-century mystic Meister Eckhart wrote, “There are plenty of Christians to follow the Lord halfway, but not the other half.” Perhaps this ‘half-way’ spirit is what Jesus saw in this first would-be disciple’s eyes.
The second would-be disciple, after being invited by the Lord to follow Him replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Students of the Bible are divided as to whether this would-be disciple’s father had literally died and subsequently, wanted to attend to his funeral or whether he was using a traditional form of speech, a Semitic idiom of the time, whereby he was telling the Lord that he wanted to care for his father until his father’s actual death. Both the burying of one’s father and the care of one’s father until death were highly held traditional practices which were never to be violated. Doing so would bring shame upon the family member. Either way Jesus counsels him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
The first part of Jesus’ response, “"Let the dead bury their own dead,” is a unique and rare expression that have students of the Bible interpreting various meanings. Rather than spend considerable time defining these variations, I invite us to instead understand Jesus’ inherent counsel to this would-be disciple. In short, following Jesus means that He is the first priority in our lives, even above family and cultural loyalties and expectations. Jesus was not prescribing rejection of the needs of loved ones or attending the funerals of one’s parents. His counsel was simply, “If you want to follow me, I have to be your first priority.”
Jesus does not accept second place. Proclaiming the kingdom of God – the good news of Jesus Christ for us today, demands our allegiance above all other commitments in this world. Sounds pretty radical doesn’t it? The life Jesus calls us to is to be radical. We are to be a different breed in this world – a community of people whose number one mission is to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, whether in words or deeds.
Jesus Himself said on another occasion that if anyone came to Him and loved his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life, more than Him--he could not be His disciple (Luke 14:26). Jesus must have first priority.
The third would-be disciple said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
To say good-bye to one’s family in the culture of the time meant asking one’s father for permission, in this case, to follow Jesus. The father’s authority was supreme in the Eastern tradition – he would always have the final say.
This would-be disciple wanted to get dad’s ok before following the Lord. Jesus, however, accepts no higher authority. Loyalty to him was far above loyalty to one’s father or any cultural family traditions. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." No one can plow a straight furrow in the soil by looking back. We can’t whole-heartedly live for Jesus with constant second thoughts and reservations.
Soul Satisfaction
But what of the benefits? Why should Christ be our first and utmost priority? There’s an old saying that goes, “There’s no satisfaction like soul satisfaction.” Unwavering commitment to Jesus Christ will reap for us such satisfaction. That’s in part the reward – the blessing so-to-speak. Following Christ whole-heartedly means we will impact people for God in more powerful ways than we could ever have imagined. That’s the reward. That’s the blessing. If Christ is our utmost priority we are in for an adventure of a lifetime! There’s no roller-coaster on this planet that can give us a thrill like being a Christian 100% in love with Christ and on fire for Him! And when our ride with Christ on earth runs out, the fringe benefits get even better – they are indeed out of this world. Heaven is the reward.
That’s why Paul could proclaim, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).”
Is it easy? No way! Will I need to sacrifice things in my life? You bet! Will I suffer? Maybe. Here’s a word from Scripture to encourage you: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Will we at times falter in our quest with Christ? Yes. Will our decision to make Jesus number one in our lives fall short at times? Yes. I remember how my own commitment to serve Christ wholeheartedly suffered failure at times. The tragedy is not that we occasionally fail in making Jesus our priority; the tragedy is not getting back on our feet after such a failure with an even deeper zest for allegiance and service to the Lord.
I empower you all to live for Christ without reservation, hesitation, vacillation, indecision or fluctuation. Live for Jesus with determination, resolution, perseverance and fortitude. With the help of the Holy Spirit in you, the Word of God to guide you and a determined fixing of your eyes on Jesus, this is possible….even for me.
No Turning Back
People Weekly magazine put into words a reality we presently see taking place all across the United States because of the terrorist attacks – a “resurrection of the American spirit (People Weekly – Oct. 1st)”. As a pastor, my prayer is that we would witness in churches across America and the world, even here in our midst, a resurrection of commitment and total surrender to Jesus Christ.
On the campus of David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, a tall wooden cross was erected following the terrorist attack on America. Written in bold red letters on this cross were the words “I surrender all” (“Prayer & Hope.” The Day That Changed America. Vol. 2, No. 3; 88-97). That’s the message of Jesus’ parable here in Luke 9 – things, tradition, cultural expectations and even family – all should be surrendered for the sake of Christ Jesus. No second thoughts, no looking back.
Are you fit for service in the kingdom? One must indeed be of a “different breed”. For following Jesus is not about harboring second thoughts, it’s about a heart and spirit that boldly declares, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back (hymn).”
