1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62
In the English language there is a word that is very small, yet very powerful. It’s only three letters and its power lies in its ability to negate everything that has preceded it. The word is: “BUT.” You know what I mean:
“I’d like to spend more time with the family BUT I’m just much too busy at work.”
“I know you can get cancer from smoking cigarettes, BUT you have to die sometime.”
“We’d really love to hire you, BUT we found another person who seems a better match for our needs.”
“I’d like to go out with you, BUT I just don’t think you’re my type.”
“Yea, I know I smoke too much, drink too much, eat too much, BUT I’ve been really stressed lately.”
And here’s one of my favorites: “I’d love to go on a diet, BUT I just can’t lose weight . . . It’s a genetic thing.”
Good intentions. We always want to say the right thing . . . do the right thing. But sometimes the realization of what it will take to make our good intentions realities, smacks us in the face and stops us dead in our tracks.
In today’s gospel, Luke tells of a time when Jesus hears that small yet powerful word “but” from three potential followers. The first man’s “but” is unspoken, yet implied, after Jesus tells him the implications of being one of his disciples. Jesus invites a second man to follow him, and the man replies, “I will, but first let me go and bury my father.” And a third says, “Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say farewell to those at home.”
Today’s gospel is one of those few passages where we like to think that Jesus must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. His words seem stern, harsh, blunt, and unreasonable: “Foxes have their dens. The birds of the sky have their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” “Let the dead bury the dead.” “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” These are the “hard sayings” of Jesus – the things that seem so out of character from the loving, gentle, compassionate Jesus that we’re used to. The things that just don’t seem to make it onto needlepoint pillows, posters, and bumper stickers.
But, to really understand today’s gospel, we have to remove ourselves from our own culture and language and enter into the world of Jesus. For you see, in Jesus’ day, the Jews often referred to gentile nations as "birds of the air" and "fox" was a name by which they referred to King Herod. And so, for Jesus’ listeners, the birds were the Romans. The fox was their king. What Jesus is trying to get across is, “Discipleship involves risk. It might mean putting yourself at odds with the political and religious elite. If you just want to go with the flow, follow them. But be aware of the cost of following me.”
And the phrase "to bury one’s father" was a traditional phrase referring to the sacred duty of a son to remain at home and care for his parents until they were laid to rest respectfully. Then, and only then, can he consider other options. But what Jesus is saying is, “Me first! If you want to be my disciple, traditional family and societal expectations cannot come before me.”
In addition, our English translation of Luke 9 reads: “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family.” But an ancient Syriac translation reads this way, "Let me first explain my case to those in my house." What Jesus is trying to say is, “If you’re looking for the approval of the world – forget it.” “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Your reward will be great in heaven.”
So the good news is that Jesus’ words in today’s gospel aren’t as harsh as they first appear to be on the surface. But the bad news is that you can’t water down what Jesus is letting us know are the harsh realities of following him. We got a taste of that in last Sunday’s gospel when he said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
And Jesus’ realistic and straightforward exposé of what true discipleship means, continues today. In the beginning of today’s gospel, we hear that Jesus was “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” The implication is clear – he is aware of and accepts all that that journey to Jerusalem will entail: rejection, suffering, and death. And if that’s what being on the journey means for the Master, then if you want to follow him, you must necessarily open yourself up to the same possibilities. Discipleship involves sacrifice. And Jesus makes it utterly clear that following him does not mean that we live in a rose garden, exempt from the harsh realities of life. What it does mean is, that at times, our lives will be lived more in a Garden of Gethsemane, where, we too, will also have to face rejection, suffering, and death.
Are we “would-be followers” of Jesus? Are we like the first person in today’s gospel, willing to follow Jesus…as long as there are no risks? Are we like the second man, willing to follow Jesus…as soon as our other obligations and goals in life are fulfilled? Are we like the third person, willing to follow Jesus…as long as what we believe, what we say, and what we do is the recognizably acceptable ways of our society?
“I’d like to go to Mass every Sunday, BUT my kids have soccer games every Sunday morning.”
“Gee, I’d like to pray more, BUT I just don’t have the time . . . I’m much too busy.”
“I want to follow what Jesus taught. BUT this thing about chastity . . . get real - this is the 21st century!”
“Turn the other cheek? . . . Yea, I’ll forgive BUT I’ll never forget.”
“I love my neighbor like Jesus said. BUT I hate those Muslims . . . They’re all terrorists anyway.”
But . . . But . . . But! Well, here’s another “but” for you: BUT Jesus is honest, upfront and painfully blunt about the cost of discipleship. He laid it on the line for his Apostles. He laid it on the line for the three would-be disciples in today’s gospel. He lays it on the line for us: Discipleship is not a half-hearted thing. It’s an all or nothing at all proposition. There’s no compromise. There can be no strings attached if we say “yes” to Jesus.
What about us? Do we have what it takes? Are we really committed to Jesus? Or are we just nice people - long on good intentions, short on resolve. So what do you say? Let’s kick some “but” today, huh? Let’s kick the “buts” out of our faith life and commit ourselves totally and wholeheartedly to following Jesus.
“I know you can get cancer from smoking cigarettes, BUT you have to die sometime.”
“We’d really love to hire you, BUT we found another person who seems a better match for our needs.”
“I’d like to go out with you, BUT I just don’t think you’re my type.”
“Yea, I know I smoke too much, drink too much, eat too much, BUT I’ve been really stressed lately.”
And here’s one of my favorites: “I’d love to go on a diet, BUT I just can’t lose weight . . . It’s a genetic thing.”
Good intentions. We always want to say the right thing . . . do the right thing. But sometimes the realization of what it will take to make our good intentions realities, smacks us in the face and stops us dead in our tracks.
In today’s gospel, Luke tells of a time when Jesus hears that small yet powerful word “but” from three potential followers. The first man’s “but” is unspoken, yet implied, after Jesus tells him the implications of being one of his disciples. Jesus invites a second man to follow him, and the man replies, “I will, but first let me go and bury my father.” And a third says, “Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say farewell to those at home.”
Today’s gospel is one of those few passages where we like to think that Jesus must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. His words seem stern, harsh, blunt, and unreasonable: “Foxes have their dens. The birds of the sky have their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” “Let the dead bury the dead.” “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” These are the “hard sayings” of Jesus – the things that seem so out of character from the loving, gentle, compassionate Jesus that we’re used to. The things that just don’t seem to make it onto needlepoint pillows, posters, and bumper stickers.
But, to really understand today’s gospel, we have to remove ourselves from our own culture and language and enter into the world of Jesus. For you see, in Jesus’ day, the Jews often referred to gentile nations as "birds of the air" and "fox" was a name by which they referred to King Herod. And so, for Jesus’ listeners, the birds were the Romans. The fox was their king. What Jesus is trying to get across is, “Discipleship involves risk. It might mean putting yourself at odds with the political and religious elite. If you just want to go with the flow, follow them. But be aware of the cost of following me.”
And the phrase "to bury one’s father" was a traditional phrase referring to the sacred duty of a son to remain at home and care for his parents until they were laid to rest respectfully. Then, and only then, can he consider other options. But what Jesus is saying is, “Me first! If you want to be my disciple, traditional family and societal expectations cannot come before me.”
In addition, our English translation of Luke 9 reads: “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family.” But an ancient Syriac translation reads this way, "Let me first explain my case to those in my house." What Jesus is trying to say is, “If you’re looking for the approval of the world – forget it.” “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Your reward will be great in heaven.”
So the good news is that Jesus’ words in today’s gospel aren’t as harsh as they first appear to be on the surface. But the bad news is that you can’t water down what Jesus is letting us know are the harsh realities of following him. We got a taste of that in last Sunday’s gospel when he said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
And Jesus’ realistic and straightforward exposé of what true discipleship means, continues today. In the beginning of today’s gospel, we hear that Jesus was “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” The implication is clear – he is aware of and accepts all that that journey to Jerusalem will entail: rejection, suffering, and death. And if that’s what being on the journey means for the Master, then if you want to follow him, you must necessarily open yourself up to the same possibilities. Discipleship involves sacrifice. And Jesus makes it utterly clear that following him does not mean that we live in a rose garden, exempt from the harsh realities of life. What it does mean is, that at times, our lives will be lived more in a Garden of Gethsemane, where, we too, will also have to face rejection, suffering, and death.
Are we “would-be followers” of Jesus? Are we like the first person in today’s gospel, willing to follow Jesus…as long as there are no risks? Are we like the second man, willing to follow Jesus…as soon as our other obligations and goals in life are fulfilled? Are we like the third person, willing to follow Jesus…as long as what we believe, what we say, and what we do is the recognizably acceptable ways of our society?
“I’d like to go to Mass every Sunday, BUT my kids have soccer games every Sunday morning.”
“Gee, I’d like to pray more, BUT I just don’t have the time . . . I’m much too busy.”
“I want to follow what Jesus taught. BUT this thing about chastity . . . get real - this is the 21st century!”
“Turn the other cheek? . . . Yea, I’ll forgive BUT I’ll never forget.”
“I love my neighbor like Jesus said. BUT I hate those Muslims . . . They’re all terrorists anyway.”
But . . . But . . . But! Well, here’s another “but” for you: BUT Jesus is honest, upfront and painfully blunt about the cost of discipleship. He laid it on the line for his Apostles. He laid it on the line for the three would-be disciples in today’s gospel. He lays it on the line for us: Discipleship is not a half-hearted thing. It’s an all or nothing at all proposition. There’s no compromise. There can be no strings attached if we say “yes” to Jesus.
What about us? Do we have what it takes? Are we really committed to Jesus? Or are we just nice people - long on good intentions, short on resolve. So what do you say? Let’s kick some “but” today, huh? Let’s kick the “buts” out of our faith life and commit ourselves totally and wholeheartedly to following Jesus.
