Jesus First. Jesus Only. Jesus Forever
Readings: Wisdom 9:13-18b; Philemon 9-10:12-17; Luke 14:25-33
For more than 10 weeks now we’ve been walking with Jesus as He makes His way to Jerusalem, where He will ultimately lay down His life for the salvation of the world. Each Sunday, as we’ve heard the continuous proclamation of the Gospel of St. Luke, we’ve been invited to join Jesus and His disciples in their pilgrimage. And it is in the course of that journey, through parables and direct teachings, Jesus tells His disciples – and us – the meaning of authentic discipleship, the qualities and expectations of being one of His disciples.
For example, just this summer, in our gospel readings, we’ve heard Jesus say things like:
- “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” And when He said that, He taught that a disciple must make a firm and irrevocable decision to be with Him.
- We also heard on another Sunday this summer Jesus instruct his disciples to “carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals.” Through this, he tried to get across that a disciple must rely totally on God.
- A few weeks ago, when we heard Jesus say, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find.” He meant that a disciple is a person of faithful and persevering prayer.
- Still another week, we heard the Parable of the Good Samaritan in which Jesus emphasized that a disciple must practice charity toward his neighbor.
- And to Martha, who complained that she was left with all the work to do while her sister, Mary, sat at Jesus feet listening to Him teach, we heard Jesus say that “Mary has chosen the better part”, that a disciple is one who listens attentively to the voice of God.
Then we come to today’s gospel. To his disciples and the great crowd that gathered with them, Jesus now reveals the cost of true discipleship: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple . . . Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple . . . anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
Difficult and startling words! But the fact of the matter is that Jesus is calling us to be more than just his followers; He calls us to be His disciples. It’s easy to be a follower. It doesn’t really involve any serious accountability. Followers may easily change their allegiance to the leader if his message isn’t what they expect. Followers are opportunists. Their attitude is "What's in it for me?" But on the other hand, being a true disciple involves a serious commitment, a total dedication to the message, as well as to the messenger. A disciple is faithful and loyal. A disciple has a profound sense of obedience. A disciple has a desire to learn as much as he can from his teacher.
Is it possible to be just a follower of Jesus without really being his disciple? Sure. They’re the ones who may claim to be Catholics because they’ve been baptized from birth, but in reality, they have no commitment to Jesus, nor his Church. Others may go to Church occasionally whenever it feels good. But that’s called convenience not commitment. Still others boast about being followers of Jesus, yet they have nothing to do with him when his teachings or the teachings of the Church contradict the way they live their lives. The problem is this: one cannot be a part-time or sometimes disciple. We cannot follow Jesus only when it’s convenient and doesn’t demand very much from us.
God wants me. And God wants you. And he doesn't just want a bit of us. He wants all of us. Jesus lays it on the line for us: Living the Gospel means total and absolute surrender to God. He calls forth from His disciples the same love, the same obedience, the same single-hearted dedication that He has for His Father. And His words, "Unless you turn your back on father or mother, wife or children, brother or sister, and your very selves you cannot be my follower" shouldn’t really shock us because we all know that love demands a total claim upon the Beloved.
Those of you who are married are so aware of this. You know that you can’t expect your marriage to grow if you hold back part of yourselves from each other. When you first considered how serious of a relationship you could establish with that girl or guy you felt so attracted to, you asked yourself, "Is this someone whom I can give myself to? Will he or she accept me as I am? Can I accept him or her totally as she or he is? Indeed the success of the marriage is directly proportional to the capability of the couple to enter into intimacy, to their ability to give and to share with each other. Love claims the Beloved, totally.
And as true as this is in every relationship of love, this truth reaches its perfection in the relationship with the One who is Love Incarnate, with our Lord Jesus Christ. He has given himself totally to us. And for our relationship with Him to flourish, we have to accept his gift of himself and give ourselves totally to him. This relationship with the Lord must supersede all other relationships: family, friends, and even ourselves. The relationship with Jesus demands living His life and even following Him in sacrifice by denying ourselves and taking up life’s crosses.
We are in a love relationship with Jesus. Sometimes we forget this. We treat religion as an obligation rather than as an action of love. But like all relationships, we have to work hard for the relationship to succeed. We have to make time for our Loved One. We have to seek his presence in the community where we receive his intimacy in the sacraments. We have to seek his presence in our homes where we unite his presence to the intimacy of our family. And, as in all valued relationships, we have to protect the relationship from anything that would diminish its intensity. That's why we have to avoid sin and the occasion of sin. Our Christian morality isn’t a way of life to keep God happy. He doesn't need that. He's perfectly happy. Our Christian morality is a way of life to keep ourselves happy. We grow in the intensity of His love when we fight off anything that destroys or diminishes this love.
The Eucharist that we are privileged to celebrate today nourishes and strengthens us for our “journey to Jerusalem”. It is here, through Word and Sacrament that we are empowered by Christ Himself to give up everything, take up our crosses and follow him. Participating in this holy meal means that we are of one mind and one heart with Him, and that we submit our will to God's will in all things. That is the cost of becoming and remaining a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus first. Jesus only. Jesus forever.
