Christ Episcopal Church
September 8, 2013
18 Proper C
When Jesus begins dispensing common sense, I get suspicious. Jesus is not the wise grandparent who tells us not to cry over spilt milt, or who urges us to save for a rainy day. Jesus is not a Benjamin Franklin type who says things like "A penny saved is a penny earned," which, in truth, Ben Franklin probably never said. Jesus says things like "the last shall be first and the first shall be last" when we all know full well where the first and last seems to wind up. Or Jesus says "those who save their life will lose it and those who lose their life for my sake will save it." Or Jesus says "blessed are the poor," or "turn the other cheek," or Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who hurt us. Those are the kinds of counter intuitive things Jesus says. But today we hear Jesus say "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether or not you have enough to complete it?" We also hear Jesus say "Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not first sit down and see whether or not he can win the war?" When Jesus starts offering common sense pearls of wisdom, we can be sure that there is a trick up his sleeve.
This morning, Jesus’ pearls of common sense are actually buried between two very difficult teachings about discipleship. "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brother and sisters, and even life itself cannot be my disciples" comes first, then "So, therefore, none of you can become my disciples if you do not give up all your possessions." What do building a tower or waging war have to do with hating all our relatives and giving up all our possessions?
Interestingly, in order to build a tower, one must have resources. Money is needed to buy building materials and pay workers. Workers work best when they are appreciated, not hated. In order to wage war, money and materials are also needed, along with people. So, on the one hand, Jesus is telling us that in order to be his disciple we must hate all our relatives and give up all our possessions, and on the other hand, Jesus is telling us to make sure we have what we need to carry the cross of Christ just as we would make sure we have what we need to build a tower or go to war. Can Jesus really have this both ways?
Actually, yes, in the paradox of the gospel Jesus can have this both ways. To carry the cross of Jesus, which is what Jesus requires of his disciples, is to put all our trust in Jesus. The answer to "what do we need in order to follow Jesus" is simple: Jesus. Jesus is the sum total of all we need to be Jesus’ disciple. As wonderful as relationships can be, and as useful or enjoyable as our material possessions might be, they are unnecessary for following Jesus. Counting the cost of following Jesus means looking at the people and things in our lives and saying "I follow Jesus, not you." And "I care what Jesus thinks, not you." Does that mean we have to literally hate our relatives and give away everything we own to follow Jesus? And, quite frankly, in some ways following Jesus would be easier if we had no people or possessions in our lives. We wouldn’t have to worry about what our boss thinks, or the coach, or the neighbors. We wouldn’t have to worry about working to pay our mortgage when considering how we follow Jesus. The reality of our lives, however, is that we are blessed with relatives and friends who we love and resources that we can use to make a difference for the good in our community. But Jesus does mean to be clear that 1) Nothing, no human relationship, no specific thing, and no manner of external resources, nothing is required to follow Jesus except to pick up the cross of Christ and get going. And 2) If we have relationships, things or resources, we are only to follow Jesus, not our stuff.
Jesus is demanding. We like the approval of other people. We come to church to be in a particular kind of relationship with other people on the Christian journey. Jesus says "Fine. Just make sure you follow me, not them." We also like our props. We are Episcopalians. We like our crosses and candles and beautiful vestments and silver. Jesus says "Fine. Just make sure you follow me, not them." And together with each other and the Holy Spirit, we do much good in the community with the resources we have. Jesus says "Fine. Just make sure you are trusting me, not them." Following Jesus means being willing to take risks for the gospel despite what others might think, and trusting Jesus rather than any other person or thing. Following Jesus means following Jesus.
Amen.
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