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"What It Takes"

Sermon by Dr. Greg Knox Jones
on Luke 14:25-33
given September 9, 2007

A few years ago, Jenny, a thirty-something friend of our daughter Grandison, received a crushing blow. Her mother’s doctor walked into her hospital room and told the two of them that Jenny’s mother had lung cancer. Jenny and her mom hugged each other with all their might as the tears flowed. Jenny’s mother bravely promised she would fight it as best she could. Jenny says that one of her first thoughts was “I could sure use a beer.” However, before that thought was even complete, another thought burst into her mind. “I need to change my life.” She needed to make changes in order to help her mom fight for her life, and she needed to make changes to save her own life as well.

At the time, Jenny had been grieving her grandmother’s death and realized that she had turned to food and alcohol to fill the empty feeling within. She had ballooned up to 190 pounds and her cholesterol was 220.

She decided to plunge into a regular exercise program to get her body into good physical shape. A friend suggested that it would be easier for her if she set a goal. Even though Jenny could barely run a mile, the goal she set was a half-marathon, 13.1 miles.

Over the next six months, she lost 60 pounds and her cholesterol dropped to 140. Eight months after beginning her regimen she ran her first full marathon - 26.2 miles. She ran three more marathons by the summer of the following year. Her mother died during that time and the running, along with her mother’s courageous spirit, kept Jenny from falling apart. She knew she needed a new goal and her friend recommended triathlons, events when one swims, then bikes, then runs. Jenny doubted she could do it. She said, “I don’t know how to swim.” Her friend said, “Get in the pool.”

A few months later she completed her first triathlon. She believed she could do anything she set her mind to doing, so she set her sights on the ultimate goal - the Ironman triathlon. The Ironman begins with a 2.4 mile swim. When the athlete comes out of the water, she mounts a bike and cycles 112 miles. When she finishes the bike, she runs a full marathon: 26.2 miles. It takes fierce determination to train for such an event. She must focus on the goal and commit to an extraordinary training regimen. Along the way there are plenty of obstacles - injuries, job responsibilities, social engagements and the doubt that it is really possible.

Day after day, regardless of the weather, you must hit the pavement and run mile after mile.
You must get on your bike and ride for hours on end. You must jump into the pool and swim lap after lap. That’s the price you have to pay if you want to become a triathlete and finish an Ironman.
A couple of years after her mother’s death, Jenny went to Lake Placid, New York, where she successfully completed the Ironman. She duplicated that feat the next summer and again the next.

The Ironman is not the sort of thing you can do on a whim or simply by believing that you can do it. You must seriously assess what it will cost you. You must ask yourself if you are willing to make the needed sacrifices. You must be resolute in your determination to keep going when things get tough. Many begin with high aspirations, but they fail to persevere when difficulties arise. They simply do not have the resolve to keep forging ahead.

In this morning’s passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says there is a price to pay to be one of his followers. He talks about the fierce determination you must possess and the strong commitment you must make if you plan to become a true disciple.

Jesus has begun his journey toward Jerusalem where a confrontation looms with the powerful religious authorities. He knows that anyone who joins him in this journey will be tested, because standing firmly with Christ threatens some people. Jesus, of course, comprehends this, but his followers do not. Today’s passage gives us a glimpse of how Jesus laid it on the line for the people who wanted to cast their lot with him, but who did not grasp all that it required.

Jesus is in Galilee where he has an enthusiastic gang of supporters. They imagine the journey to Jerusalem to be something of a victory march for the Messiah who will topple those in power and claim the throne to the cheers of the masses. With brutal honesty, Jesus shatters these illusions. This is no grand parade destined to end in a coronation. His business in Jerusalem is dangerous and demanding; it calls not for ardent admirers, but for devoted recruits. He needs followers who are fiercely determined to give him their undivided loyalty.1

Jesus says, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build but was not able to finish.”

This is how Jesus warns his supporters. He says in effect, “Before you jump on board with me, sit down and assess the cost. If you don’t, you might not be able to see your commitment through to the end.”

Then he continues with words that turn harsh. Jesus says, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” Jesus speaks so frequently of the importance of love and concern, of kindness and compassion, that these words are startling. We wonder if Luke has misquoted Jesus, which actually seems possible when we compare it with the Gospel of Matthew where we find a less offensive version of this saying. In Matthew, Jesus does not say, “Whoever does not hate father and mother.” Rather, he says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37).

But in reading the words of Jesus, there is something we must always keep in mind. Jesus loves hyperbole. He’s fond of using grand exaggerations to drive home his point. So, we find him saying things such as: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.” On another occasion he says: “It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” Another time he said: “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?”

In today’s passage, Jesus is not literally demanding that we hate our families. He’s using hyperbole to underscore the point that our ultimate loyalty should be to God. These days, we can witness what happens when people give family outings and children’s sports a greater priority than worship of God. Family outings and children’s sports events on Sunday mornings take precedence over worship. I have even heard people boast about how they reserve Sunday morning for family time, and that’s why they don’t attend church very often. But I doubt that you can do anything more important for your family - for the individual members of the family and for the family as a unit - than to be in church on Sunday. This is where we talk about the things that matter most in life. This is where we put our lives in perspective, where we are reminded of the things that can tear us apart, where we gain our true source of strength when life is difficult, where we learn of the importance of patience and forgiveness, where we learn of the dangers of greed and lust, where we discover wisdom and guidance for our difficult decisions, where we learn what we must do to live a meaningful life, where we can catch a vision of a better way of relating to one another and where we are reminded that God is the only genuine and enduring source of hope.

If Christ is first, then the family is strengthened and nourished. But if the family is first, then it never becomes as vibrant and robust as when God is at its center.

What exactly does it mean to give our loyalty to Christ? Some people think that a person who is deeply committed to Christ is someone who possesses a firm set of beliefs. They define a faithful person as someone who believes in the virgin birth, the miracles of the Bible, the sacrificial theory of atonement and other beliefs that they personally question. However, when Christ challenges us to be committed, he does not challenge us to be committed to a particular set of beliefs. He challenges us to be committed to a particular way of life. A way of life that is committed to loving our neighbor and is troubled by injustice. It is that simple and it is that demanding. We are to be compassionate and we are to strive for justice.

Committing ourselves to being a follower of Christ brings us a rich and hopeful life, but today’s passage reminds us that it does not always bring us an easy life. If you believe that ultimate happiness and joy are found in a life devoid of conflict, then you do not want to commit to Christ. Although we discover a deep inner peace in Christ, it is a peace that can withstand the storms of life, not a peace that avoids them. That is what Jesus is telling his followers in today’s passage. Following him is not easy.

If you visit a bookstore and peruse the shelves of books on faith, you will find numerous books that make the life of faith sound effortless and undemanding. Books that encourage you to think of yourself rather than God as the center of the universe. But it is helpful to keep in mind the words of Martin Luther when he said, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”2

When Pliny was appointed by the Roman Emperor, Trajan, to be the governor investigating affairs in northern Turkey, he discovered something he called “a club.” A club that called themselves Christians. He asked Trajan what he should do about it. This was around the year 110, and Trajan said, “Don’t rely on rumors. Investigate, interview. Find out for yourself.” Later, Pliny wrote back and said, “An interesting thing in my interviews, I have found more people who once were Christians than I find who are Christians now.”3

That sounds as if it could be an up-to-date report conducted in U.S.. Many people who once actively practiced their faith have drifted away. There are so many distractions and temptations to grab our attention, and so many evils and injustices to raise our doubts, that it is tough to remain faithful. But, ask yourself this: Where would you be without your faith? Where would you be if you let your relationship with God slip away from you? Life is difficult enough as it is. How would it be if we had nothing in which to hope, but ourselves? No life-sustaining Spirit, no guiding light, no transforming power, no eternal destiny?

Christ wants us to know that following him is not always easy. It requires courage and commitment, stamina and spunk. But since these are the very things that bring zest to life, why would we ever opt for anything else?

NOTES

1. George B. Caird, The Gospel of St. Luke, (London: Penguin Books, 1963), p. 178.

2. Lindy’s Sermon Nuggets for September 9, 2007.

3. Fred Craddock lecture at the Festival of Homiletics in Atlanta in 1995.

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