Sermon
July 1, 2007
Murray Speer
Luke 9:51-62
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
And when the time came for his taking-up, he hardened his face, deciding firmly to travel into Jerusalem.
We sometimes forget what it meant for Jesus to decide to travel into Jerusalem.
We sometimes forget, and sometimes it is impossible for us to understand. Some of us will understand better than others, no doubt.
Jerusalem was the great city of the Jews, of course we know that. It was the city of the temple – one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was the city where the festivals happened, and with the exception of Alexandria in Egypt, it was the city where the greatest teachers of Judaism lived.
It was also a Roman city. And in Roman-occupied Judea, Jerusalem was a hotbed of activity. Protests and police actions, minor uprisings and reprisals, abuses by soldiers and inflammatory speeches on street corners and in marketplaces.
Something we can easily forget, partly because of how the church has read passages like this through history, is that Jerusalem is not only a dangerous place in today’s world. It has been a dangerous place at many different times and for many different kinds of people.
So when Jesus “sets his face,” which is an idiom meaning to make a firm decision – no going back – he is facing a city of controversy and violence, oppression and activism, terrorism and angry rhetoric.
We sometimes forget what it meant for Jesus to go to Jerusalem. This was never a vacation. It was never a whim. It was a hard decision to make, and when he made it, he made it firmly. He set his face.
I can imagine some of the things he heard from his followers. The story doesn’t tell us, but we can fill in some of the gaps. “Master, why should we leave Galilee? We’re doing pretty well here. People are listening to you, and it’s comfortable. Why should we go where the soldiers and fanatics and zealots are? Why should we go to a Roman city where they arrest and crucify? Let’s stay here at home, we can do so much good here.”
Depending how you think about Jesus, your response may vary. A lot of preachers I consulted this week prescribe to the idea that Jesus was not here to stay, but “here to go.” His mission was to get killed, and Jerusalem was where he needed to be, so he went. Simple as that.
I don’t think Jesus was here to go. I don’t think it was quite so easy. I suspect those days of prayer and reflection before he “set his face” were probably filled with fear and doubt. Can I really preach a message of peace and God’s justice – God’s shalom – in a city so full of anger and violence? Is this really the best way to use my gifts?
The parallels in my own life simply don’t exist. I considered talking to you today about my journey in ministry… as a candidate, trusting the call of God… as an intern, making a physical journey across the country as well as a spiritual journey of preparation and learning… but the parallels simply don’t exist. I suspect few of us here today can really imagine what this “firm decision to travel to Jerusalem” really meant to Jesus and his followers at the time.
So you can see why some of his, shall we say, less committed followers started looking for excuses. When we forget how serious this firm decision is, to travel to Jerusalem, these three stories that follow might not make a lot of sense to us.
Luke takes these sayings of Jesus, that were around in written form before he incorporated them into his gospel, and puts them into a specific context for us. The context is, Jesus is no longer wandering around teaching in Galilee. Jesus has set his face for Jerusalem. He has stopped being a wandering teacher, and he has become a prophet. On his way to the Holy City. Where violence and fanaticism await him.
And then we get these three little sayings.
A fervent follower tells Jesus that he will follow him anywhere. Jesus reminds him that they are not heading toward material prosperity or social comfort of any kind. The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Do not be under any illusion about our mission.
Another follower, on hearing what’s next on the agenda, says, “Um, well, actually, you see, I’ve just had a death in the family and, um… well, the commandment says to honour your mother and father and, uhh…” Jesus says, when it’s time to go, it’s time to go. Leave the dead to bury the dead.
A third person comes to Jesus and says, “You know what? You go ahead and I’ll catch up.” I wonder if he had any intention of leaving his household to travel to Jerusalem. Jesus tells him that this sort of vascillation is unsuitable for someone who seeks the kingdom. Anyone who puts his hand to the plow and then looks backward is unfit.
Do you see what Luke has done? These harsh words of Jesus do not stand alone, outside of context, in Luke’s gospel. Rather, they take place at a harsh time, when harsh choices are being made. One follower is a bit too eager to get to Jerusalem, and Jesus must remind him. Two others are reluctant to follow Jesus’ firm decision, and Jesus must tell them that they are either in or out…
The parallels to my life don’t exist. I simply haven’t faced this kind of harsh reality. There are a lot of preachers out there who try to tell their people that this kind of choice IS necessary right here and now… you are either in or out!!! They call. Make your choice or be left behind!!! They shout.
But that’s just not the way it is for us. We have it pretty good. Nobody is seriously threatening our way of life. The places where Christians are routinely harassed or killed for doing Christian things are half a world away – though much closer than that emotionally for many of us. This harsh reality, this kind of difficult choice, is beyond the experience of many of us here.
We simply haven’t been in a position to make the kind of tough decision that Jesus makes. Most of us. But some of us have. Those Christian workers I mentioned earlier, half a world away? 600 of them were killed in the Phillipines between 2001 and 2006. They are making this kind of decision.
Christians who opposed apartheid in South Africa, and who fought for civil rights in the United States, made this kind of decision.
People who struggle with very real illnesses, mental disorders, and addictions try very hard to make decisions like these.
And we can’t know when we might be asked to “set our face” in the direction of God.
And here’s the good news: If and when that time comes, we will know that we are not alone. We will know that Jesus has been there before, as have thousands of our Christian siblings across the world and throughout history.
Jesus, in setting his face for Jerusalem, was utterly committed to the gospel and to God’s divine shalom – peace through justice. And he was utterly uncommitted to anything else. And it’s because of that commitment, that passion, that hardening of his face and his refusal to stay where things are safe and easy, that his name continues to be spoken today.
Thanks be to God.
