Nearly a half century ago, Martin Luther King remarked,“If a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.”1 King used the word “fit” in terms “fitness”, in terms of being prepared. If a mature adult hasn’t formulated or discovered a set of values one is committed to, one’s life is going to be ultimately lacking in depth and direction. One will not be prepared to withstand with integrity the challenges that life throws at one.
The Gospel for today is obviously centered on discipleship. It is clear, even as Jesus begins his ministry, that there is a real possibility it will eventually lead to suffering and death. His face is set to go to Jerusalem; He will not turn back. He instructs the apostles, “Don't be angry or seek revenge against those who refuse to listen to you. If people kick you out, just move on. There is plenty of other work to do.” Sadly, the church often has not followed this advice and retaliated against those who did not accept the Gospel. There is no warrant of this in the Gospels. We would do very well to recall Jesus’ words when we periodically hear the urging of punishment or disenfranchisement of people, solely because they're not Christian.
Today’s Gospel from Luke continues by presenting three incidents about would-be disciples. Each of them, in some way, held back and insisted on placing out in front some conditions before becoming disciples. The question we are asked to ponder is were they prepared, were they fit to become disciples. Jesus never implied that a condition of being a follower implied separation from all ties of family, friends and the past. This is the type of misinterpretation that cult members justify to isolate their new converts. We know, for example, that even in the pangs of death at the foot of the cross, Jesus showed concern for the care of his mother.
Rather, Jesus was saying that the difficult choices in our lives are rarely openly divided into totally good on one hand and completely bad on the other. Evil loves to seductively persuade us behind a veil of something quite rational and understandable. Family loyalty, sacred tradition, patriotism, and intellectual principles are all very effective in masking the devil’s demons.
The first would-be disciple seems to promise, “I will follow you wherever you go,” but then in effect prefaces his commitment, saying, “By the way, you are accredited by the folks in Jerusalem, aren't you? I will learn all the right answers, won't I? You will teach me your system, right?” Jesus shakes his head, foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Gospel won't be confined to a system you can hide behind and an approved syllabus to protect you.
It is nice to have roots, a conceptual reference, which we can access and use to make sense of all data and to organize and construct out of chaos, an overall big picture of things. However, ideologies can also be deep holes where disturbing questions are buried; where challenges, which can't be made to fit, are locked up; and where dissenters are labeled misguided, prejudiced, or just plain misfits. The Gospel will never be a system where everything fits our plan.
The second would-be disciple appears to plead, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father, and make peace with those I am tied to. My family is not quite ready for this and I am still held by them.” Jesus cautioned, “Let your family make their peace with your decision. Their hold on you can also be your shackles. You are called to be part of God’s new creation.” The mafia is a venerable institution where the family is all, but types of families that are structured like the mafia, are not the types envisioned in God’s new commonwealth.
The last would-be disciple also promises, “I will follow you Lord, but let me first seek the unanimous blessing and permission of my life coach, and my professors and dissertation committee back at Fig-tree U.” Jesus warns, “No one who puts their hand to the plow and looks back is prepared for the hard work of plowing the earth in straight furrows and sowing on the hard soil of the world, the seed for God’s bountiful harvest.”
Discipleship for all of us is always an adventure into new growth and involves risk rather than a guarantee of certainty. In one sense Forest Gump described it pretty accurately. Life with Jesus is also like a box of chocolates. Venturing forth with Jesus means you are never sure beforehand what you will discover and pick out of the box of life. It you can’t live with doubt, if you can’t look forward with anticipation, it will be hard to follow our Lord.
1 Detroit, MI, June 23, 1963
And I offer this to you in the name of the Living God, Amen.
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