The other day I came down my street and there were a bunch of young boys standing in the middle of the street. I pulled up next to them and asked them what they were playing and they said “War.” “Well,” I said, “It looks more like peace to me.” “Oh no, we are at war alright. It’s us fours against those four.” “So when do the battles begin?” “Just as soon as we can find us some troops. You see, all of us are generals and none of us will take orders from the any of the others!”
Isn’t that just the way the world is today? The world is full of stand around little generals who know just what needs to be done. Blame it on education, which tells each of us that if we work hard enough and smart enough no one will ever tell us what to do again. Blame it on our economy which tells us that money is power, and if we have money we don’t need anything else. Blame it on the government, on parents, on the “me” generation, on the don’t back down, never settle for anything but first place, the greatest thing in life is self-esteem attitude that pervades our society today. We have become a world full of leaders and no one is willing to become a follower. We are all chiefs and no Indians, as my father would say it. And the scariest part is that, when it comes to Christ, our attitude doesn’t change. We want to be great men and women for God, leading our families, or friends, and even our church down the path to heaven with us out front holding high the flaming torch of our faith. We want to inspire people by our lives that they may change what they are doing and agree with what we are doing, because of Christ, of course. We want to be a church of generals when what Christ really needs is an army of disciples.
There really is no simpler way to put it than Christ wants disciples. But we have come so far from the idea and definition of disciple that we hardly even know what it means. Looking at the world with first century eyes we see a disciple as something much different than we see a disciple today. To be a disciple in the time of Christ meant to literally give up everything to follow a teacher. It wasn’t something everyone did or was even chosen to do. Most Jewish boys grew up learning scripture in their local synagogue. Those that excelled went on for further schooling and at the end would go to a rabbi and ask to become his disciple. And if that rabbi accepted them they would then sell everything they have and go to live with the rabbi. They would sleep where their rabbi slept, eat what their rabbi ate, and do everything exactly as their rabbi did. Their goal was to spend as much time with their rabbi that they would become as much like their rabbi as they possibly could. In essence a disciple was an apprentice. They would apprentice themselves to their master so they could learn his trade and his life. They would give up their lives that they could take on the life of their master.
What the church needs, what Christ needs, what each of us really needs is for us to become disciples of Christ. What the Christian life is really calling us to is to a life of an apprentice – seeking to learn the trade and life of our Master. And as much as the world has changed in over 2,000 years, much of what being a disciple is about has not really changed. So this morning I want us to look at some of what Jesus said it means to be a disciple.
Before we get into the text, let me set a bit of the background. So far in Luke’s gospel, much of Jesus ministry has focused on the area in and around Galilee. Large crowds have followed him to hear his teachings and see his miracles. But chapter nine marks a turning point. It is in chapter nine when Jesus turns to his disciples and asks the simple question, “Who do people say that I am?” Peter responds, “You are the Messiah sent from God!” Immediately Jesus begins to tell them of his future death and resurrection and tells them, “If you want to be my follower you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross and follow me.” Now from our side of history looking back, it’s easy for us to misrepresent what Jesus meant. After all, the cross today is not a symbol of horrific torture and death, but rather a symbol of the saving power of Jesus Christ. But this is not how his disciples would have seen it. It would be the equivalent of saying today that you must accept you are ready to go to the electric chair for your faith. It’s a harsh saying and one that even at its time began to drive people away. The crowds were happy to follow Jesus as he performed miracles and talk in generalizations, but when he began to talk about sacrifice, both His and others the crowds really changed. Luke 9:51 is the turning verse of the gospel, “As the time drew near for his return to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” So from this point on the story turns into Jesus’ journey to the cross.
So here is where we pick up our text. Look with me on your notes – “as they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” You know, right off you can see there’s going to be some trouble here. Here is one of Jesus’ groupies, fresh off the feeding of the 5,000, and he comes to Jesus – “Man! You rock! I’ll hang with you any day!” Now look at what he actually said and underline “wherever.” This is where he said he will follow. Now look at Jesus’ response. Where does Jesus say he is going? We already know he is on the road, probably the road to Jerusalem< , but that’s not what Jesus says. He says, “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Circle “nowhere.” The follower wants to go “anywhere”, but Jesus’ says he has nowhere to go. Nowhere, at least, as far as this world is concerned. Why? Because Jesus is rejected by the world and has no home here. Christ is at home not in the confines of this sin-stained world, but in the eternal heaven is where he finds true rest. And because Christ is rejected, so too will his disciples be rejected by the world. To be a disciple is to be alienated by the world. What does this mean? It means that we, as apprentices of Christ, have our true home not here on earth, but in the eternal heaven. And in a very real sense today it means that to live out our faith is to go against the world. Our values and lifestyle as Christians immediately puts us at odds with the world. What we hold up as vital and important – faith, honesty, virtue, self-less love – goes in the complete opposite of the values of the world. I think Paul puts it best in defining the goal of a disciple in the world in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” To be a disciple is to set our hearts, minds, and souls against the world and to seek after Christ.
Well, back to the text. “And He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Ouch. That seems pretty harsh. It almost doesn’t sound like the Jesus we know. Are we sure Jesus said this? Funny enough, even the Jesus Seminar, those group of so called “scholars and experts” who get together to vote on whether something is authentic or not, whether Jesus actually said it or not, even that group believes Jesus actually said this. But at first glance, it just doesn’t seem right. Come on Jesus- the man’s father is dead – just let him go take care of him. But there is where we are wrong. The man’s father is not dead, and here is why we can know. Jewish law basically dictates that the family of a dead person spend a week separated from the rest of society. They were considered unclean and not only would they not go out in the streets, if they did go in the streets no one would go near them. Yet this man was following Jesus along the road. This just wouldn’t happen if he was mourning the loss of his father. No, what this man is saying is that there are things in life that must have priority over his faith. Look again at what he says, “Lord, permit me first….” Underline “first.” His basic message is, “I’ll follow you Jesus, but in my time and in my way.” But Jesus says, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim….” Circle “go and proclaim.” Here is that same verse in The Message, “First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God’s kingdom!” To be a disciple is to be dedicated to following Christ. The life of a disciple is nothing if the disciple is not dedicated to Christ above all other things. Christ must be our top priority. Now this doesn’t mean that there are not other priorities – our family, our health, our friends, but that above all of these our relationship with God must be first. It is our charge as disciples to put Christ first in all that we do, and to see ways to share His love with those around us. This is our best way to proclaim the gospel – to live it out fully and unashamedly in the world around us. Our family is important and we must not neglect them. Our health is important and we must not neglect it. We could make a long list, but on the top of it all should be our relationship with Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. And our lives are only truly full when we are following and proclaiming our faith with all of our lives. 1 Corinthians 9:16 says, “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” To be a disciple is to be so dedicated to Christ that we have a sense of woe – a sense of something missing deep within us – when we are not dedicated to following Christ as our top priority. To be a disciple is to be dedicated to following Christ above all else, good and bad, that surrounds us in our lives.
Lastly, to be a disciple is to remain focused on Christ. Let’s look at the text together, “Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Underline “go back” and circle “looks back.” This follower says he will follow, but then says he must go back and say good-by to his family. Christ responds that no one should start in faith and then turn back – that is not the life of a true disciple. Now unlike the previous this isn’t as much of a refusal as a warning. Christ doesn’t say, “No, don’t go and say good-by” but instead gives a warning about following without remaining focused. What Christ requires of us is not half-hearted commitment, but a total dedication. The illustration he uses is one that looses a bit for us in our non-agrarian society. To plow, particularly in the rough, rocky soil of Israel, required one to remain focused. If you wanted to plow a straight line you could not look back. If you did you would either stray off the path, thereby plowing an uneven row and not taking full advantage of all of your land, or you would hit a rock and possibly damage your plow, which would have been one of your most prized possessions. What Christ is talking about here is not salvation, but discipleship. If we dedicate ourselves to Christ and seek to grow, then we must remain focused on Christ. As Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” The secret to our success in faith is not how much we can learn and grow in a short time, but how much we can remain dedicated and focused in a lifetime. Christ seeks us to follow him not for a moment, but for a lifetime and for us to remain focused as He leads us through life.
Friends, the greatest gift that God offers us is not salvation, but transformation. It is great that God would pull us from the muck and mire of sin, but greater still that He would clean us up and give us new life. What Christ wants from us is not that we would be one of the crowd that admires him, but that we would be one of the disciples that follow him. He wants us to be His apprentices – men and women who are willing to be alienated by the world, dedicated to following Him, remaining focused on Him throughout our lives. Christ doesn’t want to just save us; he wants to transform us. He wants us to become as much like Him as is possible on this side of eternity. Think about it – if God just saved us and left us like we are, would any of us want to live our lives for eternity as messed up and broken as we are today? No. God offers us transformation into new men and women, into disciples. He wants us to not just follow, but to seek to become like Him in all ways. The question for all of us today is – How are we allowing god to transform us into His disciples? What are we doing that helps us to grow into the role of apprentice to the almighty?
This morning I want to offer you an opportunity to join me as we take a step of transformation into the life of a disciple. If we want to be like Christ, then we must really study His life, His teachings, and His actions. Starting today I will begin an online study of the gospel according to Luke. You can look on your notes and see the website – revhuhn.blogspot.com Each week we will read one chapter of Luke and I will post daily comments on readings from that chapter. This will be a great forum for us, and I invite you to not only read my notes, but contribute your own. Or ask questions. Or just read and seek after Christ. Let this be a community where we can explore together who Jesus is and what it means to be His disciple. Let us apprentice ourselves to our Master Christ and seek in all ways to live as Christ.
The truth of life is we are either becoming what the world wants or what Christ wants. We are either a disciple of our sinful, selfish nature or we are disciples of the eternal loving God of heaven. Friends, God wants us to be his disciples. It is time for us to make our choice – who’s disciple are we? Let us listen to the call of Christ – Disciples wanted.
