Luke 9:51-62    “Thirst Things First”  June 27, 2010

In Luke’s gospel, this story marks a major turning point in Jesus life.  In the King James version, it says he “set his face like flint.” to go to Jerusalem, and that is a very graphic image to me.  It draws such a stark picture of grim, resignation for Jesus as he makes his way into Jerusalem. Sometimes we imagine that Jesus must have been overcome with despair as he makes his way to the cross. We imagine that the way Jesus determined to go on was with a strong sense of inevitability.  When you and I imagine this chapter of Jesus life that way, then, that spirit colors the way we hear the rest of these verses about following Christ.  When we imagine it that way then Jesus words to his disciples are hard  and heartless words spoken by a deeply disappointed Christ.

Then I found a new way to look at it through my friend Claude, back at Public Works.  He gave me a different picture altogether concerning what “setting one’s face” may be all about.

Claude and I were working together one day when he surprised me again with one of his uncanny proverbs.  We were talking about how hard it was sometimes to work with our co-workers.  Sometimes it was a strain to keep one’s cool when there was stuff going on that was just plain wrong, and I asked him how he dealt with it as a Christian for so many years. 

Claude thought for a moment, and then he said, “It’s like my daddy told me.  Don’t ever tell a lie, but don’t always tell the truth.”  I looked at him for a moment, and then I said what I always said when Claude told me one of his proverbs, “What’s that mean?”  Claude said. “ I always say the truth, except when it’s gonna hurt somebody.  If what I say is gonna hurt somebody, I go, (he set his face) and go’ “bout my business.”

It’s that last part of Claude’s proverb that gave me a new picture of what it meant for Jesus to “set his face” towards Jerusalem. 

It helped me to see that Jesus setting his face was more about commitment than resignation.  It was more about an unswerving conviction about God’s overall purpose - which was all about the good outcome that would be accomplished.   Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem, because he knew what he was about to do would help promote God’s desire to eliminate all the hurting in the world.

That’s why Jesus put such an abrupt hold on what James and John said about commanding fire from heaven.  It was because that idea was so foreign to his cause of love and mercy and forgiveness.  Did you notice that at the beginning of this journey to accomplish God’s redeeming work, Jesus wanted to bring the Samaritans along? That’s why he stopped there – to help us see that God has always intended to reach the whole world, Jews, Samaritans  and everyone else with mercy and grace.

I believe that is the spirit we must carry with us into the verses where Jesus talked about discipleship.

On his way someone impulsively declared, “I’ll follow you anywhere”, and Jesus gave a reply that sounded pretty bleak, when he said that even animals have a place to go. But because of his faith in God’s purpose Jesus was saying that following God requires the ability to go wherever you’re called with no ties. Then when he turned the corner he invited someone to follow – who told him that he would after his family obligations were completed   That’s when it sounded like Jesus didn’t care about one’s duty to family.

At first it does sound hard and heartless

But if we look at the whole of Jesus’ life, and the way he cared and healed and loved people, we know that can’t be what’s going on here.

Jesus’ faith in God ‘s purpose changes these tough verses into an invitation -  to put  “first things first.”  Jesus was talking about the primary focus that will enable you and me to follow him through all the troubles of life, and the demands of ministry.  

It is a matter of priority, but we need to remember that it is not about having some kind of perfect devotion. Being fit for the kingdom is not about having excellent qualifications  Being fit for the kingdom is all about keeping our hearts in the right place.

Frederick Buechner once said that being a disciple of Jesus is not about being nice people with impeachable morals and impeccable speech who can pray or preach on cue It’s not about having our heads in the clouds instead of our feet on the ground. .There is no evidence,” he said, “That Jesus chose his disciples because they were brighter or nicer than other people.  In fact, they were continually missing the point, jockeying for position, and interested in nothing so much as saving their own skins.  Their only qualification he said was their willingness to rise to their feet whenever  Jesus said, “Follow Me”  When Jesus sent them out into the world, his instructions were simple. He told them to tell others about God’s kingdom and learn to live like it’s citizens.

On the one hand, this story is about you and I standing up to follow God as the priority of our lives.  It’s about reaching out to people with a word of hope and a helping, healing, hand.  It is about saying those words and raising our hands when opportunity calls, out there.

This is nothing new to most of us.  We know what we’re supposed to do as Christian people, and I suspect we struggle with being willing and able to live up to our mission..

 But thank God there’s something more to be found in this story.