An Inconvenient Faith (Luke 9:37-62)
Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Monday, March 21)
Read Luke 9:37-62
But it’s rarely that simple. In fact, it’s never that simple. For as much as I might like it to be so, Jesus is not my personal life coach. I know that’s a shock to many of us. After all, we’ve heard hundreds of sermons on how to find God’s will, overcome stress, manage our finances, build our marriages – who can blame us for thinking that the Christian life is all about how Jesus can help me make my life better?
But this is so far from the truth that it’s not even funny. Jesus is not a product I consume to enhance my life. To think so is ludicrous. It’s like assuming that, since the Army’s slogan was “Be all that you can be,” its primary purpose is personal life enhancement. No. The Army has a much more important agenda than that.
So does Jesus. We see it dramatically unfolding in today’s text. Actually, it began a few verses earlier. In Luke 9:28-36, Jesus meets with Moses and Elijah on a mountain. While there, they talk with him “of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (31). The actual word for departure is “exodus.” Hmm. What might Jesus do in Jerusalem which would bring a deliverance like the original Exodus?
We get a clue right after this, when Jesus says to his disciples, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men” (44). They could never have seen it ahead of time, but in looking back we can see that Jesus’ death and resurrection would usher humanity into a new future, just as Moses had done for the Israelites fifteen hundred years earlier.
His disciples are clearly having a difficult time discerning both what he means to do (45), and how they fit into the picture. They embarrassed themselves both on the mountain (33ff) and at its base (40). Jesus scolds them for arguing among themselves about which of them is the greatest (46ff) – and right after that, James and John are over-the-top in their zeal to defend Jesus and his mission (49, 54f).
It’s not a pretty picture. The entire sweep of the text gives the distinct impression that, although Jesus has gained clarity and focus for his mission, his disciples are clearly in the dark about their place in the drama. (I guess we’re in good company, then!)
Yes, the disciples are clueless, but before long they will see the bigger picture: they have been invited to share in the greatest mission in the history of the world. Following Jesus was not a means to their own petty glory, as they once hoped (46) — or to our own personal enhancement, as we often hope. No. Not even close. In fact, it would be the opposite: it would cost them everything (57ff), just as it would Jesus (44).
But the end result was breathtaking: Jesus’ mission was not world domination, as they supposed, but world transformation. His death and resurrection opened the door for new creation to bust out everywhere. Jesus was creating a whole new world order, and they were invited to be a part of it. What could be better than that?
No, following Jesus was definitely not convenient. But oh, what a ride!
“Lord, forgive me for sometimes treating you like my personal life coach. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of what you are doing in the world. Help me to find my place within your plan, and to do my part faithfully, trusting in your Holy Spirit to guide me along the way.”