Sunday June 27, 2010 Luke 9:51-62

Welcome I survived my birthday last Sunday and had a nice relaxing day. I hope you are able to enjoy our summer so far. Our Sunday texts seem to be skipping along in Luke. The Lectionary has us up to a crucial point in Luke. From Luke 9:51 to Luke 19:28 we have what is called the travel narrative. In Luke 9:51 Jesus starts to travel to Jerusalem and in Luke 19:28 he arrives. This section of Luke contains Jesus’ teachings and parables. He used parables to emphasize the points he was making in his teaching.

V51 The days are drawing near for Jesus to complete his mission in Jerusalem on a cross. He “set his face” means he was determined to go to Jerusalem. He has made his decision that it is time.

V52 He sent messengers ahead of him into Samaria to get permission for him to travel through Samaria. If one was traveling to Jerusalem from Galilee he had to get permission from the Samaritans to travel through their country.

V53 The Samaritans did not let him pass through their country because he was going to Jerusalem. Since the time of the Old Testament there had been a dispute, often nasty at times, between the Samaritans and the Jews on the proper place to worship and offer sacrifice. The Jews claimed it was Mount Zion with the Temple in Jerusalem. The Samaritans claimed it was Mount Gerizim in Samaria. If a Jew wanted to go to the Temple in Jerusalem the Samaritans, whom the Jews considered half Jewish and half Assyrian (half breeds), wouldn’t allow them to pass through their territory which was the most direct route. The Jewish people would have to travel over to the Jordan River and then down it, around Samaria, to get to Jerusalem.

V54 James and John are angry at not being allowed to pass through Samaria and want to call down fire to consume the Samaritans. This reflected 2 Kings 1:10-12 when the prophet Elijah had called down fire to consume people at that location.

V55-56 Jesus rebuked them for this suggestion. He won’t punish the Samaritans for their attitude. Remember in John he had taught the woman at the well and the villagers had asked him to stay additional days in their village to teach them. To now kill some of them would be to do the opposite of what he had taught them. So they went by another route – down the Jordan River.

V57 As they are traveling a man came up to Jesus telling him that he would follow Jesus where ever he went.

V58 Jesus replied a strange answer about Foxes having holes and birds having roosts but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. What is he saying? He is speaking symbolically as he is being watched by the leaders and if he came out and directly said something negative he would be killed before his time. To figure out what he is saying you need to know that the Herod family was referred to as foxes. To speak about the Romans was to talk about the birds of the air because the Romans carried a pole with a metal Eagle on it ahead of them on a march. Jesus calls himself the Son of Man 82 times in the gospels. With this he is claiming to be the true Israel that will be vindicated by God. So what he is saying to the man is this: If you are looking for power like the Herod family can offer or military might like the Romans can offer don’t come to me because I, the true Israel, don’t even have a place to call my own in my own land. If you follow me you will have nothing of material value.

V59 Jesus then called another man to follow him, become his disciple. This man replied that he first had to bury his father. This is misleading because if his father were really dead he would be at home taking care of the estate. What the man is saying is: I can’t follow you until my father dies. He is still alive and until he dies I am responsible to him only. This was, and is, the typical family arrangement in the Middle East. The authority of the father is supreme.

V60 Jesus replied to him “let the dead bury their own dead” but you go proclaim the Kingdom of God. Jesus is telling the man that there are plenty of spiritually dead people that will be able to bury his father when the time comes. This man needs to realize that Jesus’ claim to him supersedes that of family; a shock to hear from someone in the Middle East. It is more important that this man proclaim the Kingdom of God than go home and wait for his father to die.

V61 A third man offers to follow Jesus but has a request that he needs to fulfill first. He needs to return home and say farewell (Greek literally means-take leave of) to his family.

V62 Again Jesus replies with a strange answer about plowing. When a person plowed he held the handle of a light plow in one hand and a stick, called a goad, in the other hand to direct his ox with. This took utter concentration to accomplish. If he took his eyes off of the land in front of him he would plow crooked or possibly break the plow. Jesus is saying that to become his disciple takes undivided attention to the task. You can’t look back at family or other things when advancing Gods Kingdom.

This was defiantly not the way to add disciples to his group. Today we would bend over backwards to add members to our congregations. Sure you can join, we’ll wait until your goodbyes with your family are over or your father has died and now you have time to join us. If you’re looking for power we have committees you can join and maybe even become president. Jesus did none of this. He told those who would follow him that this was a full time job that required their undivided attention and if they couldn’t provide that they best go home. We in the American church today have tweaked that message to suit ourselves and make ourselves comfortable. To get members in the door and money in the coffers we allow a lot of things to make us comfortable-beautiful buildings, comfy chairs, programs designed to promote ourselves and our values. What if Jesus walked into Crown of Glory on Sunday and taught this lesson? What would your reaction be?