“NO EXCUSES”
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 8)
June 26, 2016
Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church
Glenshaw, Pennsylvania
TEXT:
To another [Jesus] said, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, first let
me go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to
bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of
God.” Yet another said, “I will follow You, Lord, but let me first
say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who
puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of
God.”
Luke 9:59-62 (ESV)
At my last congregation there was a dear lady who was at worship just
about every Sunday, but on those rare occasions when she wasn’t, I
would say to her (the next time I saw her): “Emma, we missed you on
Sunday morning.” With a smile she would always respond: “Pastor, I
have a list of excuses a mile long, but not a one of them is any
good!” It’s a shame that we all don’t look at our excuses with that
kind honesty. Most of the time our excuses for failing to live up to
various responsibilities are pretty lame, sometimes even to the point
of being ridiculous. Through the years I’ve heard the following
excuses from confirmation class students as to why they were not in
Sunday School or at worship on a given Sunday: “It was my birthday.”
“My cousin and his family were visiting for the weekend and they don’t
like to go to church.” “My parents were out late Saturday night at a
crab feast and they didn’t get up in time.” “We went to Festival Hall
to get Cal Ripken’s autograph.” And my all-time favorite: “We
thought it was going to snow.”
But not all excuses are so petty and lame. Many are legitimate--or
at least we would consider them to be. What about the excuses given
in the text before us by these two would-be followers of our Lord?
Who could possibly have a problem with someone who wanted to put off
his responsibility just long enough to take care of his father’s
funeral arrangements? And how could anyone fault someone for wanting
to bid farewell to his loved ones before he begins traveling with
Jesus along the road of discipleship--a road that Jesus Himself
acknowledged to be perilous? Well, Jesus had a problem with those
excuses. His problem was not so much that these people had other
things to do, but that these things took priority over Him. With this
Scripture before us, let’s examine the necessity of undivided loyalty
to Christ, taking comfort in the Lord’s forgiveness of our sin and the
strength of His Spirit to value Him and His Gospel above all else.
The problem with the first man’s excuse was not that he wanted to
make sure that his father would receive a decent burial. There is
certainly nothing wrong with honoring the dead in such a way. The
problem is that this man allowed his concerns regarding death to take
priority over the infinitely greater issues of life--particularly the
everlasting life that only Jesus can give. There is a long and
respected tradition--even among the people of God--of memorializing
those who have gone before us. It is altogether appropriate to
remember with thanksgiving the blessings that we have received through
our dear ones who have departed this life. It’s just that none of
that should ever be allowed to compete with our Savior for our
attention and commitment, nor should it sidetrack us from the mission
of sharing the Good News of salvation in Christ.
The reason for this is simple: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
For the children of God who are united with Christ in Baptism, death
is a thing of the past, even though our own death still lies in the
future. Our death is a thing of the past because our Lord has already
gone where we must go and has shown us the way. More than that, He
has paved the way, making it possible for us to go to death and the
grave as He has gone and, like Him, to emerge from it victorious in
the power of His resurrection. In suffering and dying for our sins
and in rising to life again, Jesus has rendered death--even our own
death--irrelevant. Sure we still die and are still grieved by death,
but in the long run it doesn’t really matter anymore. It’s only a
brief interlude in our life in Him. That’s why it is so important
that we live in victory even in the face of death, boldly proclaiming
His grace and forgiveness to others so that, by the power of the Holy
Spirit, death can be rendered irrelevant for them as well.
The second would-be follower of Jesus had a problem with the priority
of his loyalties. He loved Jesus, but when a choice had to be made,
his family came first. It is perhaps unsettling to us that Jesus
requires of us a loyalty that exceeds even that which we have toward
family. It makes us feel uncomfortable when our Lord says: “Whoever
loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever
loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever
does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew
10:37, 38). It bothers us even more when He says: “If anyone comes
to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and
children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot
be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). It’s not that any of these objects of
our affection are evil; it’s just that they cannot be placed into a
position where they are allowed to compete with the Lord Jesus for our
love.
There’s an old saying that “blood is thicker than water,” but here
Jesus is saying that the water of our Baptism, which unites us with
Him and with all who belong to Him, has to be an infinitely stronger
bond than that which exists between us and anyone or anything else in
the whole world. Whatever it is that comes between you and your
Savior is something that has no place in your life. Wherever your
loyalty and commitment lie, there lies your confidence, and before the
judgment throne of God there is only one source of confidence: the
blood-stained cross and empty tomb of Jesus Christ, who suffered God’s
judgment in our place, thereby purging us of our sin and making us
acceptable in the sight of God. It is this Lord Jesus who calls us to
follow Him to the exclusion of everything else, honestly telling us
what kind of sacrifice we will have to make and also assuring us of
everlasting life.
Quite a few years ago I saw this little quip printed in a church
newsletter: “If your only son died saving a neighbor from a fire, how
would you feel if that neighbor skipped the funeral to watch
television?” That rhetorical question certainly puts things into
perspective. There are many interests and affections in our lives,
and that’s not necessarily wrong. But there can be only one Lord and
Savior, because only One has borne our sin in His own body and
suffered its consequences. Only One has died for us and risen again.
Only One can deliver us from sin and death. And only One can free us
from everything that holds us back from serving Him with undivided
loyalty. His Spirit, working through the Gospel, focuses our
attention and our devotion on “nothing . . . except Jesus Christ and
Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2), giving us the motivation and the
strength that we need to forsake anything and everything that would
rob us of our salvation, clinging in faith to the One who says:
“These things I have spoken to you that My joy may be in you, and that
your joy may be full” (John 15:11).
Amen.
May the Lord bless your hearing of His Word, using it to accomplish in
you those things for which He gave it. May you be enriched and
strengthened in faith that you may leave here today to go out into our
world armed with the whole armor of God, prepared to be able
ambassadors of your Savior Jesus Christ. He who calls you is
faithful, and He will do it. Amen.