Stand Firm in Following Jesus

Two questions come to mind as we read today’s passages from Paul’s Letter to the Galatians and the Gospel of Luke:  What does it mean for us in the summer of 2016 to stand firm in the knowledge that Christ has set us free; and how are we to follow Jesus? 

It is summer and for many if not most of us it is a time to relax, take a vacation, go to the beach, or in any way we can to get off the fast-moving treadmill of our frenetic and busy lives.  Following Jesus and standing firm in God’s grace requires a different kind of energy from the stresses and pressures of our normal routines.

In the Gospel there were three people who wanted to follow Jesus but they had excuses for not getting behind him just yet.  They seemed to realize that following Jesus meant changing the way they were accustomed to living their lives.  The status-quo was no longer an option, but in order to be a follower, a disciple, required real change, a transformation.  A new life was to be adopted; it was a life of freedom, justice and peace in a world that was fraught with injustice, oppression and inequality.

Jesus responded to the three people who said they wanted to follow him.  To the first person he said, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." In other words, while some people are content with what they have, it requires taking a risk to leave the comforts of what you already have in order to follow an uncertain course into the future.

The second person who asked to follow Jesus said he first wanted to go and bury his father.  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."  It is a far cry from burying the dead when you are called to affirm the teaching of both Jesus and the prophet Isaiah: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; and recovery of sight to the blind.  To let the oppressed go free; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Finally, a third person 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 a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

These three people had reasonable excuses.  The first person was willing to follow Jesus but he did not seem quite ready to make a very strong commitment.  The second person needed to bury his father.  Certainly his excuse necessitated a delay in following Jesus.  And the third person simply wanted to say goodbye to his family and friends. What could be wrong with that? 

Was Jesus unreasonable?  I think the point to be made is that we are to continually find new ways of being followers of Jesus.  There can be no excuses, no turning back to the older and perhaps more comfortable or nostalgic ways of being a Christian. 

When Jesus said that no one who plows looks back, I am reminded to some relatives I had growing up in southern Ohio.  I had aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides of my family who were farmers.  I recall one of my uncles plowing with a horse drawing the plow and the other uncle using a tractor on his farm.  It was important to plow in a straight direction so when seeds were planted crops would grow in properly spaced and fertilized rows.  Crops were also rotated so the soil would be refreshed or renewed over the years.  As one commentator stated,  “A Palestinian plow required constant attention; diverting one’s attention for a moment led to disaster.  Jesus demands constancy and concentration in proclaiming his message; once committed to Christ, there is no going back.”

Paul in his letter to the Galatians said there was no going back when it comes to standing firm in the faith.  “You were called to freedom… do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, …for the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

We all stand firm in the faith by being led by the Spirit: “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law…. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. … If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.”

When we ask what it means to stand firm in the knowledge of Christ who has set us free, and how are we to follow Jesus it is clear that we are to focus on living by the fruits of the Spirit and to work for realizing the grace of God by healing the sick, comforting the broken-hearted, freeing prisoners and captive, and proclaiming God’s love for everyone.  It is a ministry of new life and hope for our troubled society and world.  It demands our complete resolve and dedication.  So during these wonderful days of summer may we all live by the grace of God knowing in our lives and actions the love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, faithfulness. gentleness, and self-control that is the fruit of the Spirit.  Amen.