“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:25)
Today’s is one of my least favorite gospel readings. Can Jesus really mean that to be his disciple we have to turn our backs on our families? He has to be exaggerating, right? What a dilemma for fundamentalist Christians who interpret the bible literally. Even they preach family values in opposition to a literal interpretation of this passage. Jesus’ entire ministry was based on love of God and others. How then can he ask us to do something so seemingly heartless?
The key to understanding Jesus’ intent in this passage is to understand his culture and style of expression. Jesus was neither exaggerating nor speaking literally. Rather he was using Semitic hyperbole, a common poetic figure of speech of his day, to emphasize the kind of commitment he expected from those who follow him.
A hen and a pig approached a church and read the advertised sermon topic: “What can we do to help the poor?” Immediately the hen suggested they feed them bacon and eggs. The pig thought for a moment and said, “You know, there’s only one thing wrong with feeding bacon and eggs to the poor. For you it requires only a contribution, but for me it requires total commitment!” That is precisely the kind of commitment Jesus is asking of his followers.
Being a disciple isn’t something you do occasionally or half-heartedly. Part-time or luke-warm disciple is an oxymoron – a contradiction in terms. Because God is of no importance unless of supreme importance, being a disciple is a full-time occupation that requires unwavering dedication and focus. In today’s gospel Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem. He knows his mission will be a difficult one that won’t be accomplished in his lifetime or by himself alone. He knows that to bring about the kingdom he’ll need the help of lots of dedicated, hard working disciples for generations to come.
In 1921, a Stanford psychologist began a research project that observed over 1,400 intellectually gifted children throughout their lifetimes. The conclusions of the study revealed that exceptional intelligence doesn’t guarantee spectacular achievement. The difference between low achievers and high achievers was that high achievers remained focused on what they wanted to accomplish in life. Living a faithful life is like shaving – no matter how well you do it today, it needs to be done again tomorrow.
For the past ten weeks in our readings from Luke’s gospel, Jesus has been teaching what it takes to live a faithful life. He draws an almost ugly portrait of discipleship to emphasize that what’s required isn’t easy. For example, you have to surrender completely to God; leave your home and family; shed your possessions and attachments; risk safety and security; serve, sacrifice, and suffer; carry crosses and bear burdens. Pretty challenging stuff! At first blush it sounds about as appealing as the job of javelin catcher! In today’s gospel, Jesus, in effect, invites us to calculate the cost of discipleship. No one in his right mind, he tells us, starts a building project without first counting up the cost. The same principle holds true for kingdom building -- a costly project indeed.
Two people are discussing religion, one says to the other: “Sometimes I’d like to ask God why he allows poverty, famine and injustice when he could do something about it.” “What’s stopping you?” asks the second. And the first replies: “I’m afraid God might ask me the same question.” Faith doesn’t exempt us from doing. Faith is a call to action, not a substitute for it. To believe doesn’t mean to sit back and wait for God to do for us what we’re supposed to do for ourselves. An old adage offers sound advice: “Trust in God but row away from the rocks.”
A simple definition of “ministry” is “the work of God by the people of God.” It’s serving others, particularly the poor and disenfranchised, using the gifts, resources, and power God gives you. Through baptism, ministry is the responsibility of every member of the body of Christ, not just the ordained.
And speaking of the poor, don’t delude yourself into thinking that poverty’s only a third world problem. Last week, for example, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.3 million last year, while the ranks of those without health insurance swelled by 1.4 million. Approximately 35.8 million people lived below the poverty line in 2003, or about 12.5 percent of the population. And the rise was more dramatic for children. There were 12.9 million children living in poverty last year, or 17.6 percent of the under-18 population. What do you suppose Jesus would expect his followers to do about it?
Jesus recognized from the beginning that kingdom builders would have to be different from conventional folks. They would have to be willing to be unpopular; to be mocked and humiliated; to be treated as outcasts or misfits; to be viewed as failures and losers. Because the way of faith can be long, lonely and often filled with pain, time and again, as in today’s gospel, Jesus reminds us that kingdom building exacts a heavy price, perhaps even martyrdom. We all have crosses to bear and some bear heavier crosses than others, but no faithful follower can turn a blind eye to the suffering of another and remain in God’s favor. Service of God, quite simply, consists in what we do to our neighbor.
Jesus knew that the kingdom wouldn’t be built in a day or a generation. It was to be a spiritual project of formidable dimension that would require all we have for all the time we have. It would require single-minded focus and commitment. In short, he asks of his followers the same love, obedience, and devotion that he has for his Father.
A guy walks into a photography studio with a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted the photo duplicated. This involved removing it from the frame. In doing this, the studio owner noticed the inscription on the back of the photograph: “My dearest Tom, I love you forever and ever. I am yours for all eternity.” It was signed “Diane,” and contained a P.S. “If we ever break up, I want this picture back.” This “hedge your bet” style of devotion isn’t what Jesus has in mind.
Notice on a church message board – Work for the Lord. The pay isn’t much but the retirement plan is out of this world. Worth the cost? You calculate.
Anthony J. Sciolino
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 5, 2004 (Cycle C)
Wisdom 9:13-18b/129
Philemon 9-10, 12-17
Luke 14:25-33.