Reflection on Luke 16:19-31

 

Luke 16:19-31

[Jesus said:] ¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was being tormented, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶ Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house ²⁸ for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ ³⁰ He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Reflection

It is so easy to get distracted from what is truly important in this parable about the rich man and the poor man, Lazarus.  If you are anything like me, I get distracted because of where the rich man ends up in the story after he dies.  The story reads:

“The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham.”  The rich man also died and was buried.  In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.  He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’”

These verses immediately fire up my imagination and I think of the images of hell as depicted in Dante’s Inferno.  Dante’s Inferno of course is the poem which inspired many artists to paint images of hell containing demons dragging people beneath the ground into the searing fire below, and people being strapped to medieval torture devices all while suffering intense heat. 

If I were in one of those really big churches, I would throw up on the screen a picture of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” which is found covering an entire wall in the Sistine Chapel.  Had I the technological capabilities, I would zoom in to show you the bottom of the painting which depicts shocking images of the devil peering out from the flames as his minions yank people by the hair, bite their flesh, and rip people out of loved ones arms in order to drag them down to the fiery pits.  However, I am not the pastor of a huge church with large multi-media displays, so you get this.  

Scary!  I know!

But I have to tell you that all of this hell imagery is a distraction which does not allow us to see the true meaning of this parable.  I would like to point out that this image of the devil and the fires of hell that are so clear in our minds today are not derived from the Bible, but are primarily derived from Dante’s 14^th century poem.

Now, fire does show up in the Bible, but mostly when it shows up, it is not about some sort of eternal punishment.  Rather, fire is used in the Bible to bring about God’s justice.  That is how the prophet Amos used it.  The fire of God’s justice in Amos seems to make the same point as Jesus makes in this parable.  Amos says, “Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it” (Amos 5:6).  And, why would this fire of justice come?  Amos continues:

“Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate” (Amos 5:11-12).

Now, that all sounds vaguely familiar: images of a fire of justice, rich men trampling on the poor and pushing aside the needy at the gate.  This sounds almost exactly like a story that you may have heard about two minutes ago.  It is a story about a poor guy who is brought to the gate of a rich man, who simply seeks scraps of food. 

In the time of Jesus, rich people would build benches outside the gates of their homes and the poor would come and sit on these benches, waiting for some scraps of food from the rich people inside. 

Why would the rich build these benches you might ask?  After-all, we are used to seeing spikes upon gates and under city overhangs in order to repel those who are poor from camping out. 

In Jesus’ time, having the community see how good and honorable you are as you hand out scraps of food to the poor went a long way to prop up your social credibility.  It was the ancient form of posting videos of your good deeds on social media today.  This charity was absolutely self-serving, but at least the poor were being helped.  Obviously, not everyone helped in this way.

Jesus tells a parable (which you may remember is a made up story designed to prove a point) of a guy who does exactly what Amos warns us not to do.  This rich man pushes “aside the needy in the gate.”  And, because the rich man pushes aside the needy in the gate, he encounters God’s fire of justice. 

Again, it is easy to get distracted here.  I, regrettably, have ignored plenty of poor people in my life, and the images of those flames get personal quite quickly.  “They’re just going to use the money for booze,” I think to myself, and I imagine the fire is lit.  “I don’t have the time to deal with them right now,” I think to myself, and I imagine I am starting to sweat.  “They’re just lazy, they need to get a job,” I convince myself, and I imagine the demons pulling me down into the punishing fire like in the medieval paintings. 

I want to remind you that in the Bible the image that we see as hell has long served as a type of sermon illustration to point to a deeper truth.  Take one of the most common terms in the New Testament that we translate as “hell”: Gehenna.  Not to be confused with Gahanna, Ohio, which I am sure is quite lovely. Gehenna which is often translated as “Hades” or “Hell” in a lot of your Bibles, was actually a very real place in this life.  It was a valley (also known as the valley of Hinnom) located just southwest of Jerusalem.  It is where Jeremiah says that children were thrown into the fire and sacrificed by kings.  I know; scary stuff.  In Jesus’ times, Gehenna was a trash pile full of scraps and carcasses which were perpetually burning, flames and ash rising into the sky.  This fiery pit served as a perfect sermon illustration for God’s justice.

You can still visit the holy land and see Gehenna today.  Today it is a beautiful valley where people take leisurely strolls.  Young people in love take selfies of themselves…in hell.  But, it was far from a lush paradise in Jesus’ time.  Instead, the burning trash heap was used as an image of what it is like to encounter the fire of God’s justice.  In other words, “Hell” was an illustration to point to a deep truth. 

Now, “Hades,” is the term used in our story.  It was the Roman place where all the dead went.  Good or bad, you went to Hades.  But what is really, really interesting in our story today is that the word for “torment” is paired with Hades.  The Bible reads, “In Hades, where he was being tormented…”  Now the Greek word for “torment” here is the word that means, “touchstone.”  A touchstone is a stone that you would rub on gold or silver to test the purity of the gold or silver.  The touchstone would tell the truth about the precious metal. 

The word was later used to indicate a torture device (thus the medieval paintings of torture devices in hell, I guess).  This development in the language actually makes sense because a torture devise is not used to kill; it is used to get someone to tell the truth.  The word for “torment” here is about getting at the truth.  Justice is about getting at the truth: the truth about the situation, and the truth about ourselves. 

Now, we are getting somewhere in understanding this parable, because the one thing that the rich man simply cannot allow himself to see is “the truth.”  Every single day the rich man feasts sumptuously, and every single day he seemingly cannot see the poor man, Lazarus, who was brought to his gate for help.  Lazarus is covered with sores and could not possibly be missed by the rich man.  There was this whole scene going on at his gate with the dogs licking the poor man’s sores.  You cannot miss that.  The rich man considers Lazarus a scrap.  A scrap asking for scraps, but only the dogs are fed.  The man dies poor.

The rich man also dies and goes to Hades.  While there he finds himself tormented by fires intended to get him to face the truth.  He looks up and sees Abraham with Lazarus.  He asks Abraham to send Lazarus to serve him some water. 

Seriously?  Even now, in the fires of justice, he is still so full of himself, that he cannot see Lazarus as anything but a slave.  He even knows Lazarus’ name.  Did you catch that?  He knew Lazarus by name, and still he never helped the poor guy.  He is so full of himself!

Abraham lays out the situation perfectly: there is this great chasm fixed between him and Lazarus.  The chasm is the man’s own separation from love of God and love of neighbor.  He cannot see Lazarus as someone worth helping.  He cannot see the truth of how he failed to love during his lifetime.  He cannot see the truth about himself!  It is almost as if there is no hope for the guy.  His life has a fixed chasm which pushes away God and all that God cares about. 

Because, that is what hell is.  Hell is separation from God and all that God cares about.  It is not simply the place where the guy with the pitchfork lives.  Hell is all about the chasm that separates us from God and all that God loves.  Hell is being separated from God. But, I think that you know that. I think that you have probably experienced that.

Do you know what the guy never once asks?  He never asks Lazarus for forgiveness.  He is unable to see the truth about himself.  He never sees the coldness of his heart.  He never sees the excuses he allows himself.  He never sees his lack of compassion.  He never asks Lazarus for forgiveness, nor does he even talk to Lazarus! 

He never asks God for forgiveness.  He is in Hades.  He is separated from God.  He stands facing this great chasm in his heart which lacks truth.  It is an empty hole devoid of love.  Though the fires of justice burn, he still cannot see the truth. 

But, if he could allow himself to see the truth, he would see something that is simply amazing.  He would not only see the sad truth about himself, but he would also see a man who goes to a cross to die and save a sad man like him.  He would see the man who is able to overcome the great chasm.  He would see the man who is able to overcome death and the grave.  He would see a man who is merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.  He would see a man who goes out of his way to heal and to save.  He would see the one risen from the dead, Jesus Christ.

Though the end of the parable is skeptical that someone rising from the dead could change anyone’s mind, Jesus still tells us this parable.  Why tell the parable if all is hopeless?  Jesus tells us the parable so that we can see.  Jesus has no desire for us to fall behind this chasm that keeps us from love and mercy.  In fact, Jesus desires more than anything that we be people of love and mercy.  Jesus desires that we be people of forgiveness. 

If only the man had asked Lazarus for forgiveness he would have heard the words, “I forgive you.”  How do I know?  In the very next story we are instructed to forgive.  People who are held close by Jesus are forgivers.  Jesus instructs that even if the same person sins against us seven times a day, and turns back to us seven times and says, “I repent,” we must forgive. 

We are a forgiven people, and we are a people of forgiveness.  We are a people who seek forgiveness, and we are a people who grant forgiveness.  And, when repentance and forgiveness shine in the darkness, chasms vanish.

What if I told you that your job is to make chasms vanish?  What if I told you that your own chasms do not have to remain fixed in place?  What if I told you that Christ’s table of forgiveness is big enough for you?  What if I told you that other’s people’s chasms could vanish if only someone could help them see Christ’s love?  Would all the chasms vanish?  Would God need to make the table longer to fit everyone?  After-all, God’s table is not a table of scraps.  It is a feast of love and forgiveness that is big enough for everyone. 

Shout out with joy!  It is a day to vanish chasms!

Reflection on Luke 16:1-13

 

Luke 16:1-13

1 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ 7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ 8 And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly, for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

  10 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If, then, you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13 No slave can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

 

Reflection

“Always look for the good news.  Always look first for the good things that God is up to.  Always look for the good news.”

That was the advice my preaching professor gave us future pastors whenever we encounter a confusing or tough Bible text.  It is hard to move forward on writing a sermon if you have no idea what you are supposed to be talking about.  Some Bible texts are just so inaccessible.  But the moment on Sunday morning where a pastor opens their mouth in the pulpit comes whether you understand the Bible text or not.

The preacher needs to have some way to crack open an impossible Bible text.  “Always look for the good news.”

I think this is sound advice in general.  Sometimes we find ourselves in a spot in life that is confusing and tough.  Sometimes we have no idea how to move forward, yet we have to move forward anyway.  And, this past week where tempers are flaring on the national stage in response to horrible shootings and the fallout from those shootings, mixed in with the normal stresses of daily life in this world of hurt people lashing out in the most inappropriate of places and lash out in the most inappropriate of ways; all I wanted to do was just shut it all off.  Early this week I refused to log into social media.  I refused to watch the news.  I refused to participate in conversations.  I hesitated to answer the phone.  I just refused because it was all a little too much.  Ever been there?  Are you there right now?

And that is not all.  On top of it all I was given this incomprehensible parable from Jesus to preach on about a rich guy and his terrible manager who is fired because he was “squandering” the rich guy’s “property” (Luke 16:1).  But before the terrible manager packs the coffee mug, picture frames, office pens (which he intends to keep), and the little dancing cactus from the top of his desk and takes the walk of shame through the office and out the door, in one last act of defiance, the guy goes out and manages the rich guy’s wealth even worse than before.  He just up and gives the guy’s wealth away.  He forgives people’s debts that they owe to the rich guy.  All this so that he might have a place to bunk for the night after he has no income.  “I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes” (Luke 16:4).  “I’ll just make myself look great!”

This is the kind of sneaky, sleezy politicking and managing that I am trying to get away from this week, and here it is right in my face.

And on top of it, the rich guy in the story “commend(s) the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly” (Luke 16:8).  I am so confused.  He commends the sleazeball?  Who does that?  Jesus, this is so unrealistic!  It is just more of the same garbage that we see on the news every single day.  No more.  I am out.  I am sick and tired of all this shrewdness and deception and self-centeredness and dishonesty.  I am out!

And yet, here I am.  Standing in the pulpit, because you pay me to say something.  And you prefer that what I say be smart, which is asking a lot from me.  And you prefer it to be deeply biblical.  And if possible, you prefer it not to be boring.  I do not think I can do all three.  But even if I could, where do I even start?

And in the stillness of that question, the voice of my seminary professor says, “Always look for the good news.  Always look first for the good things that God is up to.  Always look for the good news.”

So, we look for the good news in the parable and in life, but first the parable.  And the only good news that I saw was given to those men who were in debt.  Now just understand, they do not know what is going on between the rich man and the manager.  All the first guy knows is that he owes a hundred jugs of olive oil to the rich guy.  Just in case you wonder stupid stuff like, “How much was a jug of olive oil back then?” just like I do; I will tell you that a single jug was a gallon and a half worth of oil, and that at today’s prices for cheap olive oil, the guy would have owed about $7500.  That is outlandish!  How is he going to pay that back?  And out of nowhere his debt is slashed in half (Luke 16:6).  I am telling you what, that guy had a good day.  That was unexpected grace.  That was a run to the house and tell your wife what happened, sort of good news.

And the guy who owed wheat to the rich man, I am certain that the grace shown him when his debt was slashed from “a hundred containers of wheat” to “eighty” was just as gracious and wonderful.  I would have done the math for that one too but, I am just not a math guy.  I would rather stand up here, not knowing what to say, than try to do another math problem that is a sentence problem.

What I do know is that these guys were given a moment of grace, forgiveness, and joy, and they did not care if it was because of upper management problems.  They were given relief from their burdens, and that is always good news.

Apparently, God can take the most convoluted and deceptive of situations and transform them into moments of grace.  God can take deceptive and shrewd hearts and move them to act in ways of forgiveness.  And God can take fed up bosses and make them impressed.  The Bible says that the “master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly” (Luke 16:8).

I still do not buy it.  I do not believe that this rich man character would ever exist.  If you squander my money and then squander it some more, I am going to need to go on some blood pressure medication.  I am just saying.

But maybe that is Jesus’ point, because though we may not have a heart like that, God does.  God’s ultimate desire is that all creation might get a taste of divine grace.  And, when we are generous with what God has given to us, when we do that, we are finally acting with a heart that matches God’s own heart.

God wants us to be generous with God’s money.  All of it belongs to God people.  We just manage it.  God wants us to show grace using all that God has provided.  All that we have belongs to God, and when we use what God has given us for good, I imagine that God’s heart becomes so full that it almost bursts with pride.  Finally, they get it!  Finally, they understand!

“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). 

Just recently I heard a story that talked about this sort of faithful generosity.  It was on an episode of the Bible Project Podcast.  And it was about a pastor in Nigeria who was in the middle of the chaos and destruction caused by a civil war.  One of the most heartbreaking things that happened during the war was the destruction of his village’s school.  Looking at all the rubble around him, he could not even figure out where to begin.  It was all a little too much.  But he could not do nothing.  The children needed a school.

He had been taught in seminary about how God has a heart of generosity, and he had been taught that God provides.  We are the ones who despair.  We are the ones who cannot see the way forward.  But God is the one who can bring back from the dead.  God is a God of abundance.  Jesus rose from the dead and gave us a new way forward through the power of the Holy Spirit.  God has a heart of generosity and God provides.  Through God’s Spirit led people, God provides.  We just need to be able to open our eyes and see what God is up to.  Always look for the good news.  It is there. 

So, the pastor started going through the village, declaring that God has given them everything they need to get this school built again for the sake of their children.  “Everyone has been given something by God.  Anyone can give what they have been given by God to make this happen.”

He kept preaching that same message up and down the streets.  And this is where the story gets good.

In the village there was this woman with no home and no legs.  She had to drag herself by her hands everywhere she went.  And one place she dragged herself was to church.  During the service this poor woman dragged herself to the front of the church, with a chicken tucked in one arm, and told the pastor that he should sell her chicken to help build the school.

Of course, the pastor was horrified at the idea of taking the only wealth that this poor woman had to help build the school.  The chicken would only pay for one block.  He refused the gift, but the woman was indignant and said, “You said that anyone could give of what they have been given by God. I have this chicken.”

Jump ahead to the ceremony where they laid the first block.  The very first block laid was paid for by selling her chicken.  She was right there to help lay the block.  The pastor made a big deal about her extraordinary gift.  And the children of that school saw what that crippled woman was willing to do so that they might have a future.

The children were so moved by her generosity, by her grace, that they worked for the next few weeks to raise money to buy that Godly woman a wheelchair, and then later they raised money to then build her a home. So taken by her commitment to them, the children made sure she got to church every Sunday, taking turns to push her to church in her brand-new set of wheels.

Generosity did not only built a school in Nigeria.  Generosity built a community. 

Jesus said to “make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth (or this earthly wealth given to us) so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes” (Luke 16:9).  Generosity does not just build houses; it builds homes where people gather.  Generosity builds community.  Generosity shares God’s grace with neighbors.  Generosity is the way of God. 

So, when faced with the choice between two masters, wealth and God, I think I will choose God.  It is God who provides us abundantly with good news to share.  “Always look for the good news.”

Reflection on Luke 15:1-10

 

Luke 15:1-10

1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to [Jesus.] 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes (looks for) sinners and eats with them.”

  3 So he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

  8 “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

 

Reflection

You could say that sinners are lost in life.  They wander in dark places in this world where no one should wander.  But you do not have to be a terrible sinner to be lost.

You could be like the young widow who just wanted to be pretty.  It was one year since he passed, moved on, kicked the bucket…died.  The love of her life was dead, defeated by cancer.  Dead.  It was still a hard word to say. 

And, after one year she found herself staring at the face of another man.  He sat across from the table at the nice restaurant.  He was nice.

Why was she here?  It was because a week before she was staring at all the beautiful dresses in her closet.  For a year she had worn none of them.  They had no purpose.  And she just missed being pretty.  So, she put on a pretty dress and went on a date because she wanted nothing more than to be pretty, but she did not feel pretty.  She could not possibly be pretty because what she actually wanted was to be pretty for him, her husband.  And that was not possible.  And she was utterly lost.

You do not have to be a terrible sinner to be lost.

Of course, most sinners are lost.  The man who steals because that is how he learned to get by in life with absent parents is a sinner, and he is lost.  The girl who pushes other girls around in the bathroom because she is pushed around at home and needs to have some control, some power over someone in this life is a sinner, and she is lost.  The tax collector who charges plenty extra on top of the tax bill because he feels like the hateful negativity he faces everyday warrants a little extra payment is a sinner, and he is lost.  Most sinners are hurt people who are just trying to get by the way they know how.  And all of them have lost their way.  Our televisions and social media feeds these past couple of weeks have been just full of lost sinners, taking out their pain on other people, and all of them have lost their way.

But you do not have to be a terrible sinner to be lost.  A person could argue that the Pharisees and the scribes who grumble about Jesus are also lost.  I think that Jesus is convinced of this. 

The religious leaders see the “tax collectors and sinners” being drawn to Jesus.  They grumble and say not so quietly to one another, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:1-2).  But their accusations are even worse than that.  The Greek word for “welcoming” sinners can be more pointedly translated “looks for” sinners.  They grumble that Jesus “looks for” sinners and eats with them.  He intentionally searches for and hangs out with the worst crowds.  Who in their right mind does that?

But Jesus thinks that the people who search for the “lost” are the people who are in their “right mind.”  Those who walk away and do not search are no better than those who are lost.  In fact, those who walk away are lost themselves.

“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” Jesus asks (Luke 15:4). 

Who leaves ninety-nine sheep alone where wolves snatch and snakes bite to find one sheep?  No one!  No one in their right mind does that!  It makes no logical sense.  If you have almost $10,000 worth of sheep, who would risk losing all that value to find one sheep that is only worth $100?  No one in their right mind does that!

But Jesus is convinced that the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to find the one is the only person who is in their right mind.  Maybe he is right.  At least, I hope that he is right, because you do not need to be a terrible sinner to be lost. 

I have been lost in life, many times.  And I am willing to bet that you have been lost in life as well.  In fact, Isaiah 53:6 says, “all we like sheep have gone astray,” and I think that Jesus knows that.  All of us get lost.  We get lost in our pain, we get lost in our grief, we get lost in our loneliness, we get lost in our fears, we get lost in ourselves, and we get lost in our sins.  “All have sinned,” Romans 3:23 reminds us.  “All we like sheep have gone astray.”  All of us get lost and need to be found.  It is true.

One of my favorite viral videos that I can watch over and over again is of a sheep, trapped in a ditch.  The farmer pulls the sheep out of the ditch and sets it free to graze in the lush field and the sheep excitedly runs through the lush grass and excitedly jumps right back into the ditch.  The video is titled: “Actual footage of Jesus rescuing me from my bad decisions.”  It is so funny because it is so true.  All of us get lost and need to be found, again and again.

If you are the one who is lost, if you are the one who finds themselves alone with no one able or willing to help, you would want someone, anyone, to find you and help you.  When we are lost, we hope more than anything that someone will notice and leave the ninety-nine other sheep to find us.  When we are lost, we hope and pray that someone thinks that we are valuable enough to search for us like that woman that Jesus talks about who lost a silver coin and “light(s) a lamp, sweep(s) the house, and search(es) carefully until she finds it” (Luke 15:8).  When we are lost, we fantasize about the day that someone finds us and “calls together her friends and neighbors” and shouts, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost” (Luke 15:9).

In a world that often does not care; in a world where people are seen as expendable by corporations and expendable for bigger causes; in a world where we are encouraged to hide our pain and paint on a mask of happiness for the benefit of everyone else; in a world where it is so easy to get lost and not even be seen, I want you to clearly hear that Jesus rejects those who would choose to forget about you.  Not only does he reject those who would forget about you, but the Bible says that Jesus intentionally “looks for” those who are lost and “eats with them.”  God’s heavenly feast is not for the purpose of celebrating the ninety-nine sheep who are perfectly fine, the feast is thrown for you, O lost, forgotten, and broken child. 

Jesus will find you.  Every single time, Jesus will search for you and find you.  You belong to him.  You are worth finding.  You are as valuable as silver to God.  That is what the Bible says.  You are worthy of having a feast thrown in your honor.  You, who are lost, are worthy of being found.  You are worthy of being held.  You are worthy of being healed.  You are valuable to God, especially when you are lost in your pain.

Just as the woman decided that she just could not do this date, the man across the table looked her in the eyes and spoke.

“He still sees you, your husband.  And he still thinks that you are pretty.” 

“How did he know to say that?” she thought to herself as she broke down into tears and allowed the man to gently take her hands to comfort her.  How did he know? 

Some people have the God-given gift of finding.  Some people have the God-given gift of searching out those who are lost in pain and bringing them back to a place where they can find life.  It is a gift from God.

But it is a gift that is not limited to only a few.  The gift has been given to all of us.  All we need are hearts that have the ability care.  All of us have been given that.  Not all of us have practiced using that heart, but God has given all of us the gift needed to care. 

So, we follow Jesus and look.  We truly look at people.  We see the sinner and try to understand.  We see the lost, we see the person who has failed, and we remember that they too belong to God.  We follow Jesus as he searches, keeping an eye out for the pain.  We keep an eye out as we pass by the dark wildernesses of people’s lives.  And when Jesus stops to eat with them, we do as well.  After-all, we want to be there when the angels at the feast sing out for joy over the once lost but now found (Luke 15:10).

Reflection on Luke 14:25-33

Luke 14:25-33

25 Now large crowds were traveling with [Jesus], and he turned and said to them, 26 “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”

Reflection

Eight times in the New Testament we instructed by Jesus, and also by his apostles, to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Another eighteen time in the New Testament we are instructed to “love one another.”

In fact, the word “love” shows up in the Bible approximately one hundred, seventy-nine times.

I only mention this because love is all over the place in the Bible.  But as far as hate is concerned, Jesus instructs us to hate someone only once.  Most of us would assume that Jesus would instruct us to hate people zero times, but he does mention hating someone once.  And the object of hate is not who you would expect it to be.  Does he tell us to hate sinners?  No.  Does he tell us to hate those who hate us?  No.  Does he tell us to hate cooked spinach?  No, and many children are instantly disappointed.  Jesus does not even instruct us to hate Satan.  It is true.  Look it up.

So, who does he instruct us to hate?  Assuming that your mind did not wander to your shopping list during the gospel reading, you already know.  Jesus instructs us to hate, “father and mother,” dear old mom and dad, “wife and children,” and to every teen’s delight, also “brothers and sisters” (Luke 14:26).  I can hear it now, “See, Jesus even said that I can hate her!”

“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

(Smack!)  “I’m just trying to be a good disciple!”  I can hear it now.

You can guess that the Family Life Network probably does not use this Bible verse in their mission statement.

“Hate.”  That seems so strong.  I want to talk about that right off the bat because it is strong.  The word “hate” certainly gets our attention because it makes us think of angry men and women taking to the streets to condemn people because of the color of their skin, or it makes us think of how Aunt Jackie treats poor ex-uncle Mike.  Hate.  It makes me think of my relationship with my alarm in the morning.  What a way to start the day.

Now, the Greek word here could mean that type of extreme dislike, but you need to know that this word was also used frequently to mean to “love less.”  You could say that I should “hate” Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, meaning that I should love them a little less so that I might eat healthier.  It is not a bitter dislike, I love those things, rather it is a shift of focus.  I am going to hate, or love less something that is getting in the way of loving something else even more.

In other words, it is putting your number one concern into the number two place instead.

For example, when my father first moved to Nebraska, he was shocked at just how devoted Nebraskans were to the Corn Huskers.  You think Penn State has devoted fans.  In Nebraska when the football game is live and the Huskers are playing; you can hear that game everywhere you go.  Are you hungry and you need pizza?  No worries.  You will not miss the game.  It is being played over the speakers at the local Pizza Hut.  Do you need to run and grab some formula for the baby?  No worries, you will not miss a single failed attempt at a touchdown because the game is being broadcast overhead as you walk down the baby food aisle. 

Husker fans are insane in their devotion.  Once my dad’s boss came up to him, Corn Huskers cap on his head and said, “You know, God is way up here in my life, and the Cornhuskers are just underneath.”  That enraged my dad, because he knew that the guy was lying.  The Corn Huskers were so far higher than God in that man’s life.  Everything he did revolved around when those games were played.  It was the guy’s conversation topic at the café during breakfast every single morning.  My Dad could not think of a single time that his boss brought up God at breakfast.  Nor could he think of a single time that the man chose an event at church over driving over to the big game.

I suspect that his boss was not alone.  I suspect that most Christians will say God is number one in their lives.  So, I will ask you, if God is number one in your life, what is number two?  Other than God, what shapes and drives your life? 

I have spent the last couple of weeks asking around in one way or another, and here are some of the answers:

“My family, for good or bad, shapes my life.”

“My dad thinks he is in charge, but everyone knows that my mom is in charge.  Everyone listens to her, including me.”

“I feel like my work controls everything.  I hate that, but it is true.”

“Money.  It is definitely the deciding factor on so many things.”

“When we eat supper.  Everything else is life revolves around that.  I am diabetic.”

I do not know about you, but in listening to these answers, I suspect that many of these number two answers are actually number one answers, thereby putting God in the number two position. 

“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

So, yes, even family can get in the way of following Jesus.  Even the needs and wants of this life can get in the way.  But Jesus desires that we might have more than this divided attention.  All these other things need to be a little less.  All these things need to be in the number two position.  Jesus desires that we would, in all things, be able to cling to God.

It is a desire that Moses had for us as he urged the people in his day to, “Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him [clinging to him], for that means life to you” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). 

Clinging to God means life.  Choosing to cling to God above all other concerns means a deep nourishment for body and soul.  Psalm 1 puts it this way: those who cling to God’s ways are “like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.  In all that they do, they prosper” (Psalm 1:3).

Jesus hopes that our attention may not be divided.  Jesus hope that we might love less those things and people who we allow to pull our lives into a direction that can suck us dry rather than give life.  Jesus desires that we cling to him so that we have no choice but to follow him.  He is our rock.  He is our strength.  He is our hope.  We cling to him.

We cling to him like I clung to my wife while on a romantic backpacking trip.  One night, miles into the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, we had set up camp.  It was windy and it was getting cold, and nestled inside the tent I clung to my wife.  As the wind was blowing outside, she asked me what I was doing, and I said, “It is windy and you are my anchor.”  Now that I look back, I can see why that did not come out as romantic as I had intended.

But, when we say that Jesus is our anchor, and that we cling to him, he is not offended.  He wants nothing more than for us to cling to him and to cling to all those other things a little less. 

“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

On the subject of becoming a disciple, I just learned something new about the ancient world this week.  When you became an adult, you basically had two paths that you could take for employment.  You could either work for your father and older brother, or you could leave the family business and join an apprenticeship with another group of people, a sort of worker’s guild.  And, when you joined a guild, it was like you were joining a new family.   You ate and slept with these people.  You engulfed yourself in learning this new trade.  You, basically, set out to live an entirely new way of life.

And, it is this very idea that Jesus uses when describing discipleship to his followers.  When following Jesus, we leave one life to live another.  We stop following one person to start following another.  We “love less” our former lives so that we can fully love the new one given to us as a gift. It is a life in which we focus primarily on Jesus.

After-all, his primary focus was always on loving us.  Jesus’ focus was on teaching us.  Jesus’ focus was on healing us. Jesus’ focus on us took the shape of a deep love that would go to the cross to save us.

What if the focus of your life was that kind of selfless love?  “Carry the cross and follow me” Jesus says (Luke 14:27).

Can you imagine if Jesus was not focused on loving us?  Can you imagine if Jesus was just like one of us?

We feel the buzz of our phone in our pocket, take it out and see that it is Jesus.  We hear on the voicemail, “Hey it’s Jesus, I’m on my way to save you from the power of sin and darkness, but I’m behind a slow-moving semi…”.  In reality, Jesus was in bed, opened his eyes, and in a panic yelled, “I set two alarms!  How could I sleep through two alarms?  It is cross day!” He slips on yesterday’s clothes and scrambles to find his nice shoes. Giving up, he slips on some crocks hanging out by the door. It is OK, at least he will be comfortable, as he heads to the cross.

Can you imagine if Jesus was one of us?  If Jesus was like us, he would be driving toward the cross focused on the cross, but then he would catch the sight of Dunkin’ Donuts out of the corner of his eye. “You know what I really need before going to the cross?” he would think. “A coffee. The cross is important and that’s why I am stopping so that I can have a coffee and stay awake for the cross.”

But Jesus never did that!  You could say that he chose to “love less” those sorts of things so that we might have the gift of life.  “Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,” Moses once instructed (Deuteronomy 30:19).  Jesus chose life.  He chose life for us.  And we are free to do the same.  We are free to follow only him.  We do not need to be held hostage to our number twos.  We are free to love and be loved.  We are free to let go of these possessions, which seek to have a hold on us.  Loving us was Jesus’ number one concern.  Loving and following him, therefore is ours.  Welcome to the guild of Jesus.  Welcome to discipleship.