“Jesus Turns to Jerusalem” Luke 9: 51-62

What’s on your list? No, not your to do-list - though we all have one of those in one form or another. No, not your dream wish list, of things you would like to do in the future, be it near or far. Not even your grocery list. I mean your excuse list. Silence. No one likes to talk about excuses, yet we all have them do we not? Reasons we give when we can’t seem to fit one more thing into our schedules or simply do not want to do something? In other words - what are our go-to excuses that we keep in our back pocket? Jesus knows what is about to come. He knows that his death is quickly approaching, so he sets his sights and his feet towards Jerusalem - the place of culmination, where his arrest, trial, death, and ultimately resurrection are about to take place. But, he also is trying to make every moment count getting there. So he sends disciples ahead of him into a Samaritan village - but the people did not welcome him. The folks in this village had their own list of excuses as to why they did not extend Jesus and his disciples hospitality - some of which went back hundred of years. In fact, it wasn’t surprising at all that they weren’t offered hospitality - for the Samaritans and the Jews struggled to be in relationship with one another. But as those who know what is coming up shortly in the story, what is surprising is the welcome that Jesus will receive in Jerusalem as he enters through the city gates on a donkey - only to then have everything turned around just a few days later, as the shouts of adoration become shouts to “Crucify him!” However, his disciples, put off by their lack of welcome, have their own response that they want to engage in - calling down fire from heaven to destroy this city. Jesus didn’t just stop them, he rebuked them - that’s not what this Kingdom thing is all about. So he continues to move on towards Jerusalem and his heart set on the mission. Because there is no stopping along the way now. Along the way, before he even gets to Jerusalem, folks come up and say that they want to be part of this Kingdom thing - want to be a disciple of Jesus. But like the disciples traveling with Jesus, they too didn’t fully understand what the Kingdom and being a disciples is all about. The first tells Jesus that he will follow wherever he goes. Only Jesus looks into the man and sees what he is truly asking for. A place to be. A place to settle. So Jesus replies “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” And the man is never mentioned again. He turned away. Have we been there, friends? Have we too, not desired a place to be? It’s part of the American dream, is it not? To have a place to settle down, to build a home. A place of safety to lay our head that is ours in some way, shape or form. But Jesus is telling this man that the mission is not about being stationary or about you being provided for, its about pointing people to God. And for his disciples that means hitting the roads, getting dirt in their sandals and preaching everywhere that will welcome him. The man’s excuse, that he perhaps didn’t even know that he had, was that he wanted a place to call home, and for Jesus’s followers that simply was not anywhere on this earth. The next man Jesus actually extends the invitation to, to come and follow him. But his excuse is to first let him go and bury his father. Now all sorts of folks who study scripture and are smarter then I am say that this man’s father - he isn’t even dead yet. In other words, let me wait, because as part of my family obligations I need to tend to my father until I can bury him. But there is no time frame for how long that may be. So Jesus responds in this statement that seems really harsh - let the dead bury their own dead”, but what Jesus was trying to do was set this man free from his perceived obligations, the obligations that culture and society had put on him, and instead give him a new obligation to proclaim the Kingdom of God. For Jesus, that was the mission, that was of the upmost importance. But the man turned away. Then a third man approached and said I’ll follow you - but let me go say goodbye to my family first. And once again Jesus replies in this way that seems harsh on the surface, No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. This man’s excuses was actually from the root of a lack of resolve. It is so unlike Peter, who just a few chapters earlier left his job, his boat, his family, and a big hull of fish to follow Jesus. And in all of these excuses Jesus saw what was holding folks back from truly following him. Now are any of these things bad? Of course not. But they can also easily become stumbling blocks that cause people to walk away from the mission. Walk backwards from the call of the Kingdom. In that vein, let me lift up a few beautiful, good things that may become stumbling blocks and excuses for us today. First, the idea that there is a difference between being saved and following Jesus. Friends, having a personal relationship with Christ is a wonderful thing. But it is not once and done. We do not get to accept Christ and be in relationship with him simply as a ticket to heaven and then go about living our lives on our own terms. In other words, salvation and discipleship are linked in a way that makes following Jesus non-option for those who claim Christ as their Lord and Savior. But how often do we hear excuses, or maybe even give excuses, about how we have already had a salvation experience with Christ, so we don’t need to do anything else? The truth is that we are continually being formed by Christ and we are continually called to serve Christ, setting aside our excuses that prevent us from fully following him. It’s our response, every single day to God’s grace and love. Another excuses, or stumbling block is that I’m not enough. That I don’t know enough. Have enough. Am not good enough. Friends, there will never be a time when we are truly enough. Instead, Christ reminds us that he is enough to meet our every need and shine through our every weakness, so we can set aside our fear, anger, shame and guilt in order to follow him. Another excuses is “I’m simply not good with people.” Friends, this Kingdom mission is all about people. People who Christ loves and who we are called to love in return. Even if you aren’t good at it, Christ can work in your heart to help you be sensitive to the needs of others and speak the Gospel truth to them in a way that touches their hearts. Friends, as we grow in faith, part of that process is shedding our excuses. Setting aside that which can become a stumbling block in order to eagerly follow Christ. Let us confess our excuses this day and make room for Christ to transform and continually form us anew.