How Not To Get Votes

"Imagine a politician standing on a soapbox addressing a crowd: ‘If you're going to vote for me,' he says, 'you're voting to lose your homes and families; you're asking for higher taxes and lower wages; you're deciding in favor of losing all you love best! So come on—who's on my side?' The crowd wouldn't even bother heckling him, or throwing rotten tomatoes at him. They would just be puzzled. Why on earth would anyone try to advertise himself in that way?" (Luke for Everyone, p. 180, Tom Wright)

A Language of Extremes

Isn't this what Jesus was doing? No one could accuse Jesus of not being a very dramatic person. Today we hear him urging us to put aside everything and everyone, even our own families, in order to give ourselves up completely to the task of following him. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is to stand in the way of following Jesus. He even tells us that we must hate father, mother, spouse, brother and sister to be his disciple.

But to be fair to Jesus, we have to realize that in the language of his day, the way that they expressed their preference of one thing over another was not by saying, "I prefer this to that." No, the Aramaic language used extremes. They would say "I love this and hate that" in order to express their preference for one thing over another. And so Jesus was making a clear statement that if we wanted to follow him, we must not put anyone or anything between him and ourselves.

Listening And Following

All of this is telling us that it's possible to be a listener of Jesus without being a follower. The distinction is important. Knowing what Jesus said, understanding the words we read in the gospel, knowing how the church interprets them—these are all important. But of greater importance is actually living our lives the way Jesus wants us to live them. The key to all of this is a deep and unswerving commitment. It's not good enough to be a follower of Jesus when it's easy or even when it might be an advantage for us.

Any real commitment means that we stick with it no matter what. Every married couple knows that it is their commitment to the marriage relationship that enables them to go through the difficult times. Their marriage vows really mean something to the way they deal with hard times in their marriage. Those vows have the power to see people through some troublesome and trying times.

A Blank Sheet of Paper

A woman once asked a minister this question: "Will you please tell me in a word what your idea of consecration is?" Holding out a blank sheet of paper the pastor replied, "It is to sign your name at the bottom of this blank sheet, and to let God fill it in as He will." That surely implies a total willingness to follow the Lord no matter where we are led.

The important word in that phrase "total willingness" is "total." Anyone can say they are willing to follow the Lord when life is fine, and following God's will takes no real effort. But it is an altogether different matter to follow the Lord when the following is full of trouble, and, at times, makes no human sense to us. Our first impulse is to leave by the closest door.

Fair Weather Disciples?

It's easy to be a fair weather disciple just as it's easy to be a fair weather friend. Everyone likes a sunny day. But when the clouds start rolling into our lives, we're not so happy anymore, and all we think about is the sun. But as followers of Jesus we're in for the long haul. And sometimes it is a long haul. The crosses that come into our lives are rarely welcomed by us with open arms. We often fight against them and sometimes we out and out reject them. But Jesus says, "Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple."

"Christian spirituality isn't about sitting at the feet of some guru for a seminar at a retreat. It isn't about having a nice comfortable, safe dose of spirituality in your life to make you feel good whenever your thoughts run deep about ultimate questions and eternal destinies. Jesus called people to follow Him - and there was only one place He was going: a cross. The true nature of spiritual living involves sacrifice, duty, and commitment."

(James Emery White, You Can Experience the Spiritual Life).

But along with sacrifice come a satisfaction and a deep joy which nothing can take away from us. Our psalm today prays: "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." The cross is not the end of the road. The Risen Christ calls us through our many crosses to the joy and peace that will never end.