Luke 9:51–62

⁵¹When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. ⁵²And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. ⁵³But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" ⁵⁵But he turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶And they went on to another village. ⁵⁷As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." ⁵⁸And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." ⁵⁹To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." ⁶⁰And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." ⁶¹Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." ⁶²Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Just as we go through different stages in our lives, Jesus went through different stages in his life. Today there is a change about to take place in the life of Jesus. The time was drawing near for him to be taken up, which meant he would be "lifted up on the cross." So he set his face on Jerusalem. Jesus knew what awaited him in Jerusalem. He knew it was the city that had killed the prophets and that it would kill the Son of God himself. He had to die in Jerusalem, because that is where the Temple was, and the Temple was the only place that sacrifices were to be made.

So Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem. He did not turn and run. He did not avoid the fate that was waiting there. He was resolute on going through with the plan to suffer and die for our sins.

So now the story takes a turn for the worse. Up until now, we read about his miracles, and all the great and marvelous things he did and taught. But from now on, the life of Jesus will be marked with conflict and difficulties. He will face mounting opposition. He will be ridiculed and falsely accused. His popularity will decline. He will be rejected by the people. He will be abandoned even by his friends. He will then be betrayed, denied, whipped and beaten, made fun of, tortured, and killed.

So as Jesus turned toward Jerusalem and began his final journey he sent his disciples into town to find a place for him to stay overnight. But right on cue, the people of the villages did not allow Jesus to come to their towns. The rejection of Jesus had already begun. He was not welcome. Just as today he is not welcome in the lives and hearts of many people.

But the disciples were offended. They were angry that these people had spurned Jesus. They were just like us when someone offends us or spurns us. We are hurt and we want to get even. "That person is not treating me right. He doesn't give me any respect. He treats me like I wasn't worth anything. He doesn't listen to me or respect my authority." So we get angry. We feel hurt. We want to fight back. We resent that person. And that resentment builds up and rots away at our insides. It eats away at our attitudes, our joy, our peace of mind. We lose sleep at night. We turn bitter. We wish we could call down fire from heaven to destroy them.

This is the way of our world. It is the way of our culture. We insist on our individual rights. We insist on getting our way. How many a friendship is ruined because we want our way? How many a relationship is broken because we insist on our rights? Even if it means hurting others. That is the way of the kingdom of this world.

So James and John went to Jesus and asked, "Do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" That would be fair. That would be justice. They offended Jesus so they should pay for their offense.

But Jesus has a different way of dealing with offenses. His way is a higher way; a nobler way. His way is the way of God's kingdom. In God's kingdom the rules are different than in kingdoms of men. Justice takes on a different shape. Retaliation is handled differently. Differences between people are dealt with in a superior way.

In God's kingdom love reigns, not retaliation. In God's kingdom forgiveness and peace reign, not vengeance and fighting. He did not strike back when reviled. He did not retaliate. He turned the other cheek; he forgave the offender, he loved his enemy, and he prayed for those who persecuted him. Jesus once said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God." Jesus was a peacemaker because he was the Son of God. And "...God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

Here is the remarkable thing about Jesus: rather than retaliate against those who sin against him, he gives his life for them! He gave his life for you! Rather than demand payment for all the things you have done against God and against other people, Jesus took the punishment himself and paid for your sins. You are forgiven! There is no retaliation from God. He has promised to not count your offenses against you, and he sealed that promise with the water of Baptism.

That is the whole meaning of Jesus' life, suffering and death. His disciples didn't get the point. They didn't understand the purpose of Jesus' life. They didn't understand his mission. He came to absorb all offenses and sins into his own person and then crucify them on the cross.

That means that every offense you have ever committed against someone, every hurt you have ever caused, has been paid for by Jesus. He has absorbed all that hurt and pain you have caused into himself and took it to the cross. The cross is the sign of God's love and forgiveness. The cross is the source of all healing. Here on the cross of Jesus our broken relationships find healing. On the cross the bitterness and conflicts between people find peace. The cross of Jesus is the basis for reconciliation to mend broken relationships and to restore friendships. The cross of Jesus reunites, restores, repairs, and forgives. The cross of Jesus is justice, because on the cross the sinner's offenses are paid for. Justice has been met out. Payment has been made. Revenge has been taken. Retribution has been paid. Jesus paid it all both for you and for the one who has offended you.

Therefore, if Jesus has paid for the sins of someone who has offended you, who are you to accuse that person and judge him? If God has suffer those hurts and blows you have received, then who are you to retaliate, to condemn, to hold grudges? All retaliation is made impossible for the disciple of Jesus, because Jesus has paid for and absorbed into himself everything that your brother has done against you. The cross makes retribution and bitterness impossible for the follower of Jesus. The name Ha-Satan means "the accuser." When you accuse the one forgiven by Jesus you align yourself with Satan. If there is vengeance to be had, God is the one to do it, not you. To judge and condemn others, to harbor resentment, to hold grudges is to usurp God's throne and reject Christ's forgiveness of your own sins.

On the cross your sins were forgiven and by the word of Christ you have been made his disciple and follower. The power of the word read in the worship service and preached from the pulpit and sung in liturgy and hymn is the power of God to save you from your sins and to make you followers of Jesus.

After hearing the words of Jesus, someone came to Jesus and said, "I will follow you wherever you go." But Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another Jesus said, "Follow me," but the man responded, "Let me first go and bury my father." Jesus said, "Leave the dead to bury their dead." And finally another said he would follow Jesus but after saying goodbye to his family. Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Jesus is showing that the way of Jesus is the way of self-denial. It is the way of the cross. Jesus came to suffer and pay for your sins. And those who follow Jesus must also share in his life of suffering. The life of the follower of Jesus is a life of self-denial, not following the natural desires of mankind; not, as the disciples wanted, seeking revenge. The life of the baptized is the life of the cross. The cross you bear for following Jesus is to put away your sinful desires; the desire to get even and pay back others. The follower of Jesus does not hold grudges or keep record of offenses. That is not the way of the cross. "Love is patient and kind; It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." That is the way of God's kingdom. That is the way of the baptized follower of Jesus. To love your neighbor, even when he is your enemy, to forgive the one who offends, to pray for the one who persecutes you, that is the cross that the follower of Jesus bears. And bearing that cross will result in your glory and honor on the day that the Lord appears.

That is the way of the kingdom of God, and Jesus told the man, "Go and proclaim the kingdom of God." The follower of Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of man. The follower of Jesus seeks the forgiveness and salvation of all people, even his enemies. He tells others about Jesus and invites them to come, hear, believe and receive forgiveness of their sins. The passion of the follower of Jesus is to save the souls of all people. His number one concern is for the eternal salvation of everyone. Evangelism and mission are the top priority to the follower of Jesus. Evangelism and mission are the top priority for the church for this is the commission Jesus has given us. Even when it means sacrifice; even when there is a price to be paid, a cost attached to it; even when it means giving up your right to get even; even when it means having to forget about your hurts and offenses and when it means forgiving others, the follower of Jesus seeks the salvation of all people. That is the way of the cross. That is the way of God's kingdom. That is the way of glory and honor forever.

Amen.

Let us therefore walk with fear, that with a firm faith we may hold fast to the riches of God's grace and joyfully give thanks to his mercy forever and ever. Amen.