Luke
14:25-33
Gnaw
on This
I am still trying to learn the
culture of this place. So tell me, is
talking back to the preacher something you do here? I don’t mean long paragraphs; but one or two
or at most three word responses?
I would like to get a few responses
this morning. A few honest (short)
responses to how you felt as I was reading Luke 14:25-33. There are some pretty harsh words here. Rebellious teenagers may rejoice at the suggestion
of no longer living in passive compliance to the instructions of parents, but
how do the rest of you feel? “Whoever
comes to me,” Jesus says, “and does not hate father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters, yes, even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”
How do you feel, hearing these words
of Jesus?
My undergraduate studies were in
psychology. I chose that field with at
least the hint in my mind that I would seek professional work in the
Church. Which is to say I still think of
psychological things as I share the Gospel.
We know that unless an emerging young adult does place the ways and
believes of their parents on a shelf and construct their own belief system they
will not have a faith sufficient to face the complexities of adult life. They may return to many of the same
confessions and affirmations, but unless this time of turning and rebuilding happens
they will remain in the category of “borrowed belief.” So, it would seem, Jesus knows his sociology. Unless this developmental step is taken one
can never be the self-guided, self-definitiated persons Jesus hopes us to
become.
But that doesn’t mean we won’t feel
somewhat unsettled at Jesus’ words.
Oh yeah, he also says, “None of
you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”
Got your attention now – don’t
I? Unless you have already dismissed
this as another one of those finger pointing sermons where some sucker in an angel’s
robe stands in front of you and talks about something they know nothing about. Give me just two more minutes of your attention
before you dismiss me and move on.
I want to place all of this in the
context of another verse of scripture; one that we all read – or sang. Verse 2, in Psalm 1. You can refer back to it in your bulletin – we
sang it this morning in English. If you
want it in Hebrew, look at the sermon title.
Too often, we hear or allow one
sentence or one phrase to stand alone. It is called proof-texting. This error is most common among those who
have a legalistic way of approaching scripture.
Psalm 1:2 would have us approach scripture differently. This verse reminds us that our relationship
with God and God’s Word is to “meditate” on it; meditate “day and night.”
And if we did read Hebrew, we would
realize the inadequacy of translation.
The Hebrew word translated “meditate” is hagah (haw-gaw). In
attempting to understand this word, “to muse” is among the options. To muse is to think about something which
leads to “meditate.” But hagah also implies to “moan, growl,
utter, speak.” My favorite translation
concluded with the encouragement to gnaw on scripture – to chew it repeatedly,
perhaps because some sentences and phrases are tough and extremely difficult to
swallow.
In too many instances, a verse or
phrase is pulled out and set up as some sort of a proof-text. Some will point to Luke 14 and say, “There! This is what you must do if you are to be one
of Jesus’ disciples.” Give up your
possessions; hate your brothers and sisters!
Hagah on Luke
14 and you start to ask yourself (honestly and privately) where you have placed
your emphasis and where are your priorities.
It may be too extreme to ask Jesus’ people if they hate life
itself. But it is reasonable to ask
whether we have allowed life to restrict our circle of concern. Maybe we don’t have to give up all our
possessions, but how much we spend on dining out could be held in tension with
how much we have given to feed the hungry.
The two examples Jesus uses in this
short exchange reinforce rational reasoning over emotional allegiance. A builder and a king take stock of what they
want to do and what resources they will devote to the project. It is more than social humiliation which
might lead to their calling a halt to a course of action. They allow themselves to realize there is no
reason to even try to go there.
It is my hope, my prayer, and my
intention, that every one of you will go home this afternoon and struggle with
the place God and God’s Word has in your life.
I hope you will gnaw (Hagah) on what you have heard Jesus saying this morning. And I would love to hear back from you the
parts too tough to swallow. I would also
like to hear the benefits and delight which come from being dedicated enough to
dig and dig till that morsel of flavor is exposed and enjoyed.
There are plenty of places where
Luke 14 is read and someone will say, “There you have it.” Maybe you wish this place (and this sermon)
was one such place. As I said, I am
still trying to learn the customs and ways of this expression of Jesus’
Church. Forgive me when I give
offense. None is intended.
As I gnaw on Luke 14, I find myself
agreeing with commentator Mitzi Smith when she writes, “I propose that Jesus
does not refer to a hate toward family members in the sense of an absence of
love.” Rather, Jesus asks where we find
our final security and identity.
Perhaps like many of you, I took my
babies to church when they were only a few weeks old and standing by the
baptismal font I asked God to do for them what I could not do for them. I asked God to guide them and teach them and
to help them to experience and come to know the things I want them to learn. In that exchange I acknowledged that my flesh
stands in the way of making such eternal promises. As I asked God to provide those things for my
children I was directing my children to hear God’s Word and find in that Word
assurances I am incapable of giving them.
I have gnawed on these verses for
years. And I am still embarrassed when I
read the part about giving away possessions.
I bought a camper, just in case I might be able to get away to an occasional
NASCAR race. When I realized most
campgrounds at NASCAR tracks don’t have electricity, I bought a 30 amp
generator! So I could have air
conditioning!
But I will groan and growl some
more this afternoon. And I will ask
myself whether I have come to love my stuff more than I love God.
Their
delight is in the law of the Lord,
And they
meditate on God’s teaching day and night.
Amen.
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