Reading the Fine Print - The Discipleship Clause

Proper 18C, Deut. 30:15-20; Luke 14:25-33; St. Paul’s, Smithfield, NC 9/4/2016

Jim Melnyk: “Reading the Fine Print: The Discipleship Clause”

  

  Let me share with you a few words from Deuteronomy and from John’s Gospel – they’re words familiar to us all.

From the book of Deuteronomy: “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Deut. 5:16).

From the Gospel of John: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Strong, faithful words of promise and hope.  Now, let’s revisit today’s Gospel lesson: “Large crowds were traveling with [Jesus]; and he turned and said to them, ‘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.   Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple’” (Luke 14:25-27)…. ’So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions’” (14:33).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Holy Hyperbole, Batman!  What in the world is Jesus trying to say?  This is a bit too crazy – a bit too much.  It’s got to be an exaggeration of some sort.  And, actually, it is.  Once again Jesus uses Semitic hyperbole – purposeful exaggeration – to drive home an important truth – to give his words greater punch.  Jesus uses these words to underscore – to italicize – to say in all caps – following me is costly!  God’s love is freely given – but living in the fullness of that love, with all its implications for our lives and the life of the world, has a price tag.  Grace is free – but it’s not cheap!

Count the cost, says Jesus – know what you’re getting into when you follow me!  Don’t take on all this Christian stuff on some kind of a lark – it’s not just for fun or just for show – and it’s definitely not a Sunday picnic.  This is meant to be serious stuff.  It’s life-shaking – life-changing – world-changing stuff we’re dealing with here.  Know what you’re getting yourselves into.

The words of Jesus have a Moses-like ring to them.  They smack of our Old Testament lesson for today.  Jesus tells us that following him has to do with choosing God or choosing the world – with choosing life or choosing death – choosing to be in relationship with God or not.  For Moses and for Jesus, the choice is between entering into our full humanity – into the deepest wellspring of who we are meant to be, or living life on the surface – never fully knowing or understanding what it means to be partners in the fullness of God’s creation.  And in the end, living life on the surface isn’t really living life at all.

We might call this the “Discipleship Clause” of the New Covenant – though some of us might be more inclined to call it the “Gotcha Clause.”  Imagine Jesus standing in front of you, handing you a sheet of paper. “Would you please read this and sign at the bottom?” he asks.  “Oh, and would you be sure to read carefully those last two paragraphs and initial them for me while you’re at it?”

“What is all this?” we ask, scanning the page.  “And what are those last two paragraphs you want us to initial?” 

“It’s a copy of our covenant,” says Jesus.  “It’s an outline of how we can live together in a way that honors each of us as it honors God.  The last two paragraphs are the tough part. 

I want to be sure you’re on board with them before we dot all the “i’s” and cross all the “t’s.”  I want you to know what you’re getting into if you follow me.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I find this “Discipleship Clause” quite disconcerting.  Even if it’s holy hyperbole.  Taking away the exaggeration doesn’t make it much easier – and believe me – I spent a lot of time this week trying to figure out just how much exaggeration, and how much true expectation this clause might hold.  I know that Jesus doesn’t really want me to hate Lorraine, or Jake.  But neither does Jesus want the Gospel to be ignored because of them. 

I couldn’t find a single credible source that could sufficiently demythologize or spiritualize away the personal responsibility in these words.  No matter how hard I’ve tried throughout my life to fudge the meaning, the context, or the thought process, I just can’t shake the reality that there is a cost to being a disciple of Jesus.  Jesus’ call is different – his call goes below the surface – it goes beyond the margins.  As much as we might hate to admit it, the Discipleship Clause requires our willingness to take up the cross and follow Jesus – and there are no loopholes in the agreement. 

But “the language of cross bearing has been corrupted by overuse.  Bearing a cross has nothing to do with chronic illness, [terrible work conditions,] or trying family relationships” – as serious as they may be. (Alan Culpepper)  Cross bearing has to do with the consequences of our conscious decision to voluntarily become disciples of Christ. “Cross bearing requires deliberate sacrifice and exposure to risk and ridicule in order to follow Jesus” (ibid) – in order to partner with Jesus in his ministry of reconciliation in the church and in the world around us.

In the end, being a Christian means being willing to give up something of who I am, so that God can transform me into who I’m truly meant to be.  Being a Christian means being willing to give up something of who we are, so that God can transform us into who we’re truly meant to be.

Jesus was never interested in casual listeners who let his words pass by them like a breeze.  He was looking for folks to stand in the midst of his teachings like stones in a rushing river – allowing the current of his words to reshape them much like a river wears down the sharp edges of the stones.  The words we read from Luke’s Gospel today, and many of the recent Sundays this summer were never meant to make folks feel comfortable – the Gospel in all its fullness is anything but comfortable.  The words spoken by Jesus as recorded by Luke probably caused many of those casual listeners to leave – and that’s a danger we face today – an unwillingness to listen to or accept the fine print found in the covenant we have with Jesus. 

The cost of discipleship is paid in its own form of currency.  It may mean a redirection of life – or a change in vocation – it may have to do with how we live out our personal relationships, use our time, or use our financial resources.  It may mean changing the stands we take on social and political issues in ways that are consistent with the new Community of God proclaimed by Jesus – in ways that may make us unpopular or even put our very lives at risk.  For Jesus, the cross is very real – there is no hyperbole there at all.  Sacrifice is real.  Giving up something of who we are and what we have for the Gospel’s sake has to be real or it has no meaning at all.  

The Good News is that Jesus isn’t really telling us to hate our parents, our children or our spouses. 

But Jesus is telling us, “If anyone has to compartmentalize me and my teachings, closing them off from their thoughts and actions in a particular moment – if anyone has to suspend their willingness to follow their covenant with God in order to feel comfortable with their life decisions – then they must ask themselves if they haven’t already left me behind.”

Following Jesus is not a part-time job.  It’s not a Sunday morning only commitment – but rather it’s all about how we live out our lives in between Sundays.  The Discipleship Clause makes following Jesus a full-time commitment to a new way of life.  True discipleship costs us our lives, and being faithful to the Gospel, we can offer nothing less – and in being faithful to the Gospel, the unfolding kingdom of heaven is our reward.  Amen.