“Bury the Dead” (Luke 9:57-62) - Not a Fan IV -

“Flexitarians”

Have you heard “flexitarian”? Probably some of you have heard this word from Kyle Idleman’s Not A Fan Bible study. This is a term voted most useful word of 2003 by the American Dialect Society. Several years ago MSNBC did a report on the new Vegetarians. Here’s what one flexitarian, Christy Pug, said: “I usually eat vegetarian. But I really like Bacon.” Christy explains it this way, “I really like vegetarian food, but I’m not 100 percent committed.” Flexetarian is a good way to describe how many people today view their commitments. Flexitarians are committed until it becomes inconvenient and uncomfortable. It’s probably ok to eat a flexitarian diet. But when it comes to committing to Jesus and Bible, flexitarian approach doesn’t work. Many Christians say, “I really like Jesus, but I don’t like going to church. I love Jesus, but don’t ask me to pay tithes. I worked hard for that. I will follow Jesus, but don’t talk to me about my marriage life. The list goes on. I really like Jesus, but…” We call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ, and then we pick and choose as if the teachings of Jesus were a buffet.[1] Let us ask ourselves: when it comes to our relationships with Jesus, where are we living as a flexitarian?

“On My Terms”

In today’s scripture Jesus meets many people who want to follow him. His conversations with three of them are written in Luke 9. Those three prospective followers are in different circumstances, but all three have one thing in common. They want to follow Jesus on their terms. The first one says, “I will follow you wherever you go.” On the surface, it sounds like this person offers an unconditional commitment to Jesus. But in reality, it is not. Jesus replies, “I am homeless. Are you still willing to follow me?” Then this man walks away, because he wanted to follow Jesus if certain conditions are met. Then, Jesus says to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replies, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus says to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Here it sounds like Jesus is so harsh and hardcore. But actually, what the man is saying is this: “Lord, first let me go home and live with my father. After my father is dead, then I will follow you.” In other words, here he is saying, “Lord, now is not a good time. I will follow you at a later time.” Jesus says to another man, “Follow me.” He says, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Here this man is making excuses for delay, “Lord, I have family obligations and things to take care of. I will follow you later when conditions become favorable.” All three are basically saying the same thing: “I really like Jesus, but I am not 100% committed.” But Jesus says to them, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day" (v. 62). Jesus makes it clear that if a choice is to be made, God and our commitment to His kingdom must have first place, even over family considerations. 

“On Jesus’ Terms”

In fact, today’s passage needs to be understood in the larger context. Right before today’s passage, Luke 9:51 says, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Jesus just resolved to go to Jerusalem to be crucified. And now on the way he finds several people who want to be his followers. In this context, to be followers means to walk on a narrow path with Jesus and die with him. Dietrich Bonhoeffer rightly said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” This is cost of discipleship. Salvation is free; Discipleship costs everything. The path to following Jesus is not a part-time job. It is a perpetual assignment. For disciples, there is no moment when they are not “on call.”

Today we celebrate “World Communion Sunday.” As we break bread together, we remember all Christians around the world. We remember that we are one body in Christ. We remember that we are connected and united in Christ. In particular, this morning I want us to remember persecuted Christians. For them, cost of discipleship is real. Some are disowned by their family and deported from their community. Some are tortured and killed. A few years ago my previous congregation set up a sisterhood relationship with a mission organization for North Korea. And we did a 100 Day Special Prayer with North Korea’s underground Christians. Each day we read same scripture passages, and weekly we received communion where we were. For me personally, it was a powerful experience. I felt connected with them. I felt honored to be called their brother.

Around that time I heard a story about four North Korean young men. They crossed the border and asked the Christian worker, Paul, in Northern China for help. This worker helped them find food and shared with them the love of Christ. All four became Christians. For their safety, the four men chose to use fake names. One of them used the name “pencil.” Three of them grew in faith, but Pencil seemed an undisciplined, out-of-control boy who refused to grow up. After several months of discipleship, these three young men decided to carry the gospel back into North Korea. But Pencil reluctantly joined them. After six months, three of them were arrested by State Security police. They were brutally beaten in front of the public, arrested, taken to a concentration camp. Pencil was terrified, ran away, became a beggar. But two months later, he crossed the border again and met Paul. Paul asked Pencil, “What do you want to do with the rest of your life?” Pencil replied, “I want to learn how to be brave like my friends, and unafraid to share Jesus.” After two months of intense discipleship, Pencil sensed God was ready to send him back into his homeland. There he began a ministry to homeless people, the poorest of the poor. After five months, Pencil was arrested. At the police station, one by one, they pulled out Pencil’s fingernails. But he didn’t renounce Jesus and shared the gospel of love with the interrogators. Then he was sent to a political prisoner camp. He was allowed no food, but his labor quota remained the same. But Pencil continued to share the love of Jesus with other prisoners and guards in cheerful spirit, saying, “Jesus is the reason I am able to go on.” After two months in the camp, Pencil died. But because of him, many people in the camp turned to Christ. One of them was the camp’s top State Security Agency officer. He was greatly troubled by Pencil’s death. Later, he and his whole family were baptized and became Christians at risk of death.[2] For Pencil and persecuted Christians around the world, to become a follower of Jesus means to choose Jesus over their family, their community, their country, and even their own life. How about us?

“Anything, Anytime, Anywhere”

Once a young man approached an older Christian with this question: “I live in a place where it’s hard to experience martyrdom or persecution. In this kind of environment what does it mean to follow Jesus?” The old man said, “A follower has no further plans of his own.”[3] I can’t agree with him more. A follower puts all of his or her trust in Jesus. A follower always says, “Yes, Lord to anything, anytime, anywhere.” So what does living as a follower look like? Probably, it is different for each person. Some of us are called to serve where we grew up; some of us are called to journey thousands of miles away. Some of our Christian brothers and sisters live in hardship and lose their life for the faith, like Peter who died for the faith, while others live a long life, like John who died of old age. But there is one thing in common. Followers obey on Jesus’ terms, not on their terms.  

Fanny J. Crosby describes the joy of obedience as a follower of Jesus in this way:

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels descending bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

“Perfect submission, perfect delight.” These are the follower’s words. Amen.

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[1] http://crosswalk.ccphilly.org/no-exception-clause, Excerpt From: Idleman, Kyle. “Not a Fan Daily Devotional.” Zondervan, 2016-01-01.

[2] North Korea: Good News Reaches the Hermit Kingdom (Bartlesville, Living Sacrifice Book Company, 2008), 16-23.

[3] “I have been crucified with Christ!” (Chito Cordero, May 14, 2014), Asian Journal, http://asianjournal.com/lifestyle/i-have-been-crucified-with-christ/