Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my
disciple.
·
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a
comfort for us in so many ways. It tells us that the Good News of the grace of
God is for all people, no matter their age, income, gender, or nationality. It
tell us that the promises God gave to the Hebrews are for all of us. It reminds
us that no one is excluded from the kingdom of God and all that it means.
·
There are times, though, that it
makes demands on us. Let’s not make any mistake about this: As free and as
freeing as the Gospel is, it is not without cost. We all know this; it’s right
on the label as it were. The symbol of our faith and our discipleship is
nothing less than the cross of Jesus Christ. Right off, we know there is a cost
that has been paid.
·
For each of us, our discipleship has
cost us much and will continue to cost us. Let’s take a look at today’s
readings.
·
The Old Testament reading from the
book of Deuteronomy carries God’s word to the Israelites, telling them that
they must choose between life and death. Following the commandments and
ordinances of God will lead to life, while refusal to do so will lead to death
and in the understanding of the time, expulsion from the Land of Promise and
separation from the promises of the Lord. In our own time and particularly in
the light of Jesus, we might interpret this passage in a different way than the
original audience did, but the choice is still there.
·
In his letter to Philemon, Paul tells
his fellow Christian of the conversion of a run-away slave who belonged to
Philemon, a man by the name of “Onesimus.” We’re not going to discuss the
morality, the justice, or even the
reality of slavery in the time of the apostles. Suffice it to say that slavery
existed and Paul accepted it as the reality of the times. He begs Philemon to
receive Onesimus back because he is a fellow disciple of Christ. He makes a
play on words using Onesimus’ name, saying Formerly he was useless to you, but now
he is indeed useful both to you and to me. In Greek, the word for
“useful” is “Onesimus”, the name of
the slave who was useless but is now useful and valuable to both Philemon and
Paul. The cost involved in this has to do with how the relationship of Philemon
and Onesimus has changed. It can’t be like it was since master and slave are
not equal in the eyes of the Lord and Onesimus can be treated no
longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but
how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. If nothing
else, attitudes will have to change and we all know how tough that can be.
·
Jesus’s words in the portion of
Luke’s Gospel we read today do not pull any punches; Discipleship is going to
cost. 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. … none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your
possessions.
·
Hard words indeed! We might ask if
Jesus is exaggerating a little or a lot. Hating family and life itself sounds
like “hyperbole”, a figure of speech used to make a point. This might be the
case.
·
However, such phrases uphold the
truth that discipleship is not club membership or something we can simply carry
on a card in our wallets. It cannot be a hobby or a leisure-time activity. It
is far more important than that. It is nothing other than a life-defining relationship.
It shapes us, our values, and how we live. There will be a cost, but it isn’t
the same as “dues” we might pay to some organization. It is a whole different
thing - relationship rather than membership
·
There is one thing about discipleship
that cannot be emphasized too much. Discipleship is not how we win God’s
favour, attract God’s attention, or earn God’s grace. If it is reduced to that,
it becomes another human endeavour, another religious function we can put in
the bank, another “work” proving our own righteousness. Discipleship is a
response to what God has done in Jesus. The breaking-in of the Kingdom of God
proceeds any and all decisions to follow Jesus.
·
Jesus was also telling the crowds who
were attempting to follow his way that at the end of that road was the Cross
and those who were not willing to see that journey through to the end would not
see the Cross. Nor would they see his Resurrection, his Glorification, or the
pouring-out of the Holy Spirit with all those events could mean.
·
All this is known to us because we
have an advantage over Jesus’ first listeners. We know the entire story the
Gospel is relating. We know the end of the story before we even start… and we
rejoice in it.
·
It is true that discipleship is a
task, but it is first a gift, a call, and hope for our daily life journey. It
is an invitation to walk with Jesus.
·
Our discipleship began in earnest
with our Baptism and it is renewed and possibly begun again with each new
morning. Each and every day, we decide to answer Jesus’ invitation and follow
him.
·
As the old hymn and the prayer of St. Richard of Chichester says:
Day by day,
Dear Lord, of thee three things I pray:
To see thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
Follow thee more nearly,
Day by Day.
Dear Lord, of thee three things I pray:
To see thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
Follow thee more nearly,
Day by Day.
No comments:
Post a Comment