Stray Thoughts: Jesus' Call to Hate

During my daily Bible reading recently I bumped into something that made me pause and question. Here’s what I read.

If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:26

One of the words stood out to me. It was the word ‘hate’. Really? Jesus wants me to hate? And to hate people who are the closest to me? This can’t be right. If I did this wouldn’t I be disobeying some commands from God, like honoring father and mother? But there it is in the Bible.

I think that you can see why I had to stop and think about this.

Agony

We are here to remember Jesus, our Savior, to remember how He endured so much for us on the Cross. We are here to remember Good Friday. But to do that we are not going to look at what Jesus was doing on that Friday but rather what He was doing on the evening before. We’re going to look at Jesus at prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. And we’re doing that because a careful look at what happened in the Garden will help us all to understand a little better what happened at the Cross.

Listen to how Luke describes Jesus at prayer.

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22.39-44

Agony. It’s a word that carries quite a picture with it. This is a kind of pain, but a pain that has been ratcheted up. Jesus is in agony. Why? That is what we are going to consider this evening.

Strive

A couple of weeks back we had a Gospel Reading that stood out to me. You may remember it as the time when the children wanted us all to know that they have doors in their homes. It seemed good to the Spirit for me to preach on it. So, first, listen again to that Gospel Reading.

[Jesus] went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, ​“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ​When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ ​In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Luke 13.22-30

Bearing the Cross

Our text is from Luke 14. We’ve been here before, and that rather recently. It’s here that Jesus explains what is required if someone is going to be one of His disciples. We’re here again because there was something Jesus included that I didn’t deal with last time. Today, we’re going to take a look at that.

Please listen as I read Luke 14.25-33.

Requirements

When Jesus walked the earth He was looking for more than just converts. He was looking for disciples, people who would follow Him. So, from one perspective, the Gospels are accounts of Him calling people to follow Him. And in those Gospels we see Jesus gaining – and losing – disciples. One thing that I have appreciated about how Jesus did this is that there was no fine print to be discovered later. Jesus was up front about what He was calling people to. Being one of His disciples would be demanding. He would be demanding. And there are lots of places where Jesus makes that very clear. Our text is one of them.

So, please listen as I read Luke 14.25-33.

A Life Lived Well

Today, is Palm Sunday, the day when, historically, the Church has spent some time remembering and reflecting on Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. There are many different perspectives that one can take on that event. There’s the theme of coronation from Psalm 2: ‘As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.’ You can see Jesus’ arrival in the context of King David dancing before the ark of the Lord as it was carried into Jerusalem. Then there’s Jesus’ most interesting comment about the stones crying out. That’s more than poetic overstatement. Something cosmic is going on. Creation is also affected by what Jesus is going to do. But whatever else may be true of Jesus’ arrival, this certainly is: As Jesus rides into the city, it is clear to Him that by Friday He will be dead. We’re going to poke at that perspective and see what it has to teach us about how to live well.

So, please listen as I read our text, Luke 19.36-48.

Peace on Earth

I’ve talked to you before about what I call ‘church words’. I’m going to talk about another one today. Before I do I want to be clear about something. I have nothing against those words. There’s nothing wrong with them. Actually, the problem is with us. These words have become so familiar to us that we no longer see them. As a result, we no longer think about them, and that’s a problem. This relates to a bias I have. I agree with the Psalmist. ‘Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!’ Or to translate those church words, ‘Everyone should be passionate about Jesus.’ Everyone. And that includes you. But if you are going to be passionate about Jesus, and see that passion grow, then you need to think. You need to think about the Gospel. You need to think about all those church words so you can understand what they are pointing to. You need to think about all of that. And that’s why I translate church words. I want to make it a little easier for you to think about them. So, today, we’re going to look at another church word. My goal is to help you think about this church word so that your passion for Jesus would grow.

Listen as I read Luke 2.8-14.

Working At Following Jesus

Luke 13.23-24

Last week I spoke to you about God's blessings, and I referred to the too many Christians who are not experiencing those blessings and know it. I said, ' ...they do not enjoy God's blessing, things like His peace or Gospel fearlessness. They do not enjoy the shining smile of their Father's face. And they sense that lack. They may pray for these things, but they don't seek for them as God has prescribed.' Today, I want to follow-up on that thought and develop it a bit. I want to talk about prayer and how it relates to working at following Jesus and in this way experiencing God's blessings. And I'll tell you right up front what the main point of the sermon is. When it comes to being a faithful Christian, to following Jesus well, to enjoying the blessings of the Father that flow from this, prayer isn't enough. That's what I want to make very clear to you. And I want to make it clear because thinking this way can result in a serious problem.

One emphasis of good Bible preaching and teaching is the emphasis on grace. Our Father gives us all that we need but not because we have earned it. What we've earned is His just punishment. Nevertheless, the Father does give us what we need. And He does that because Jesus has earned it for us. All His gifts are gifts of grace, gifts freely given. Another emphasis of good Bible preaching and teaching is the promises attached to prayer. The Father stands ready to shower His children with blessings. He promises to answer prayer. Some put these two together - grace and prayer - and unfortunately conclude that when it comes to following Jesus well and enjoying His blessings, all we need do is pray. But then they find that it doesn't work. 'I prayed about it. But nothing happened.' That is frustrating, confusing and very discouraging. And that's the problem that I want to address.

Let's consider some examples. How does the average Christian respond if he is faced with some decision, but he isn't sure what to do? One classic response is to quote this verse from James. 'If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.' So, this Christian prays and asks God for wisdom. The plan is then for the Christian to make his decision, assured that the choice made will be right because he asked for wisdom and God promised to give it. However, it doesn't always work out. Sometimes the decision proves to have been rather unwise. The situation turns out all wrong. And it feels as if God hasn't kept His promise. If this happens more than just once in a while our Christian friend begins to wonder about that verse in James. The assumption, 'All that is required to enjoy Jesus' blessings - like wisdom - is a little prayer', begins to be questioned. Something feels very wrong. When faced with this kind of situation, too many conclude that either the verse is broken and that the only way to proceed is to depend on whatever wisdom they can muster on their own, or that they are somehow not praying in the right way, whatever 'the right way' means. Not everyone comes to these sorts of conclusions but too many do. The problem, however, isn't a broken verse nor is it that God only answers the perfect prayers of some elite. The problem is the assumption. 'All that is required to enjoy Jesus' blessings - like wisdom - is a little prayer.' Listen to this from Proverbs. Wisdom is speaking. 'I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. ... And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.' It doesn't sound like prayer alone will get you wisdom from God. It sounds like gaining wisdom takes diligent seeking, listening carefully to instruction, watching daily at wisdom's doors. It sounds like gaining wisdom takes work.

Let's consider another example. John 3.16 is probably the most famous verse in the Bible - and rightly so. The point of the verse is clear. Believe in Jesus, and you will be saved. It sounds simple. It even sounds easy. And that's what lots of people conclude. All you need to do is pray the sinner's prayer, and it's all good. Just believe in Jesus, and you're home free. That is, after all, what so many are told. But then what about these words from Jesus. 'Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.' This sounds hard. It sounds as if it will take some serious effort.

Another example. 'Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.' The promise of Scripture is that we will be made holy. God is faithful and He will do it. Again, many look at verses like this and come to the faulty conclusion that their sanctification, their becoming holy, is on automatic pilot. It's something certain to be achieve all on its own. But then we encounter exhortations like these. 'For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.' Paul repeats the same imagery here. 'Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.' Then there's this startling word from Jesus. 'And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.' That sounds more than hard. It sounds violent.

And then there is Jesus' famous call to discipleship. 'And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."' Jesus utters His call to follow Him, to be His disciple. And He is clear. Those who follow Him will need to be ready to say, 'No!' to their desires: self-denial. They will need to be ready to see all that is precious to them destroyed: bearing the cross. This is Jesus' call to discipleship. It takes more than prayer. It's hard.

And this is what our text is about. 'Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.' Being a Christian, following Jesus in such a way that one can enjoy the blessings of the Father, involves more than being sure to pray. Faithful discipleship requires squeezing through tight doors, walking on a difficult path, seeking daily and diligently by carefully listening to instruction. Faithful discipleship requires striving. This is hard. This is demanding. This is all-consuming. All of this helps us to understand why there are so many confused and even defeated Christians who, overwhelmed by their troubles, can only say, 'But I prayed about it'. After trying to deal with this, some just quit. They tried being a good Christian, and it just didn't work for them. So, they leave the faith. Others aren't quite so radical, but because of their confusion, their expectations of being a Christian are minimal. There are just too many unanswered questions about how following Jesus works. Then there are those who, in the face of all of this, just try harder. They try harder at their prayers. They try harder at doing what Jesus calls them to do. But because they don't have a clear understanding of what's going on, they are frustrated and are fighting discouragement all the time. And any talk of joy in following Jesus just adds to their confusion.

There's the problem. What's the solution?

Let's go back to that James 1 situation. You need wisdom. So, what should you do? You should ask. So far, so good. The problem comes in thinking of this promise primarily in terms of crisis moments. That is, you appeal to this promise when some issue confronts you and demands a decision. But that's not what the Spirit intended by this promise. The promise is to be appealed to by an ongoing, every day kind of prayer. That means you don't say, 'Give me wisdom right now for this decision'. Rather, your prayer goes something like this. 'Help me, Father, to be diligent in seeking the wisdom that I need to live faithfully as Jesus' disciple day by day. And show me what I need to see.' And then, you crack open you Bible to find that wisdom, confident that it will be given to you. Or when it comes to holiness, you pray, 'Father, I want to be holy, and I know that you want to bless me so that become holy. So, help me to deal with this sin. [And here, be specific. Name the sin.] Show me how to put it to death. Make it possible for me to be vicious with it so that it will no longer plague me.' And then, attack that sin. The same attitude applies to Jesus' call to discipleship. 'Lord Jesus, I want to follow you well. So, show me where I need to deny myself. Make me willing to have what I love nailed to a cross for Your sake.' And then, as the Spirit points out some specific area where you are weak in your discipleship, deal with it until it is no longer an obstacle to following Jesus whole-heartedly.

I hope you noticed that along with hard work, the solution does include prayer. But it is a certain kind of prayer. Too often prayer becomes an attempt at a short cut to avoid the hard work of following Jesus. So, we pray to be suddenly wise without having to do the hard work of diligently seeking for this wisdom in Scripture. We pray to be holy, freed from some sin, without having to wrestle with that sin until we pin it to the mat. We pray to follow Jesus well without taking seriously the call to self-denial and self-crucifixion. And then, we're confused when our prayers don't seem to work. I doubt that anyone actually says, 'I think that I'll skip the hard stuff and just pray for what I want.' And yet, isn't that the trap that we sometimes fall into? Fooled again by our ancient foe. And what is the result? Well, that brings us back to where we started. The result is not enjoying the blessings of the Father and knowing it, but not knowing what to do about it because we tell ourselves, 'But I prayed about it'.

Our text is a good reminder, a fitting word for us to ponder. Enjoying the blessings of the Father takes more than prayer. It takes work. It takes an enormous amount of work. The Gospel is simple. But it's not easy. Following Jesus is hard. Jesus' language of 'striving' is so appropriate. But once we see what we are called to do, then prayer makes sense. It makes sense because following Jesus without the power of the Spirit is impossible. So, it is good and right to pray. But it must be wise prayer, not prayer as a short cut. We pray over the details, the means to the goal of following Jesus well. We pray to accomplish specific tasks, like gaining particular bits of wisdom from the study of our Bibles. We pray about specific sins that block our way so that these might be destroyed. We pray about the particulars of walking faithfully in the ways of Jesus. We pray that we will strive to enter. And then we get to work, confident that we will be blessed in our efforts because we know that our Father is full of grace and ready to give more than enough to any who ask.

Giving Thanks

Luke 18.9-14

The giving of thanks is at the heart of what it means to be someone created by God. It is a basic expectation that God has of all of us. We can see this in Paul's letter to the Romans as he makes his point that all people are sinners. 'For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him...' Of all the things to point to as clear evidence of our sinfulness Paul includes the failure to give thanks to God. It really is that serious. And so, one sign that salvation has actually invaded a person's life is that he is thankful to God.

Now, the ability to give thanks is not just a matter of flicking a switch. It's not that once someone is converted the thankfulness light bulb is on and shining as brightly as it might. The ability to give thanks to the Father is something that must develop. It's a process, just like every other aspect of sanctification. So, part of learning how to follow Jesus is learning how to give thanks. The goal of this morning's sermon is to help you in that process. We are all at different places when it comes to our sanctification, our becoming like Jesus. But it is my hope that what I have to say this morning will help all of you to develop this aspect of your relationship with your heavenly Father.

Let's look at someone who gave thanks. Let's look at the Pharisee in this parable of Jesus. There is much for us to learn from him. The first thing that I'd like you to notice is that everything that the Pharisee said is true. His prayer is accurate and honest. He isn't an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer. And he wasn't like that traitor to Israel who collected taxes for the Roman occupation forces. The Pharisee spoke the truth. And then, consider his religious practices. I recently read something from Psalm 119 that fits here. 'You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.' You want diligent? This Pharisee was diligent in keeping God's Law. The Law required that he fast one day each year. But he shows his desire to be diligent in this by fasting much more than that. And the Law only required that some of the produce of the land be tithed. Again, wanting to be diligent, he went beyond that requirement. So our Pharisee friend not only speaks the truth about himself, he also shows great zeal for the Law of God. And then, to top it off, he acknowledges that he is doing as well as he is only because of God's kindness. Did you notice how does he begins his prayer? 'God, I thank You...' This is a prayer of thanksgiving. What we have here is this Pharisee in the Temple offering up a great prayer of thanks.

So, why do we dislike him? Our almost automatic response to him is negative. It's almost always that way whenever we encounter a Pharisee in the Gospels. Why is that? What's wrong with him and his prayer? Well, he's a Pharisee. And we all have learned to think of the Pharisees as the bad guys. If this were an old western, the Pharisees would wear the black hats. So, whenever we read 'Pharisee' in the Gospels we quickly think 'bad guys.' But they weren't all evil. You need to remember that Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Another reason we dislike this Pharisee is that he is the negative example in this parable. But why is he that? What exactly is wrong with his prayer? Would it be wrong for any of us to offer a similar prayer of thanks? 'Thank you, Father, that you have kept me from falling into the serious sins that have snared so many, bringing such harm to them and others. Thank you for the pious habits that have been established in my life, Bible reading, prayer, Sunday worship, things which I diligently pursue.' Is that such a bad prayer? It doesn't seem so. But there must be something wrong with it. It is, after all, the negative example in the parable.

It's here that we take the next step. And it begins with this assertion. If someone wants to develop his walk with Jesus, he needs to consider what's going on in his heart. This is all about the importance of self-examination. We can't just look at the outside, at our behavior. We need to consider what is going on inside also, within our hearts. But - and getting this is essential - to do that well you need to know what you're looking for. If someone had asked our Pharisee friend, 'So, how are you doing Spiritually?', what do you think he would have answered? I think that he would have responded with something like, 'Oh, I think that I'm doing pretty well.' But he'd be wrong. I suspect that he would have looked only at his behavior. But let's assume that before he answered that question he had, in fact, taken a look at his heart. If that were the case, he didn't do a very good job. Jesus said that only one of the two men of the parable went home justified - and it wasn't the Pharisee. The giving of thanks is key to a restored relationship with the Father, but that calls for more than just saying the right words. It's also a matter of what's going on in the heart. If a person isn't careful, he can be fooled like the Pharisee.

Now we're ready to consider the tax collector. Jesus includes him and his prayer as a contrast to the Pharisee and his prayer. The tax collector's prayer is simple, yet so profound. 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' Let's take this apart to see what makes this a prayer to be imitated. I have four thoughts here. And they all relate to what's going on in the tax collector's heart.

First, the tax collector had a deep sense of his sinfulness. This man knew that he was approaching a very holy God. And he also knew that he had no business doing such a thing. He was, after all, a great sinner - and he knew it. His awareness of his sin shows in several ways. For one thing, he was standing far off. Remember that the significance of the Temple where these men were praying was the Holy of Holies. That's where the special presence of God resided. So, instead of coming up as close as he could, our friend finds an out of the way corner somewhere in the back of the room, and there he offers up his prayer. He feels his sinfulness, so he does not dare to get too close lest he offend the Holy One of Israel. There is another indication that he understood the seriousness of his sin. He would not even lift up his eyes to heaven. From Psalm 123: 'To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.' The lifting up of the eyes is a look of eager anticipation and expectation. But the tax collector does not lift up his eyes. His eyes are cast down. You see, he is ashamed of himself, deeply ashamed. He cannot look up. He dare not look up.

Do you see what's happening? We are seeing the man's heart. By his actions he reveals to us what is going on in there. Just by watching him we know what he is thinking. 'What an offense I am to Your majesty, O God. I don't deserve to be in the same universe with You. You are the Holy One, and I am such a sinner.' Here is someone who knows about his sin.

That was my first thought about this prayer, his awareness of his sin. Now, the second. He knows what his great need is. He is a sinner in need of forgiveness. Now, you'll notice that I've separated his sense of need for forgiveness from his awareness of his sin. And there is a reason for that. We are too quick to jump from awareness of sin to a request for forgiveness. To the extent that someone makes that jump quickly, to that extent he is centered on himself. 'I'm a sinner. Quick, God, forgive me!' This person is only thinking about himself. But isn't such self-centeredness just another expression sin? Sometimes people can sin by rushing too quickly to the request for forgiveness. We need to remember that the worst thing about being a sinner is not that we might go to hell. The worst thing about being a sinner is that we have offended the holiness of God. Our need of forgiveness is important, but it is of secondary importance. The prayer of the tax collector is a God-centered prayer. First, there is awareness of his sinfulness. By itself. The focus is on the offense to God's holiness. That's why he stood far off and dared not raise his eyes. Then, and only then, does he move to express his need of forgiveness. And how does he express that need? 'But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying...' Again, we see the heart of a man expressed in his actions. What is this 'beating of the breast'? This is how someone in that culture would express deep remorse. Deep remorse. The man is expressing his repentance. He sees his sin. And he hates it. 'Such vileness! How ugly! What an offense to God!!' Here is true repentance. True repentance always precedes forgiveness. And it is about to lead to that here.

Something remarkable has happened. This man has expressed so much of his heart, but we have not yet heard one word! Words can be cheap. Don't be fooled by them. The heart is more clearly revealed not by words but by actions. The man has been praying by his actions for quite a while. It's only now that he adds words. And what does he say? 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' Such brevity and yet, such profundity. Powerful, honest, God-honoring prayer does not have to be long. Did you see how he defines himself? It's as if he were saying, 'If you take all that I am and boil it down to the bare essentials, all you'd find is my sin. I am a sinner. Not some decent person with a few flaws. No! A sinner. That is who I am and what I am, and nothing better than that.' His plea to God then makes complete sense. He understands himself as someone without any resources to deal with his sin, without any goodness to appeal to and thus persuade God to act, without anything to commend him to God. And so, what can he ask for but mercy?

My first thought was about his sense of sinfulness expressed in a God-centered way. My second thought was about his sense of need, the need of forgiveness, and how he went about pleading for it. Now, my third thought is about being his being humbled. Jesus describes the tax collector with an epigram. 'For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.' The tax collector humbled himself before God. Now, please understand. Being humbled before God doesn't mean that you hate yourself or that you generate some long list of negative traits to present to him. Humility is simply the fruit of acknowledging the facts of reality. And that's what the tax collector was doing. 'Lord, I am a sinner, and I am in desperate need. My only hope is that You are a merciful God.' Being humbled before God is simply being honest with Him. And if nothing else, the tax collector was certainly honest with God.

All this leads to my fourth thought. Jesus said, 'I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.' The language of being justified is just a technical way of talking about being restored to the Father. When the tax collector left the Temple, he went home blessed with the smile of his God. The fruit of being justified, of having your relation with the Father restored, is always the same. It's all about joy in the Spirit and peace of conscience, the assurance of God's love and so many other blessings of the Gospel. And to this Jesus adds the promise of an amazing life in heaven. '...the one who humbles himself will be exalted.'

So, back to the Pharisee's prayer. What was wrong with it? Why was it such a poor example of a prayer of thanks? The problem wasn't with the words. The problem was with the heart that offered the words. The attitude of his heart was all wrong, and the example of the tax collector revealed that. The point to take away is not that when you pray your heart needs to be expressing the same things that the tax collector's heart was expressing. The point to take away is that we need to be aware of what's going on in our hearts, especially as we pray. We live in a superficial age, and it is easy for us to follow that lead. We need to be careful here. It is important for us to give thanks to our God. He really has been very good to us, and we all have room to grow in this. Part of where we need to grow is in the area of understanding and dealing with our hearts. This is another reason why I love the Psalms so much. What are they but beautiful words backed up by hearts that are engaged as they reach out to God. There's nothing superficial about them.

So, let me urge you to consider some things. First, consider this whole area of giving God thanks. It really is that important. Then, as you do that, consider your heart. Consider what's going on in your heart as you offer your prayers of thanks. Ironically, the way to growth here is not by trying harder, but by praying about it. As the Spirit points to an area of weakness, respond by asking to be changed right there, and then watch what happens. As you do all of this, your life with the Father will flourish and blossom. And you will enjoy the fruit of joy, confidence, peace and more. And that will just give you more to be thankful for.

The Rich Fool

Luke 12.13-34

I love reading the Gospels. In the Gospels I get to see Jesus in action. Jesus always says the right thing in the right way and at the right time. In our text we see Jesus confronting the crowd. He presents them with a choice, an either/or. You must either choose A or B. One or the other.This is something that He does elsewhere. So, for example, you must enter by the narrow gate or by the wide gate. If you choose the narrow gate, it will be hard but in the end you will enter into life. If you choose the wide gate, it will be much easier but in the end you will die. Either/or. A or B. Then there’s this other example. You must choose to build you life on the rock or to build it on the sand. Building on the rock results in stability, but to do that you must obey Jesus. Building on the sand will require no submission to Jesus, but your life will end in ruins. Either/or. A or B. This is a helpful way of teaching because it simplifies things. The choice is clear and obvious. It may not be easy, but the confusion is removed. You choose A or you choose B.

Our text has another of these either/or situations. Jesus confronts His audience with a choice. This pops up in the context of a comment from a man in the crowd. This man wants Jesus to arbitrate a dispute about some inheritance. From what I’ve read, it wasn’t so unusual to appeal to a rabbi in such cases. But Jesus refuses to do so. Instead, He takes advantage of the situation to warn the people. What does He say? ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all coveting…’ That’s a rather strong statement. And to drive it home Jesus adds this proverb. ‘… for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ Jesus warns the people about a danger, a serious danger that they need to be on their guard against, a danger that that man may have already fallen into. He then follows up on this with this parable. It’s about a man who becomes quite successful. His land had produced a bumper crop. It was so great that it wouldn’t fit in his barns. What to do? And this rich man answers that in two parts. First, he’ll build bigger and better barns for his stuff. But then there is the second part of his answer, where he tells himself, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' Sounds like a plan! Until God speaks up. How would you like God to address you as, ‘Fool!’ Why does God shout this at the rich man? ‘This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ The man is going to die. There are two problems that arise because of that. First, his soul will be ‘required’ of him. What does that mean? The point Jesus makes here is that this man’s soul was, in effect, on loan from God and God is now calling in the loan, with the expected interest. Jesus is saying that the man’s life will be evaluated and that he isn’t ready for that. The second problem builds on this first one. Throughout the parable the man’s focus is on himself. His thoughts are all about him and how he can best enjoy his life. And, oh my, he has so much to enjoy for many, many years – or so he tells himself. The man’s life is about himself and his stuff. But what good is all the stuff he’s acquired for himself once it’s time to die and stand before God? ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all coveting for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ It is here that we finally get to the either/or. ‘So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.’ Jesus confronts the crowd with a choice. A person is either busy laying up treasure for himself or he is busy becoming rich toward God. Narrow gate/wide gate. Build on the rock/build on the sand. Rich toward God/laying up treasure for yourself. Choose A or B. It’s an either/or, but never both.

Let me anticipate a possible misunderstanding. I’ve told you before that it is no sin having lots of money and what that money can buy. Abraham was filthy rich; Job, likewise. And both were pious men commended by God. What Jesus is dealing with in the parable of the rich fool is more profound than the numbers on a person’s bank statement. He’s talking about the attitude of the heart. A person could have lots of money and yet not be laying up treasure for himself but rather working very diligently to be rich toward God. And likewise, a person could have just about nothing and be trying to lay up treasure for himself. It’s not about money itself. It’s about one’s heart. Jesus rebukes the man who wants some of the inheritance that his brother is enjoying. He calls him and the crowd to be rich toward God instead. Either/or.

The next question is obvious. This being rich toward God, what does that mean? What does it look like? The parable ends at verse 21. In my Bible there is a break there and a new section begins with its own heading. All of this formatting suggests a new topic. But what is the first word from Jesus in the ‘new’ section? ‘Therefore…’ Jesus isn’t done with the last topic. And Luke faithfully records that. I don’t think Jesus is done with this topic until you get to what we call verse 59. I was tempted to read the whole chapter as the sermon text, since it’s all related, but I thought that that might be a bit much to handle. The answer to our question, what does it mean to be rich toward God, is in what Jesus says next. The heart of it is this: ‘And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.’ Again, Jesus presents His audience with an either/or. He talks about two kinds of seeking. A person will seek what he will eat and drink – and become stressed about it, or he will seek God’s kingdom. Jesus is saying that being rich toward God is all tied up in making God’s kingdom one’s first priority.

When it comes to describing seeking the kingdom of God, you can make it complicated or you can keep it simple. I’m going to opt for simple. The kingdom is all about the lordship of Jesus. The goal is that ‘every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.’ A person who seeks the kingdom pursues this goal. For him, life is all about Jesus, his life, everyone’s life. Go back to the rich fool. His goal was obvious. It was all about himself and his comfort here in this life. ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ He did it all wrong. He was laying up treasure for himself – or rather he was trying to but failed. Remember, he died. Being rich toward God means rejecting the rich fool’s point of view. It’s not about me. It’s not about my comfort. It’s not about my enjoying myself here. It’s all about Jesus and His lordship over all people and institutions. The person who is rich toward God knows that his reason for being alive is to make Jesus look good – and it shows in how he lives. Jesus confronts His listeners. It’s God’s kingdom or your own. Either/or. Choose A or B.

It’s in that context that Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about the necessities of life. In fact, in this same context He goes further. ‘Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.’ By this He isn’t saying, ‘Sell everything you own.’ Jesus isn’t a socialist. He’s saying the same sort of thing that John the Baptist said earlier in Luke’s Gospel. ‘And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise."’ In this way, according to Jesus, a person will have true treasure that he doesn’t leave here for someone else to enjoy. His will be a lasting treasure in heaven forever.

It’s here that the questions begin. And Jesus anticipates these questions. ‘But we’ve got to eat and make sure that there’s enough.’ So, Jesus says, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.’ Actually, this boils down to another either/or. When faced with the question of having enough food and clothing, either a person trusts his heavenly Father to add ‘these things’ to him as he seeks the kingdom, or he doesn’t. Again, a simple choice. Choose A or choose B. The Gospel isn’t complicated. It’s actually quite simple. It’s not easy, but it’s simple. So many issues of following Jesus boil down to a simple either/or. A person trusts the Father to provide or he doesn’t. If a person does, then it shows as he seeks the kingdom, as he becomes rich toward God.

There is another question that pops up here. It goes something like this. ‘I’m not interested in being rich and comfortable like that fool. I just want enough to avoid the hard times. All I want to do is keep life on an even keel.’ I can easily understand where this is coming from. Who wants to suffer through hard times? You’d have to be a masochist to want that. And yet, is it possible to follow Jesus faithfully and not suffer hard times? Jesus said, ‘If anyone would come after Me … let him pick up his cross…’ Jesus is being clear and up front. ‘Following Me is going to hurt. Count the cost before you sign up.’ So, once again, we have an either/or. A person can pursue the kind of life where the hard times are kept to a minimum or he can follow Jesus faithfully. The Gospel is not complicated.

But, strange as it might sound, suffering as a faithful disciple of Jesus is actually a plus. Listen to this from James. ‘Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces patient endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.’ Rejoicing when life gets hard seems counterintuitive. But understand what’s going on here. By these difficulties, these trials, by ‘the testing of your faith’, Jesus is slowly, step by step, teaching a disciple how to trust him. At the root of every difficult situation facing a faithful disciple is this question from Jesus. ‘Do you trust Me now?’ Each hard time is an opportunity to take another step forward to the goal of complete trust in Jesus. Doing this all in one shot would be completely overwhelming. So, it’s step by step, through each trial. Do you see, then, that the person who wants to protect himself from these hard times is also ‘protecting’ himself from a growing trust in Jesus? And that’s why the kingdom takes great strides forward through some people but not others. People in the first group find themselves saying time and again, ‘Yes, Lord, I trust You, even now. So, though it hurts, I will continue to seek the kingdom and rely on You to take care of the rest.’ People in the second group, however, are trying to avoid the hard times, trying to avoid needing to answer that question. It’s still either/or. Everyone is either working hard at being rich toward God or laying up treasure for himself.

Thoughtful worship at this point would lead to lots more questions, questions that I can’t answer. There are reasons for that. One is that there simply is no one-size-fits-all to this. So, when one person asks, ‘What will it look like for me to seek first the kingdom, for me to become rich toward God?’, the answer for him will be very different from the answer for the person sitting next to him. But there are some principles that will help. First, you don’t have to figure it out by yourself. In fact, you can’t. This is something that the Spirit needs to guide you into. But remember the promise of last week’s sermon. ‘Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel…’ So, first and foremost: pray. Ask the Spirit to show you the next step – not the whole picture, just the next step. And then, when He does, pray for the trust you’ll need to take that next step. Then there’s this. It’s not about me. It’s not about my comfort. It’s not about my enjoying myself here. It’s all about Jesus and His lordship over me and all people and institutions. The person who is rich toward God understands that his reason for being alive is to make Jesus look good. Then one last thought. It’s going to hurt. There is no way to avoid that and be a faithful disciple. But remember that even the hurting produces good things.

Let me encourage you all to ponder these things. I would especially say this to those of you in the midst of sorting out things about your future. I’m thinking here about you students. You will not hear the things I’ve told you this morning from your peers out there in the world. They are following the model of the rich fool. To repeat what Jesus said, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ Remember, it’s either/or.