“The Crucial Moment”

Luke 9:51-62

N. T. Wright: “Leave the dead to bury their dead.” One of Jesus’ starkest commands, this flies in the face of the sacred obligation to attend to the burial of one’s father ahead of all other duties, even saying one’s daily prayers. Jesus’ kingdom-announcement is so urgent, so unique, that it must be followed, grasped and proclaimed totally or lost altogether. The family, a central and vital symbol of the people of God, is thus radically defined. Following Jesus at once is the only thing that counts.

William Barclay: It may well be that we have done great hurt to the church by letting people think that church membership need not make so very much difference. We ought to tell them that it should make all the difference in the world. We might have fewer people; but those we had would be really pledged to Christ.

The point Jesus is making is that in everything there is a crucial moment; if that moment is missed the thing most likely will never be done at all.

The watchword of the kingdom is not, Backwards!” but, “Forwards!” To [these men] Jesus did not say either, “Follow!” or, “Return!” he said, “I accept no lukewarm service,” and let [them] make [their] own [decisions].

[Prayer]

While living in West Virginia I often listened to a radio show called “John Boy and Billy.” One day I tuned in to a skit at its halfway point and heard the following nonsensical words: “Y’in, Y’out? Y’in, Y’out?” Huh? Then I got it. The characters were in a game of poker, and one was asking the other, “Are you in or are you out? Is it yes or no, stay or go? What are you going to do?”

So it is in verses 57-62 in today’s text. Three men are asked to make an immediate decision about following Jesus: “Y’in? Y’out? Y’in, Y’out?” Are you in or are you out? Is it yes or no, stay or go? What are you going to do? Make a decision. Say ‘yes or no’.”

As revealed in verse 51 Jesus had already made his crucial decision; he had set his face to go to Jerusalem, to the cross that awaited him there. He had already chosen homelessness over physical comfort and security. He had already opted to put his own family on the back burner. He had already said his good-byes. There was urgent business at hand, more important than family, possessions, security, friendships, or even the most sacred of social obligations. There was a Gospel to proclaim, a Kingdom to announce, hurts to be healed, and sacrifices to be made. “So, what’s it going to be: yes, no, stay, go? Y’in, Y’out?”

All three men answered with a “yes, but…” The first had to think it over, had to find out if he was up to the challenges of following Jesus: the homelessness and lack of security. At his crucial moment he could not decide. So the opportunity to follow Jesus passed him on by. His failure to decide was his decision.

The second man wanted to bury his father first. There are two possibilities here: either his father’s funeral was already scheduled, or most likely, he wanted to stick around until daddy died. In other words, he wanted to meet his sacred social obligations before following Jesus. And Jesus said, “Uh-uh. Let the dead bury the dead. Come, follow me: now not later.”

The third man wanted time to tell everybody good-bye. Jesus essentially told him that there was no looking back, no going back, no turning back. There was no maybe later. There was only now. It was time to decide.

The great saints of God have always had to make crucial decisions about whether or not to accept God’s call. Jonah tried to run away. Elijah allowed Elisha to tell his folks good-bye. But Moses, Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah, Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Paul didn’t have that luxury. God said go; they went. Jesus said come; they followed: now not later. In each case the Lord’s call involved a sense of urgency. In each case those called faced a crucial moment of decision. “Y’in, Y’out? Yes, no. Stay, go.”

How urgent was Jesus’ call to the men in today’s text? His personal sense of mission was so urgent that he led his disciples through instead of around Samaria. Going around was safer. Going through was faster. Jesus opted for quickness over safety. He risked rejection, derision, maybe even bodily harm by traveling through Samaria. Why? He had set his face to go to Jerusalem and he intended to take the most direct route possible in getting there.

Having said that I’m going to take a momentary textual detour. When, in response to a certain Samaritan village’s lack of hospitality, two of his disciples’ asked permission to rain fire down from heaven a la Elijah in II Kings 1:9-14, Jesus rebuked them. He wasn’t that kind of prophet. He wasn’t that kind of Messiah. He practiced all that stuff he preached about forgiveness, turning the other cheek, and non-retaliation. Even in his haste to get to Jerusalem he took a moment to model true righteousness. Such modeling was in itself urgent.

Most mornings I eat breakfast while watching “Morning Joe” on MSNBC. At the end of every show the cast asks and answers the following question: “What did we learn today.” What did we learn today? What lessons has Jesus taught us?

One: Jesus went about his mission with a sense of urgency that allowed nothing to come between him and the doing of his Father’s will.

Two: Jesus expected that same sense of urgency in those who followed him. He had no use for “wannabe disciples.”

Three: Not only did Jesus practice what he preached; he also lived the life that he expected of his disciples: homeless, bereft of all encumbrances, never looking back.

Four: Following Jesus is no ho-hum, laid back, I’ll-get-around-to-it-eventually endeavor. It is crucial. It is urgent. It is often all-consuming. Sometimes we’re required to let go of our most precious relationships and possessions. Sometimes we have to follow him through the Samarias of our lives: places of risk, rejection, and possible suffering. Sometimes we have to set our faces toward wherever or whatever is the Jerusalem of our lives, go there, and keep our appointments with whatever cross awaits us.

Five: We are often faced with decisions about following Jesus before we think we’re ready or qualified, before we’ve tied up the loose ends of our lives. Such decisions are of the “now not later” variety. Jesus has a way of confronting us with Y’in, Y’out? Yes or no? Stay or go?

It is my contention that most modern Christians in America rarely answer God directly. Many of us are so lacking in the gift of spiritual discernment that we either don’t hear God’s call or recognize it for what it is. When we do hear it and recognize it our answer is usually, “Maybe, or I’ll get around to it someday, or I’ll do something about it when it’s convenient.”

Every child knows what maybe means. When Mom or Dad says maybe kids know that maybe is code for “it ain’t gonna happen.” How many of us ever get around to those things we keep promising we’ll get around to? When is anything crucial or urgent convenient? Like, never!

How many times do we catch ourselves saying things like the following? “When the economy gets better I’ll think about increasing my giving to the church. When things ease up at work I’ll be willing to serve as an elder, deacon, choir member, or Sunday school teacher. Maybe I ought to join a serious Bible study or prayer group. I’ll pay more attention to my prayer life tomorrow, or the next day, or next week, or next year. Maybe I’ll get out of bed and go to church next Sunday. Someday I’ll get around to seeking reconciliation with my brother, sister, friend, or parents.”

Those aren’t great big grand and glorious efforts we’re called to make in response to Christ. But each and every one of them is something Jesus is calling us to do: not tomorrow, not next week, not when it’s convenient or affordable, but now. Every day presents us with opportunities to do the right thing, to share the Gospel, to be like Jesus. Each and every one of those opportunities is crucial; each and every one of them is urgent – either we respond to them in that moment or we never respond to them at all.

Every day Jesus confronts us with: “Y’in, Y’out? Yes or no? Stay or go?” Every day we are called to respond. Amen.