Minimalism Doesn't Lead To Jesus
by Jim Westmoreland
Detailing in dramatic fashion the formidable challenges that lie ahead is what military commanders do on battle fields and what athletic coaches do in locker rooms. It is what leaders to in responding to a great challenge. Is this the picture of Jesus we get in Luke’s reading this morning?
A lot of communication is not only from the words, but from the tone and delivery in oral communication. Musical scores provide some direction in interpretation in understanding the dynamics of the music. Is it grave (solemn and very slow)? Or is it allegro (fast)? Is it mezzo piano (moderately soft) or fortissimo (very loud)?
We don’t have those hints about how a passage should be read. So, we have to use our own imagination, and sometimes, let them speak to us in different tones and volumes than we have read them in the past.
Hear this reading again with different interpretive dynamics:
“25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, 26 `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. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, "This fellow began to build and was not able to finish." 31 Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”
The mark of a great leader is the demands he makes upon his followers. The Italian freedom fighter Garibaldi offered his men only hunger and death to free Italy. Winston Churchill told the English people that he had nothing to offer them but "blood, sweat, toil, and tears" in their fight against the enemies of England. Jesus demanded that his followers carry a cross, which was a symbol of death.
Andrew died on a cross
Simon was crucified
Bartholomew was flayed alive
James (son of Zebedee) was beheaded
The other James (son of Alphaeus) was beaten to death
Thomas was run through with a lance
Matthias was stoned and then beheaded
Matthew was slain by the sword
Peter was crucified upside down
Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows
Philip was hanged
The demands that Jesus makes upon those who would follow him are extreme. Christianity is not a Sunday morning religion. It is a hungering after God to the point of death if need be. It shakes our foundations, topples our priorities, pits us against friend and family, and makes us strangers in this world. These words shock us because we strongly resist anyone putting any expectations on us in our religious life. For too many in our day, We come when we want to. We give ourselves in ministry for others if it is convenient. We give what is comfortable to give. We have been conditioned to take a minimal approach to our faith, and we have settled for the appearance of discipleship rather than the real thing. Minimalism won’t get you to Jesus. Minimalism is about me. Discipleship is about Jesus. We sing, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." But, we must come to see that on many occasions He is not our friend but our adversary. Through this reading, He speaks to us in challenging words.
Frankly, these words are shocking. They fly in the face of happy-time, feel-good religion so common today where you can anonymously blend in with the crowd and can swing and sway for 45 minutes, take your religious vitamin and then leave feeling good. Martin Luther said, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”
One day, as Jesus was being followed by a large crowd, he turned on the them, sensing that the demands of discipleship were not getting through, he told two parables. In these parables we learn the three great requirements of Christianity. To follow Jesus:
1. We must establish our priorities.
2. We must count the cost.
3. We must pay the price.
To interpret this passage for our lives we need to take it “seriously, but not literally.” We need to understand it within its context. The disciples and crowds are following Jesus on his traveling salvation and healing show. Traveling to Jerusalem is a kind of circus parade making its way to the big city. Being part of it will be a great story for the grandchildren, “Did I ever tell you about the time I walked with Jesus?”
Jesus, however, knows the true significance of this journey. The
trip up to Jerusalem is his funeral procession. Overhearing the
chatter of the crowd, Jesus tries to set them straight. The cost of
discipleship is not cheap! His followers are clueless.
How do we deal with such extreme language. Understanding the language Jesus spoke can help us here. Take the word "hate" for example. Is that really what the text says? Is that really what Jesus means? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. The only possible translation of the original Greek is "hate." But let us remember that Jesus spoke in Aramaic, not Greek, and there really isn't an accurate Greek word representing what he is trying to say. The Semitic word "hate' is not a violent word of emotion, but instead more a description of a way of being. "Detach" is a better translation. Detach from you mother and your father, your sister and your brother and your children. That is what he is saying. This same passage in Matthew (10:37) is worded a bit differently." Whoever loves father and mother, or son or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me." Still confusing, but not quite so bad!
When we turn to the next phrase we notice that "carry your cross" is in present tense, not future tense, and rather than meaning a large wood instrument of torture, Jesus is speaking metaphorically, symbolically. He is saying, Take risks! Pick up the daily problems, burdens, and responsibilities of loving and ethical living. Finally, Jesus talks about possessions. He tells us to give them up, all of them, not give them to the poor, just give them up. I don’t think He is saying give it all away. His own journeys were financed by people of means who gave to Jesus and the disciples so that they would have food. The early church met in the homes of people who had some wealth. To give it up is to be the ultimate steward. Everything I have is God’s, and I am gifted and commissioned to use it for God.
So, what are we to make of all of this? Jesus is using the literaryi
devise of exaggeration, called hyperbole, in order to make a
point. This is a passage about priorities not hating our parents; it
is about loyalty not law; it is about perseverance not popularity.
It is a passage about counting the cost and knowing what you
are getting into and finishing what you start, about the difference
between being a sunny day follower of Jesus (if it is not too hot)
and being a disciple of Jesus, the difference between fad and
faithfulness. Jesus is trying to tell us, with absolute clarity, that
our relationship with God needs to come first in our lives. Faith
without commitment. Discipleship without the cross. Worship
without personal involvement in ministry. All of this is a
minimalist response to Jesus! It is like saying what is the least
that I can do? I don’t want the plan that means that I really give
my life to God. If anything else takes precedence, family or
work or possessions, well then, we are quite simply living lives
of idolatry. As one writer has said: "Christianity is a lifestyle. It
is following someone headed in a direction we would not
normally go on our own."
A while back Will Willimon, Dean of the Chapel down at Duke University, got a call from an upset parent, a VERY upset parent. "I hold you personally responsible for this," he said.
"Me?" Will asked.
The father was hot, upset because his graduate school bound daughter had just informed him that she was going to chuck it all ("throw it all away" was the way the father described it) and go do mission work with the Presbyterians in Haiti. "Isn't that absurd!" shouted the father. "A BS degree in mechanical engineering from Duke and she's going to dig ditches in Haiti."
"Well, I doubt that she's received much training in the Engineering Department here for that kind of work, but she's probably a fast learner and will probably get the hang of ditch-digging in a few months," Will said.
"Look," said the father, "this is no laughing matter. You are completely irresponsible to have encouraged her to do this. I hold you personally responsible," he said.
As the conversation went on, Dr. Willimon pointed out that the well-meaning but obviously unprepared parents were the ones who had started this ball rolling. THEY were the ones who had brought her to church, read Bible stories to her, took her to Sunday School, witnessed her confession of faith, watched her be baptized, let her go with the church youth group to ski in Vail. Will said, "You're the one who introduced her to Jesus, not me."
"But all we ever wanted her to be was a Presbyterian!" said the
father, meekly. . . . Hmm.
Minimalism is about me. Discipleship is about Jesus. Guess which one builds a faith that sustains you during hard times. Guess which one gives you values to sacrifice for the sake of others, to love people who are not loving you back, to receive the forgiveness you need when you make mistakes and helps you to forgive others when they hurt you. Guess which one will lead you to care for the needy who are not part of your family. Guess which one gets the attention of people who are outside of the Church and outside of Christ and causes them to ask you Why?
Minimalism is about blending in. It is about adopting the values of those around us for success and identity. If you were to engage Jesus in a conversation about your life’s goals, about how you are doing in school, about the values you are adopting from others, about how you treat those in your family, about what retirement means to you, about our balance of work, rest, play, worship and ministry to others, what would He say? Minimalism won’t lead you to Jesus, but Discipleship will, and that is the choice that Jesus is asking us to make. Amen
Century Christian Church, September 9, 2007 - Sermon by Jim Westmoreland
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