Sermon Notes – Luke 9:51-62

03.09.25 

Challenge Comment – ‘I’m not sure I like this Jesus.’

Jesus is not the one dimensional being that religion attempts to portray him. We want Jesus to be the nice guy and let the apostles Peter and Paul to be the heavies. But, Jesus is complicated and this final journey to Jerusalem is complicated. Last week and today we see Jesus’ intensity as the cross approaches. Complicated – like humans are.

Last Sunday we saw Jesus ask:

“Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”

Luke 9:20

We must understand the gravity of this statement. It is central not only to Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem but also to our faith everyday.

Even though Peter’s answer was true, it was risky on 3 fronts. 

1. Once the non-believing religious leaders discovered rumors that Jesus had heard and yet had not denied Peter’s claim they would think they had the proof to back up their claims that that Jesus was a heretic – that Jesus was making, or endorsing, unholy claims that he was the Son of God, the Messiah.
2. If the politicians/oppressors had fully understood Peter’s pronouncement they would cease placating the religious leaders with the coming arrest and trials. Their main job was to keep control and peace among the Israelites. The leaders would have attempted to remove Jesus from the equation, arresting Jesus early and bypassing Jerusalem and the questioning, the trials, the cross, and all that would happen after.
3. If the downtrodden and oppressed Israelite crowds fully understood what Peter revealed they would have possibly done much the same as the oppressors. They would have probably also taken Jesus by force, however, they would not be taking Jesus away, they would take Jesus directly into Jerusalem. Bypassing the government officials and politicians as well at the religious leader in order to sit Jesus physically on the throne. And, in doing so would have brought their erroneous expectations of Jesus as an earthly King.

When Peter made his proclamation he was saying:

”Jesus, You are the promised Messiah, you are our Deliverer, our Redeemer, our Hope, our Peace, our eternal King, You are the one we have been waiting and looking for since our ancestor Abraham.’

Now let’s move past our passage for today to chapter 10, where we see Jesus send out 72 ‘others’. We do not know for sure who these ‘others’ were. We know that in John’s gospel John quotes Jesus saying: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.” (John 10:16) Was he talking about the Gentiles?  

Jesus instructions to the 72 were: “Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you (hope is near).’

Jesus does not say Preach the Good News, he is saying, “Be the Good News.

This flies in the face of our understanding of what Jesus meant later when he says “go to ends of the earth.” Jesus did not send this group out to build a church, or even to build the Kingdom, there was no ulterior motive or agenda –  these ‘others’ were going out to BE Jesus’ hands and feet to a people who were oppressed and who knew little peace. This wasn’t a tool to attract people to follow Jesus, this was a calling to go and ‘be the compassionate, merciful, and graceful hands and feet of Jesus.’ They were going out to BE Jesus empowered by an understanding of Peter’s proclamation.

Let’s use a historic moment. Friday marked the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the Sunday, in our country, when 500-600 mostly black marchers set out to walk from Selma Alabama to Montgomery Alabama to ensure their constitutional right to vote. A right which had been invalidated by the segregationist system. As the marchers attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, (named, and still named, after a former senior officer in the Confederate Army as well as a leader in the Alabama KKK) – the marchers were stopped in crossing the bridge by state troopers and many county white citizens. The peaceful marchers were brutally attacked and beaten. All ages, even children and the elderly, were violently beaten, some as they were bowing to pray.

Now, take this shameful moment in our US history which took place in many of our lifetimes, and consider that each of those marchers had heard the words, “All men are created Equal’ as written in the Declaration of Independence, and then repeated by Abraham Lincoln in his Gettsburg address. However, in these marchers’ 1965 existence their experience proved these words hollow and false. They heard the words of equality but suffered the opposite. Imagine the young people and children who saw friends and loved ones being brutally beaten, blood everywhere, and then be expected to believe these deceitful words. How could they settle for words of hope and peace that had been repeatedly spoken to them as they bled onto the pavement of the bridge? How could they believe words that were the brutal opposite of their reality?

So, the 72 did not go out to say words – instead they were called to live out words – words like compassion, joy, peace, mercy, grace, hope, and love. These 72  would serve as a proof of the coming of the Kingdom, the coming of hope and peace. While our usual practice is to rely on words, persuasion, and even force (think of our state officials’ push to force a Chrisitan bible on every student in our state). Unproven words have little impact when actions say the opposite, when there is blood on the bridge.

When the 72 returned, they were excited, the people had seen Jesus through them. The people experienced the power of knowing that Jesus is the Son of God not through words but through hearts, hands, feet, and sacrifice. 

But, and this is where it gets fun, Jesus seems to be equally excited by their excitement. These ‘others’, as well as those they impacted, now understood who Jesus is because they had experienced Jesus. They now understood the character of God as understood in the life of Jesus.

Now they know, now we know, why Jesus prayed ‘God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ They understood Jesus’ passion was that we would/will all have life abundantly. 

We must understand God through the life of Jesus and we must understand Jesus through the character of God.  We must no longer compartmentalize our faith. We must, no longer, practice an ugly and exclusive religion. We must shut the door on a religious faith that leaves Jesus at home when Jesus is an inconvenient companion. We must take Jesus on the bridge with us regardless of the side from which we start.

Now, today’s passage is sandwiched between Peter’s proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah and journey of the 72 ‘others’.  Now we see that Jesus makes a final and definite turn towards Jerusalem. And, as Jesus makes this turn with his disciples following him, he gives a ‘Are you ready for this?’ locker room talk reminding his disciples how He Lived. Jesus is telling them how to survive the days between this turn to Jerusalem and his entry into Jerusalem, and all that lies beyond. Jesus is telling them how to live life abundantly. Jesus is telling them, telling US how to not be pushed down into survival mode but instead to walk in Joy. 

1. Shake off the dust. Do not carry rejection with you, –  (Samaria experience) wipe the dust off your feet, discard the harmful baggage, of your mistreated – Live the Jesus life. We are not called to ask, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and wipe out those who abuse us?” No, we shake it off, we let go of that baggage of hurt and betrayal and instead remember our path, our calling to BE, we remember our Jesus.
2. Keep your eyes, ears, minds, and hearts open. Turning to his disciples, Jesus said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!” We have no reason to not be looking for Jesus all the time and in every area of our life, because we have been allowed to see. We must live in a constant awareness that allows us to see and hear.
3. Remember our calling is from God, not an agenda or approval from humans. Our calling is not reforming the world’s morals, it is not about population building a Kingdom, it is not about persuasive speech or debate, it is not about judgement and condemnation, it is about the life lived out by Jesus.
4. Do not compartmentalize faith separately from life. Following God is a lifetime decision, faith is an immersive reality – there is not an option to turn and run away. However, at the same time, we must also remember that God always welcomes us back with open arms –  we are secure and embraced by God always – we will see that more next Sunday. 

Lynn led us in a song by Rich Mullins written in 1992 at a point of personally recognizing this locker room talk that Jesus gave his disciples as he wrote:

Sometimes the morning comes too soon and sometimes the day will be so hard. There is so much work left to do but I must not forget how much has already been done. Sometimes the climb can be so steep that I may falter in my steps but I am never beyond God’s reachOh God, You are my God, and I will ever praise You. I will seek You in the morning. I will learn to walk in Your ways. And step by step You’ll lead me, and I will follow You all of my days.