The Story that Followed: When the Days Drew Near For Jesus to Be Taken Up

 This sermon is composed through reflection on Luke 9: 51-52 (Luke 24: 44-49) and 1 Kings15-16, 19-21

Long ago, in a land far far away…

When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

I love a good story! I feel an anticipation when I hear a classic beginning, that beginning with expectation of what is to come. The stage is set.

How disappointing it is when it all falls apart and there is no story at all. If I paused here and asked you to tell me the story from the Gospel this morning could you do it? Do you remember what you heard just a few moments ago? While there are story elements in today’s Gospel it is more of a segue between stories and an input of information to help with the bigger story told in the Luke-Acts narrative.

I can also imagine this interlude kind of like reading a book with children. As you read a good story, inevitably the children will interject a comment or ask questions, sometimes the storyteller will point out something in the pictures or add their own questions or reflections.

This morning, I am going to interrupt the story.

 

When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Messengers were sent ahead. Along the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for Jesus’ arrival, but they did not welcome them because Jesus’ face was set on going to Jerusalem.

 

The Samaritans lived between the Galilee and Jerusalem. Due to a past resentment that grew over the years, the region was not frequented by other Jews. And yet, you would not believe the increased foot traffic through the region during a festival in Jerusalem. It seemed that everybody from the Galilee did a pilgrimage through their territory with their eyes focused on Jerusalem to do their required rituals there. Jesus’ messengers were not the first or the last to seek hospitality. The Samaritans were overwhelmed by requests from people who at any other time would have derided them, been rude to them, and argued that their way of worshiping God was wrong and unlawful. Why would travellers from the Galilee expect to be treated with anything other than distain?

 

When Jesus’ disciples, James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them. They went on to another village.

 

Sorry, pausing the story again. To me, this is the most interesting part of the whole reading. If I was writing the story in a book the words of the disciples would fill both pages of the open book. The pages would have great art with lots of vibrant colour and movement. James and John, in their anger and disgust, were ready to command fire to consume these Samaritans who had shut their doors to them.  Other than this being a terrible unneighbourly thing to do, shockingly they believed they could do it!

Just like in the stories of their childhood hero, Elijah, where Elijah in this same Samaritan territory called down fire that ignited and consumed an army captain and the 50 who were with him. This story was bigger than life, adding fuel to quench the disciples fury using violence.

The reader doesn’t know that the wielding of supernatural powers was plausible through the hands of disciples, until the story gets back on track later in chapter 10. There it is told that seventy others whom Jesus had sent out, return, telling that in using Jesus’ name even demons submitted to them.

Before we carry on let it be noted that Jesus rebukes the disciples. Also, a double page of graphics if I was putting a children’s book together. It is a classic children’s book theme. No matter who the bully or what the antagonist, it is never okay to retaliate in an anger-fueled vengeful wrath to totally annihilate that which you deem enemy; and if you do it will come back to bite you. There are always other options, here Jesus simply moves on to another town. So, I guess if they had tried in Jesus’ name to bring fire they would have been very disappointed, as Jesus would have none of it.

 

As they were going along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replies, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

In other words, following Jesus is hard and uncomfortable. It can mean leaving home without a solid plan in place, without hotel rooms booked, travel arrangements made, or a bag packed.

 To another Jesus said, “Follow me.” But the person answered, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

 

Those on pilgrimage to Jerusalem have more than a day’s journey to get there. On the rough roads in the less than favourable conditions, what was there to do but solitary reflection interspersed with conversation with other pilgrims. Those in Jesus’ group shuffled for their turn to walk with him, to question this teacher, or in turn ask for healing. As the hours pass psalms are sung and ancient well-loved tales are told. Someone tells their favourite tale told to them a hundred times by a grandparent when they were being tucked into bed.  “Long long ago, there was a prophet named Elijah.” As the story progresses Elijah gets to a point where he is isolated, depressed, and slowly slogging through his days avoiding tasks to be done. The children’s bedtime story would have the narrator’s wise voice rising, Elijah get on with it already! There are kings to anoint. Prophets to appoint. You are not alone. There are others who are faithful. The child starts to get animated, Come on Elijah get on with it already! Cheering Elijah on, Get on with it already. Eventually Elijah does get around to it. Dragging his feet he does reach Elisha, who will eventually wear Elijah’s super prophet cape, and says to him ‘follow me.’ Elisha says ‘yes, but ...’ Elijah is only too happy to give Elisha the time to say his goodbyes, put an end to the oxen in his care, prepare and eat a whole feast. It was as if there was all the time in the world.

 

But not in this present story. Jesus walks in a determined manner, only stopping when necessary. Time is of the essence – time is short. For those us who have read the whole book, we know the ending, that it is soon time for Jesus to die and rise. For Jesus and the disciples their earthly time together is running out.

Jesus’ stern replies point fingers at those who say they want to follow but the whole heart is not behind their words. Using excuses of responsibility or what-have-you to procrastinate in making a full commitment to discipleship. What Jesus is really saying: the spiritually dead should be left to bury the physically dead. Jesus has moved into kindom talk, where the kindom of God is at hand. Where the world as the disciples know it, is going to completely change in a twinkling of an eye. This whole interlude in the Gospel is planting seeds for what is to come. A foreshadowing as it is called in the writing world. For Jesus a foreshadowing of the feast to come. Foreshadowing is part of telling a great story! A life-changing story!

 

And it came to pass, as the story drew to a close that Jesus gathered the disciples close, and continued the tale, “These are my words, the story I have lived with you – where everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms has come true.” The words of Jesus’ story opened their minds to understand God’s bigger story, where the Messiah suffered and died and rose from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins was the story to be proclaimed in Jesus’ name from Jerusalem, back through Samaritan territory, to the Galilee, and to parts unknown. You, - the disciples, the hearers of this story, are witnesses to these things. You are the story-bearers, and the thus the storytellers. And with the story Jesus sends the promise of God, the Spirit who has come down in fire to ignite story-bearers to passionately and with power deliver the greatest story ever told, to the ends of the earth and to the end of days. Praise be to God.