Risky Business (Luke 14:25-35)

Tom Cruise in Risky Business

You may know the 1983 movie Risky Business, starring Tom Cruise, who plays a high school senior, named Joel, living in a wealthy suburb of Chicago. His parents are gone on vacation for a few days. In a moment of sheer abandonment, reveling in his freedom, Joel dances in his underwear to Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock n Roll! It’s a classic moment in cinematic history. That crazy, scantily-clad dance reveals something about Joel. He feels trapped under his parents.

A few weeks ago we read a passage Luke 12 that is very similar to this morning’s reading. Jesus said,

“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided:

father against son

    and son against father,

mother against daughter

    and daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

    and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:51-53)

When we read that passage, I thought we were doing you all a disservice by not giving some kind of explanation. This kind of comment coming from Jesus seems so out of character. We love Jesus for His mercy. We love His liberalism toward rules and traditions.

I saw a Facebook post which reveals how we like to think of Jesus.

“A religious person will do what he is told, not matter what is right, whereas a spiritual person will do what is right no matter what he is told.”

Jesus is sort of a counter-cultural champion exposing religious gatekeepers as out of step with the God they claim to serve.  We like that Jesus! We love the Jesus who reaches out with compassion, healing the leper and the lame. But when Jesus challenges His disciples, as He does in this reading, we scratch our heads. What can he mean?

Let’s first agree that a literal interpretation of these words can have disastrous results. It is not good to hate your family or yourself. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God, and secondly, to love your neighbor as you love yourself. But Jesus is not speaking metaphorically. He means what He says, but just not what we may think. Jesus is speaking prophetically.

In the spirit of the prophets, Jesus is using provocative rhetoric to reach His audience. The true work of a prophet is to deliver a timely word to God’s people on God’s behalf. Surely your ears stung a bit when you heard Jesus say you must hate your parents, your children and your own life if you wish to be His disciple. Jesus wants your attention. He is trying to communicate a sense of urgency about His mission. In some ways Jesus is testing his audience. There were plenty who were in the crowd as spectators, but Jesus is calling for disciples who will step out of the crowd and follow Him in ministry.

According to CBS news there have been more mass shootings this year than days in the year so far. We are averaging 1.2 mass shootings per day. Over 300 are dead and over 1200 wounded. The church is called to serve this world! The church is called to lead this present society out of its deadly turmoil. If we truly believe that Jesus is the way, might we have a sense of urgency about the church’s mission?

The church is meant to be an earthly expression of the kingdom of heaven. At Roberts Park Church we share a vision to set the example for community in Indianapolis. As a United Methodist, I’ve always been proud of the big tent idea of community. We live under the roof of a big tent of God’s grace, love, and mercy. All are welcome to enter the tent. All who enter are included as equal members. I have participated in serious conversations around divisive issues in United Methodist congregations. I’ve heard opinions and attitudes that challenged my own, AND we remained committed to one another in Christ. We need each other, precisely because we have different viewpoints. The world needs that kind of community. When we blast one another, bicker, and breed division, we set a poor example. How is your sense of urgency about sharing this community of faith with your neighbors?

Jesus said He came to bring division. The truth of the matter is that when you choose Jesus, it’s going to put you at odds with those who do not.

Following Christ means you will organize your calendar very differently. Following Jesus will put your life on a different trajectory than perhaps the path your sister has chosen. You may find yourself being misunderstood by friends. Should you hate them because they make different choices? Absolutely not!  When Jesus provocatively says you must hate family members and you own life, it can be understood as love them less. Jesus is saying to make His mission the priority over other concerns.

The apostle Paul teaches the same idea when discussing marriage. Paul believed the world, as he knew it, would soon end. He felt it was better not to marry, so that disciples would be free to fully serve the Lord. Why invest in a world system that is leading nowhere?

The appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none… For the present form of this world is passing away.

I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin are anxious about the affairs of the Lord, so that they may be holy in body and spirit;

but the married woman is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to put any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord. (1Co 7:29-35)

Does that mean you should ignore your family’s needs in order to support the mission and ministries of the church? Jesus criticized the religious leadership in Jerusalem for such a teaching.

Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’… But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is set aside as an offering to God— then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition...” (Mark 7:9-13)

No, Jesus would have His disciples care for family and friends in need. Jesus would have us care for those in need, precisely because we are His followers. But don’t let your relationships keep you from your commitment to Christ and His mission. We cannot follow Christ without the Spirit of Christ empowering our ministry. Christ must be at the center of our lives. To serve with Christ’s compassion, Christ must be our goal. Christ is everything to His disciples. Jesus revealed the greatest love when He laid down His life for us upon the cross. Can we give anything less than our very lives in response to Him?

We are challenged carry our own crosses, but let’s hear that challenge in light of Jesus’ words in Matthew 11.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

When you are teamed up with Jesus, the grace of Almighty God is at your side. He will give you everything you need to carry your cross.

Consider the cost of discipleship. Do you have the heart to truly be His disciples?  Are you ready to stop being a spectator and start being a disciple who joins Jesus in ministry? How are you giving yourself to be shaped by His example, empowered by His grace, and guided by His love? What will you sacrifice for His mission?

Jesus makes the challenge to give up all your possessions, if you wish to follow Him. It’s surely provocative. Who in their right mind would want to follow a man who tells me I have to hate my family and give up all my possessions to be His disciple? But that’s the point! No one would, unless they were completely convinced that such sacrifices would be rewarded beyond anything they could ask or imagine.

A rich young ruler wanted to follow Jesus. Jesus told him to give all his possessions away, and then come and be His disciple. The rich man turned away saddened for he had many possessions. He ached for something more, but he couldn’t let go to receive it. When Peter heard Jesus say that it was impossible for a rich man to enter heaven, he was dumbfounded. In his mind the rich had many possessions because God had blessed them. If the rich cannot get into heaven, then who can? Jesus answered Peter,

“Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life”. (Mat 19:29)

You might remember the film Mr. Holland’s Opus. Mr. Holland was a musician who felt he had a masterpiece to share with the world. Success eluded him, as did his great composition.

 To make ends meet he began teaching music at a public school. The school band was horrible, but Mr. Holland worked with them, coaching them toward skillful performance. In some cases a student lacked the capacity to play a musical instrument, but that didn’t make them worthless. Mr. Holland made sure they knew it by how he invested in them.

The years roll by decade after decade. Students come and go, but Mr. Holland remains at the school teaching music. Late at night he keeps tinkering with his magnum opus. Sadly, the school board decides it can no longer afford a music program. Mr. Holland is forced to retire.

But something truly amazing happens. Alumni heard about Mr. Holland and pulled together a band of current and former students to play Mr. Holland’s master work. As stories were shared about the impact Mr. Holland had on their lives, we discover that his great work was his students, the lives he had invested in, the tears he had dried, the encouragement he had given, the confidence he’d inspired. He was a man who dreamed of giving the world a great work, but he discovered he already had. His students were his magnum opus. The richness he felt cannot be understated.

Following Christ is a risky business. It involves heartache and disappointment, and sacrifice, as you prioritize your life around His mission. But you will be richer for it in ways you can’t imagine. For with God all things are possible.