Luke 14:25-33
Proper 18 (23) - Year C
Identifying the constraints on our willingness to continue growing is an important part of our development, whether that be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or any other ____al.
Amazingly—or not—the obverse of a constraint is a point of growth. We might also say that whoever is willing to love fathers and mothers of any child, the children of any mother or father, and even their loss to one form of death or another, is already a proficient disciple of Jesus.
Likewise we can also look for signs of new life in people that may yet lead them to a cross rather than only keeping a weather-eye peeled for cross-tropic martyrs.
It is as we add these additional ways of measuring life that we can finally see the cost/benefit results of relating our individual lives with those of a larger community. Eventually we understand that a relationship to a community means our very possessions are transformed from mine to ours and in this transformation find an excess value to invest in bringing tomorrow to today—heaven to earth, if you will.
Blessings to you as you account for both sides of your life’s ledger—Yeses and Noes, Debits and Credits, Limits and Possibilities, Neighb*r and S-lf.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2013/09/luke-1425-33.html
This section is not much different than what is reported about cultic behavior in general - a narrowing of perception to see only the chosen one. There is no cost too large to pay to be a disciple. Folks are put in the position of suing for peace from a larger, controlling ruler.
I know that discipleship is a huge issue in the history of the church and still today when folks call for solidarity in faith or patriotism or whatever.
I do wonder, however, as the Republican Convention convenes (not that it is any different in kind, perhaps only in degree, of any other cultic behavior) and congregations continue, whether or not it would make a difference for us to be disciples together rather than disciples of one mediator or another.
What would it cost to move out of the discipleship mode and into spiritual maturation mode. There seem to be some built-in measuring rods for disciples. You either measure up to some authorized rule that sets a limit on behavior or not. Maturing in the faith measures folks against their past, leaving an open future for growth.
Here we might be encouraged to claim all our gifts rather than turn them over to a particular end. My hunch is that the vitality of Christianity being called to ever greater acts of mercy and healing than Jesus did is better served in a maturational model opening a new way than the discipleship model that tends to set limits on what is or is not acceptable for a disciple.
What is the choice that appears to be present in the passage for you?
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2004/september2004.html
A website worth checking is <a href="http://www.spirituality-health.com/spirit/archives/fresh-look-jesus">Spirituality and Health</a> (also subscribing to their magazine). Eventually they will have the October 2004 issue up with the column by Thomas Moore, A Fresh Look at Jesus: When faith and belief wrestle with Zen spirit, everybody win.
In the column, Thomas looks at the last word of verse 33 in the greek (transliterated as "mathete") and translates it as "student" instead of the traditional "disciple."
He goes on to say, "To become a student of Jesus, for me, is to open a way for him to become more, not less, important in my life" and to raise a question based on the definition of "disciple" that turns it into "believer", "What happens when I see myself as a student rather than a believer?"
He goes on to suggest that the "disciple" language leads us to Christendom and Christianity while the "student" approach focuses on the life and teachings of Jesus in our lives.
Are we willing to count the cost of being a student of Jesus in a culture that focuses overmuch on being a disciple. In the latter case our devotion to discipleship attaches itself to a master, repeating the model ad infinitum. In the former case we are able to learn the more of greater things than Jesus, as per his instruction. And, having counted the cost are we willing pay it?
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2004/september2004.html
After looking at ourselves in the world around us, here is a big "therefore": None of you can continue learning or growing in experience of G*D through me if you allow your possessions to possess you.
This builds on a better language choice for translating what is so often recorded as "hate" of family. "Preferring" a person or persons over our relationship with G*D blocks our growth into G*D, our imitation of Christ.
Here is a story to exemplify these points:
A pilgrim settled down to sleep one night at the edge of a village - soon an excited villager appeared saying 'Give me the diamond, give me the diamond '. 'What diamond?' asked the pilgrim. Villager replied 'I have had a dream that you have a diamond of great value and if I asked you for it you would give it to me and I should be rich forever."
The pilgrim reached into his bag and pulled out a stone. 'You may certainly have it', he said and settled down again to sleep
The villager looked at the stone in amazement for it was the largest diamond he had ever seen. He took the diamond and walked away.
He tossed and turned all night unable to sleep, and the next day he return to the pilgrim and said 'give me the wealth that makes it possible for you to give away this diamond so easily.'
- - -
spinning on his heel
Jesus "told" a following crowd
exactly what they didn't want to hear
a prioritized focus
is needed for continued growth
into and out of an expansive and expanding love
so much distracts
even literally following good
can keep us from completing our heart's desire
so much possesses
power to attract our limited attention
and we stick to what we have already known forever
freedom is
another word for nothing left to lose
this freedom this presence of G*D is our unsticking place
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html
Let's see, Jesus can affront and confound people just by standing still, when invited in, by stopping mid-stride, praying, wandering off by himself, and observing others. An equal opportunity challenger, was Jesus. Observing that trait of his, we would naturally try to get on his good side or at least evade his gaze should it drift in our direction.
Unfortunately, his gaze is as erratic as a prison searchlight should be. Here we are all marching along. A cadence has been set. Then, mid-stride, Jesus throws everyone off stride.
"Is death your advisor?" he asks. Later rememberers of this moment put that in terms of his own death on a cross, but he probably simply said, "What does your death tell you it is important to be about, that you might see life more clearly and act more compassionately?"
The implication of his brother/sister/mother/father talk is that Advisor Death (precursor of the Holy Spirit later sent to advise us) will let us know that there is something more important than family/church solidarity. Blood and Creedal lines are not all they are cracked up to be.
Can you hear Jesus say, "Look around. What is more important for you than simply being in the good graces of the folks standing next to you in this crowd and thinking, thereby, you have pleased me? Why are you following? Get moving!"
It is easy to read the moral of this section as through a Lenten lens, through a perspective of financing the church - give up your possessions. It is appropriate, in light of the prior questions, to ask about where you will "invest" your life. This then reads, "Do you want to join me on this Way to G*D? Invest fully in life (which means risk fully)."
= = = = = = =
On a more personal level, as the Power of Attorney for my mother's health care in a family of five siblings, there is a sense in which everyone in the crowd was just invested with the Power of Attorney for their own and each other's health/wholeness/salvation. And, not surprisingly, everyone took it so that the various component parts could not carry on as they had with their various accepted positions or divisions of labor - sort of a variation on the Tower of Babel where all the different languages become all the different stages and paces of those involved and, as a result, don't easily mesh. It is risky business to have a whole crowd become invested with the equivalent ordination pronouncement, "Take thou authority . . . ."
We are doing well in working together, beyond blood and creed, for a common goal of a comfortable transition to a next stage of life, but this passage has taken on a new glow for me in light of the world around. That actually happens a lot, but this is an easily noticed shift. What new aspect of this pericope have you noticed?
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2010/08/luke-1425-33.html