February 8, 2008
Passage:Matthew 8:14-22
When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were possessed by demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.’ Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Another of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’
Do you remember the Burger King ad from the 70s: “Have it Your Way?” Burger King was trying to go after its chief competitor McDonald’s by saying that they could make a burger made to order.
We like to have things done on our terms. The thing is, when it comes to following Christ, it’s not about having it our way. Three people come to Jesus saying they want to follow him and several times, Jesus challenges each of them by telling them to choose between following Christ or following whatever they have placed first. It’s sound harsh to hear, I mean, should Jesus have enough sensitivity to understand that these men have responsibilities they need to take care of first? But Jesus would have none of this asking these would-be followers to put God first, not their business or aging parents.
In our culture, as it was in Jesus’ day, we have many things to that vie for our attention. We want to follow Jesus, but we want to get some things out of the way first. As much I am tempted to look down on the would-be followers of Jesus, I also have to remember that I’ve been in their shoes at times and so have we all. The wonderous thing is that Jesus still loves us the same and still call us-but if we heed the voice we have to remember “have it your way” doesn’t apply here.
Holy One, we hear your call to follow you and we want to…after we finish a few things first. Remind us that NOW is the time to follow you. Amen.
Dennis Sanders is the IT/Communications Specialist for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. He is also an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
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