Hate is a Strong Word

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          Hate is a strong word.  We tell our children that isn’t nice to say we hate somebody.  In our own conversations with other adults, we try to temper the word hate by saying, I strongly dislike them.  We teach that hate is a word that is reserved for extreme situations.

            Apparently Jesus didn’t listen to his momma as in today’s lesson he says, “If you do not hate your own family and even life itself, then you cannot be my disciple.”  In the gospel according to Matthew, Jesus puts it a different way, “If you love your family more than me, then you are not worthy of me.”   

            However, we aren’t reading Matthew’s gospel today.  We are in Luke.  And Luke’s message is intended for a different audience, an audience that is more stubborn and stuck in their ways than most. 

It is thought that Luke’s gospel was written to the wealthy and established community.  I’ll put it this way.  If Luke wrote today, he’d probably be writing to Episcopalians.     

For Luke, it is not enough for Jesus to say, “love me more than your family.”  A more extreme message is needed for Luke’s audience, a message that would stop one in his tracks.  Hate your family and even life itself.

You might be familiar with a true story about a college graduate named Chris McCandless whose story is depicted in a book and movie called Into the Wild.  Chris clearly hates the lifestyles of the wealthy and wants to take no part in that life. 

Chris leaves his family and possessions behind.  He cashes a fat check that his dad gave him, gives the money to charity, and takes only what he needs and travels the country by hitchhiking.  To make a long story short – Chris ends up dying alone in Alaska after eating poisonous berries.

Of course, many criticize Chris for being dumb and ignorant.  Some might even question why his story is even one worth writing down or even celebrating.  However, I believe the story of Chris articulates something true about all of us – a desire to be free from the impossible standards and demands of society – especially a society that celebrates those with the most money and power.

As crazy as it sounds, Chris’ journey into the wild is not all that different than the journey that Jesus invites us on.  The main difference between Chris and Jesus is that Chris is following an ideal and Jesus is following the way of his Father in heaven.  Even more, Jesus invites us on this journey into the wild with others, with a community of people who are just as afraid as we are.

Jesus is basically telling us that if any want to become his followers, then our highest allegiance must be given to the way of the cross – not the golden calves of this world.  At times, it is fairly easy to follow Jesus.  After all, Jesus heals the sick, feeds, the hungry, gives sight to the blind.  Jesus casts out demons, performs miracles.

However, as we continue in the way of Jesus the cross will eventually emerge in the wilderness.  Eventually, we will be faced with difficult decisions – decisions that will test our loyalties to family, friends, possessions, political agendas, and even college football season. 

Will we love our own life and our own needs more than we love the life of Jesus and the needs of Christ to serve the poor, lonely, and outcast?  We will continue in the way of the cross or turn back to a more comfortable way of living?

We know, of course, all of Jesus’ disciples turned back at some point along the way.  None of them were strong enough to go with Jesus to the cross and the grave – at least not on Calvary.  And I can count on one hand, myself not included, those in my life who have taken Jesus’ words seriously enough to do what he actually says.  Long before Peter was crucified upside down, he was denying the way of Jesus.         

Like Peter, we are all born with selfish needs and desires.  From the time we are born, we are utterly dependent on our mothers for survival.  We need milk and love and care.  And when we don’t have what we need, we cry about it.  And on some level, we do this for this rest of our lives. 

But Jesus is calling us to a different life, a life where we respond to the cry of others, a life where the needs of Christ are put first, a life where the kingdom of heaven values the least, the lost, and the lonely above all else.

I believe discipleship is a process.  And the process begins when we start to own that God is taking care of our own needs in Christ.  As Maslow’s hierarchy of needs suggests, before we can help others, we need to know that our own needs are met.

In particular, Jesus is calling us to know that God has already met our needs even before we get that house we’ve always wanted, that car we’ve always dreamed of, that job we think we need.  As we know in the Nativity story, God will find a place for us to rest even if it is less than ideal. 

In this society, we are tricked into believing that the secret to a happy life is the acquisition of more.  But this is an illusion, as the more we acquire, the more we believe we need – the pursuit of more is nothing more than a tumbling into an abyss of nothingness. When will we finally trust the prayer that we say daily?  Give us today our daily bread.

(Society - Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild - Soundtrack)

And this is why Jesus says, “if you want to follow me, then you need to let go of all that stuff that tricks you into thinking that you need more than you already have.”  The only way to truly know freedom in Christ is to let go of the belief that the material things and possessions of this world can save you. 

The only way to know true freedom is to cling to the One who takes us beyond the cross and the grave into abundant life, cling to the One who takes us to a place where the things of this world have no value, cling to the One who gives us what we really need - love.  And so Jesus tells his followers to give their money and possessions away for the extension of God’s kingdom on earth.  Ultimately, Jesus wants us to be free. 

As we continue with Building on our Foundation, I invite you to consider how this campaign might be one opportunity for you to give for the extension of the kingdom, an opportunity to give and be freed from the hindrance that wealth and possessions can place on your commitment to follow Jesus.

In the end, God wants you to love the life that Jesus is revealing to you his kingdom – a life where everyone is family, a life where relationships hold more value than possessions.  Like Jesus to his family on the cross, these are your brothers and sisters and mothers and daughters.

Beloved, I pray that you find in Jesus’ hard words of judgement an opportunity to grow in a life of grace, a life where the human family lives in harmony with God and each other.  Amen.