Al Stewart, the bishop of Wollongong in Australia, preached at St. Helen’s tonight. It was great to hear a third Al Stewart talk in two days after listening to his excellent pair of talks on hell and heaven at the London Men’s Convention yesterday.
In the interview before Al spoke, he was asked if he could explain why he and the other Sydney bishops won’t be going to the Lambeth conference later this year.
He explained that the conference was essentially a time of fellowship for bishops from across the Anglican communion, and that the Sydney bishops didn’t feel they could have fellowship with people in North America who have been persecuting Christians who are taking a stand against ordination of active homosexuals. He said that he was ‘new boy’ (approaching 50, he has been a bishop for just over a year), but was 100% behind Archbishop Peter Jensen and the other bishops’ line (statement here).
Afterwards, Stewart preached on Luke 9:51-62 (ESV):
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “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.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Here are my notes on what Al Stewart said:
9:51 is a turning point - the start of the ‘travel narrative’ that continues for 10 chapters, as Jesus sets his face towards Jerusalem, which he and we know means death.
His route takes him through Samaria. Samaritans were a kind of semi-Jewish people ethnically, but mixed with surrounding races. They generally hated the Jews and Jerusalem, which explains why Jesus was not recieved (53).
James and John react a little bit like teenage boys: “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
Al felt this was another reference in the gospels to the Elijah/Elisha stories, perhaps James and John had been reading 2 Kings 1 recently? Same place (Samaria), same fire from heaven on people who are not respecting the one God has sent.
But Jesus rebukes them: his mission now is not the same as Elijah’s: he comes to save, not judge. In light of what Al was saying yesterday, that Jesus devotes more of his teaching to talking about judgement than anything else, it’s important to be careful how we phrase this.
Chapter 9 of Luke’s gospel begins a change in tone in Luke’s Gospel, as the next 10 chapters explore what it means to follow Jesus.
Here, we get three cameo pictures of what it means to be a disciple.
“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (58) Jesus is itinerant, with no where to call home - this gospel is not a prosperity gospel.
“Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (60) Looking after parents was perhaps the biggest social obligation in Jesus’ culture, but Jesus says that the kingdom of God is more important than any other relationship. (Al defined the kingdom of God as ‘knowing God through his king’, and miracles are a kind of trailer for the kingdom.)
“I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” (61) Al linked this to another Elijah/Elisha story in 1 Kings 19:19ff. This is when Elijah calls his disciple and eventual successor Elisha, and Elisha asks to say goodbye to his family. Elijah basically says, ‘ok, I’ll wait here’. But Jesus doesn’t say ‘no worries’!
The call of Jesus is more important that the call of a prophet, even one as great as Elijah.
The last two cameos have potential disciples saying ‘Lord, but…’ Luke doesn’t tell us what they do after the brief snapshots we have of them, deliberately leaving the result open - are they following Jesus? Are we following Jesus?
Jesus doesn’t want people who are involved, he wants people who are committed. Al explained this as being like the difference between bacon and eggs. The chicken is involved in producing the eggs, but the pig is committed!
We need to be as committed as pigs trying to reach a feast of food protected by a high voltage electric fence. The fence kept out the kangaroos, but the pigs just took a big run-up and ran squealing through the fence to get to the food. We need to be prepared for pain for a little while now to reach the heavenly feast.
But Jesus wouldn’t want us to be ascetics, to purposefully wear extra tight underwear or a hair shirt.
Many Christians plan their lives like packing a car to go on a family holiday. They pack the big, non-negotiable items first, like suitcases and golf clubs, houses and careers. Then they stuff the soft items in around them, like sleeping bags and Jesus. Then they slam the lid shut.
But Jesus owns the car and the suitcases…
What are you committed to? Are you involved, or committed?
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