Luke 9:18-24 * June 27, 2010 * Pentecost 5 * Prof. E. Allen Sorum

Move From Membership to Discipleship

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

An eagle was doing his usual, daily eagle thing: soaring through the skies on eagle wings and scanning the horizon with his eagle eyes when he saw something down below that confused, no, angered him. He saw an eagle, down there in that coup; he saw an eagle hanging out with turkeys. As he swooped down for a closer look, he was shocked to see this eagle walking with a turkey walk, talking up the girls with a turkey talk. So the eagle landed by this earth-bound, flightless, sorry excuse for an eagle and demanded, “What are you doing hanging out with these turkeys?”

The cooped up eagle was confused, “What do you mean? Yes, I am an orphan but I was raised by turkeys. I’m a turkey. I hang out with turkeys.”

His new friend argued, “You are not a turkey. Look at yourself. You have talons and a sleek body designed for speed and a beautiful bald head...You are not supposed to walk like this...You are supposed to soar like this.

Inspired and emboldened, the orphaned eagle/raised by turkeys tested his wings, and experimented with velocity and danced with clouds and quickly discovered that in all of his days as a turkey he had never experienced such joy as he had in mere moments as an eagle. Free and happy and finally content in his eagle heart, he swooped down over his former turkey home, “So long turkeys...” and began his life all over again.

Today’s Word of God will not be satisfied until it rescues all of us eagles who have lived too long in comfortable association with turkeys. Our text for today is like our soaring eagle friend who called out to his confused turkey walking brother, “Come out and come up, soar and ascend; live as God designed and desires you to live.”

I have nothing against turkeys. But it’s not enough to be a mere church member. Just having your name on St. John’s church roster doesn’t get it done. Rather, starting today, we will strive to experience the joy and the thrill and the freedom and the adventure of going the whole way with God. We will be disciples of Christ, followers of the Lamb.

Maybe you are confused or even troubled that I suggest that there is a difference between a mere church member and a true member of the Holy Christian Church of Jesus Christ. Well here is the difference: A mere church member can talk the talk. A Christian, a disciple, a follower of Jesus, walks the walk.

Let’s get the scene. The Twelve Disciples have just returned from their first independent mission trip throughout Palestine. They have come back and have shared with Jesus exciting stories of their young missionary careers. Even more recently, they watched Jesus feed thousands with a few fishes and loaves. The disciples of Jesus, these sincere followers of the Lamb were seeing and experiencing amazing things. The time seemed just right for Jesus to ask, “Who do men say that I am...And what I really want to know is who do you say that I am?”

Peter would represent the whole crew: “You are the Christ of God.” This is significant. Peter was confessing Jesus as the Lord God. Peter was moving beyond mere membership in the entourage of Jesus. Peter was moving into true discipleship territory. He was confessing his faith in Jesus, the only Savior promised to Eve who would crush Satan’s head, the true Son of Abraham who would be a blessing to all nations, the Savior of the world, the king descended of David whose kingdom would rule forever, the Lord. How did Peter finally figure out who Jesus was? He didn’t! In Matthew’s account of this event, Jesus said, “My Father who is in heaven revealed this to you, Peter.”

These disciples had celebrated two Passovers with Jesus, but only now was Peter confessing, “You are the Christ of God.” Peter’s confession—the disciples’ confession—changed everything. This conversation which produced this confession is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This conversation, this event, is important to the story that these three gospel writers are telling. From here forward, in Matthew, Mark and Luke, something very important happens.

Jesus says, “Now I can teach you plainly what the Son of Man must suffer.” From here forward, Jesus speaks clearly about troubling, frightening and disturbing things. What frightening things? Jesus says, “Now I can tell you this that is on my heart and troubling my mind; The Son of Man must suffer many things, that he must be tried and rejected and condemned by the religious leaders of the land, and that he must be killed and die, and that he must rise again on the third day.”

How do you feel when someone says to you, “Can I speak candidly...Can I be direct?” When someone starts a conversation like that, we get nervous. We anticipate a difficult conversation. The disciples were going to hear something very difficult. It went like this: “Now that you get it, now that the Father has given faith to you, now I can speak plainly, candidly, directly, no longer in parables but in clear proclamations: I must suffer and die at the hands of evil men...but I will rise again.”

Do you remember how Peter responded to this clear teaching? “Enough, Jesus, we will have none of this dying talk.” O foolish Peter, you get it but you don’t. So quickly disciples slide back into turkey coops. Don’t be a turkey, Peter. Jesus said that he MUST suffer, he MUST be condemned, he MUST die.

Move forward now in your faith, Peter. It’s not pleasant to hear that your beloved Savior has a price on his head. It’s much less pleasant to hear that this price is yours. Your sins required the suffering and death of Jesus. Our sins required the suffering and death of Jesus. Jesus must suffer and die for our sins or we must.

This is the very first and certainly the most difficult lesson of Christianity. This is the beginning of being a true believer and an honest follower of the Lamb. Get this very first part: Jesus had to suffer and die. Jesus did suffer and die. He did this to rescue us from the consequences of our sin.

Now I will speak plainly to you. Jesus our Savior gets all the glory and all of the honor and all of the praise for rescuing us from all of our death and hell. He had to suffer and die for us. This is what he had to do for us because we could do nothing for ourselves.

Jesus lifted us up on eagle’s wings because we are earthbound in our turkey coops. Jesus came down to rescue us. He had to do this. Only Jesus could do this. Until you get this, you don’t get anything about God. ..and then he rose. Jesus rose, he soared into the heavens, he returned to his Father after appearing in the flesh. He rose. And he had to rise, so we could be sure that we too could fly. Believe this just like this, and you are a disciple of Jesus, you have been given faith by the Father, and you have been set free from the turkey coop by the Spirit.

When the Father gave faith to Peter, only then could Peter begin to understand what Jesus had to suffer. And only then, could Peter understand would he would have to suffer as a true disciple. Jesus said to Peter and to all those who were following Christ and to every generation since then who would follow Christ, “If anyone would... (verses 23-24).”

Here is another place where turkeys and eagles get separated, where disciples pull away from mere members. Salvation is absolutely free. There is no price to pay, no price we can pay for our eternal rescue. Jesus gets the glory. But discipleship? That’s not free. In fact, discipleship will cost us everything.

Here is what discipleship costs:

-Deny yourself. Mere members take very good care of themselves. But Jesus calls his disciples to deny themselves. We do not belong to ourselves. We have been purchased at a very high price. We belong to Jesus. Everything we are and have belongs to Jesus. So in denying ourselves we are constantly asking this question, “What would Jesus have me do with me and my time, and all that I have?”

-A disciple takes up his cross. Church members can’t handle this part. Even disciples wince. But a disciple takes up his cross daily. This means, we will endure, daily if necessary, the results of living distinctively Christian lives in a world that hates disciples. If we are not acting like turkeys, the turkeys notice. Turkeys are more dangerous than you might imagine, especially when they turn on you because you are living a disciple’s life. But take up your cross. Bear whatever scorn or persecution you may be blessed to endure.

What kind of recruitment campaign is Jesus running here? It’s a lot easier to be a turkey! It doesn’t cost anything to just be a member. Why pay the high price of discipleship? (Verse 24)

Here comes the crazy math of Jesus. Kingdom algebra. It goes like this: Lose your life for Jesus. Give up everything for Jesus. Care only about the things that Jesus cares about. This is not easy. It takes time and training and focus. But lose your life for Jesus and find out what living is all about.

Leroy was in his 80’s before I had the chance to tell him what life was all about. His was a tough and angry unbeliever who wanted nothing to do with this preacher...until he was diagnosed with a terminal disease. I completed his instruction on his death bed. He became a member of our church, was baptized and received Holy Communion in the same little bedside service shortly before he died. He looked me straight in the face and said hours before his death, “Pastor, everything is going to be OK.”

We are all so very blessed. We have time to really live life. We have time to experience what life and living is all about. I assure you and I promise you, everything is going to be OK. Disciples know how to die. And so, you truly know how to live. Give up your life, give up everything for Jesus and find out what living is. Go the whole way with God...and soar.