June 29, 2025

3rd Sunday after Pentecost

1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21

Psalm 16

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Luke 9:51-62

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,

 grace and peace to you

 from the one who sets us free to love. Amen

“For freedom Christ has set us free.” Paul proclaims

and then immediately qualifies that statement,

knowing that it may be misinterpreted

as an opportunity to follow individual desires

 and fulfill individual needs,

 acts which often come at the expense of others.

 “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

This freedom in Christ

 is as much freedom for the sake of others

 as it is freedom from the law.

But this might beg the question,

how then shall we live?

The law at its heart

 is a guide to living in harmony with one another,

 and we humans,

even humans who are free in Christ,

need help navigating how to live out the complexities of life.

how do we know we’re being successful? 

Paul has an answer for that too,

“Live by the Spirit” he says

the spirit will guide us,

and we’ll know that we’re living by the spirit

 because this way of life produces the fruits of the spirit-

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

 Notice how these are all things

 that are directed at others,

 which if lived out

 may result in some surprising choices.

Like the ones we see Jesus make in our gospel for today

 Jesus in his love for the world sets his face toward Jerusalem

it is time to do what he has been sent to do,

 not for himself but for others

 and this face setting is not just metaphorical,

Jesus needs to travel to Jerusalem along with his disciples,

now I think Jesus must have gathered

quite a crowd of followers at this point,

we’ll hear next week how he sends seventy disciples ahead of him,

a crowd of this nature

 would make quite an impact on the towns

 through which they would travel

and as the custom of the day

 expect hospitality from.

So it seems only fair

 that they give them some heads up that they are coming.

And we hear how Jesus sends some messengers on ahead

 to prepare the way for them,

 they’re planning on stopping at a Samaritan village next,

 but because Jesus is headed toward Jerusalem,

 because he is Jewish rather than Samaritan,

 they refuse him hospitality.

Refusal of hospitality is a serious insult

one which under the law

 would allow for retribution

and that is what James and John suggest

 but instead Jesus rebukes them

and moves on without retribution.

Allowing the Samaritans the agency of saying ‘no’

 and respecting that agency and boundary

 is an act of love.

 Jesus wanted to go

 there but set aside his own desires

for the sake of serving their needs.

Jesus’ freedom

means that he is free not to respond with retribution

but with grace

 thus breaking the cycle of self-interested action and reaction.

 There are more persuasive ways

 for Jesus to make his presence and teaching known,

 that is what the disciples are for,

people who freely choose to follow Jesus and his teaching

and share with other their experience.

Now this freedom to follow is not

- forgive the pun-

 a free for all.

Jesus has expectations for those that follow him,

 we see this as Jesus moves on from the Samaritan village,

 three different people approach him

expressing a desire to follow him,

 and to each Jesus responds in a way

 that shows a different aspect of the nature of discipleship.

The first person offers to follow Jesus wherever he goes

 and Jesus warns him of the itinerant nature of discipleship,

 he doesn’t say no to the person

 but does offer a perspective that they may not have considered,

 it’s as if he is asking:

‘are you really willing to follow me wherever I go?

This isn’t a settled lifestyle’ 

The next person hesitates at Jesus’ call to follow,

and while Jesus’ response seems needlessly harsh

what it boils down to

is that time is of the essence

 and that typical social obligations

 no longer apply in pursuit of the kingdom of God.

What that person was saying was essentially,

 let me wait until my father is gone,

my family obligations settled

before I follow you.

 ‘No, this is an act now thing’ Jesus responds.

‘time is of the essence’ 

And Finally someone wants to follow Jesus,

 but expresses a desire to say farewell first

to which Jesus responds “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

‘discipleship requires looking ahead’ Jesus says,

‘if you look back you will be drawn back.’

 I think plowing must be like riding a bike or steering a car,

 if you’re not paying attention your hands follow where you’re looking

 and if you get distracted/ look someplace other than ahead

 you’re going to go the wrong direction.

Jesus knows that it will be easy to get distracted while following him.

 Discipleship takes a constant focus on the kingdom of God.

All of this boils down to this truth:

 following Jesus is a life changing endeavor.

 The life of a follower of Jesus

 should look different from someone who doesn’t follow Jesus.

 Jesus expects that our lives will be changed because of him,

changed in the best way possible

because we have been set free by love

free to love. Amen