What About Homer?
The first 8 chapters of the Gospel of Luke are written to answer the question: “Who is Jesus?” In Luke 5 Jesus dared to forgive sins and the Jewish authorities said, “Who is this fellow?” In Luke 7 Jesus allowed a woman of questionable pedigree to wash his feet and worship him. Again, Jesus’ detractors asked, “Who is this man?” Even those who followed Jesus were astounded by what he did. In Luke 8 the disciples of Jesus were afraid that a severe storm was about to sink the boat in which they were traveling. After Jesus commanded the storm to stop blowing and the trip resumed safely, the astonished disciples said to one another, “Who is this man, he commands the winds and the water and they obey him?” After spending 8 chapters showing who Jesus is, Luke records Jesus asking his disciples a life changing question: “Who do men say that I am?” To this question Peter responds, “You are the promised Messiah, sent from God.” Luke 9 details how Jesus commanded his disciples to follow him. As Luke writes about Jesus, he explains who Jesus is in the first half of his book. Luke then transitions (in the second half of the book) and points out that those who rightly understand who Jesus is must follow him.
Today there are many who are familiar with the name Jesus. I contend that people need to delve deeper. Is Jesus really the Son of God? Is Jesus really the long awaited one who has come to save mankind? The evidence strongly declares that Jesus is exactly this. As we dig deeper and do business with this question of who Jesus is, we come to a critical juncture. Will we follow Jesus? It is not enough to say that you accept the statement that Jesus is special. It is not enough to nod the head and give lip service to the statement that Jesus is God. If Jesus is really the Author and Creator of this universe then we better pay attention when he says, “Follow me.”
Let me pose a scenario: If you were to return home and find a stranger (we’ll call him Homer) sitting in your living room, what would you do? Even more bizarre, what would you think if Homer had taken food from your kitchen and was eating the food in your favorite chair while watching your television? Let’s complicate matters even more, suppose that Homer (sitting in your home, munching your food, getting crumbs on your chair and enjoying your TV) thought it was quite proper to be there. As a matter of fact, Homer is surprised when you question him as to why he is there. Homer is aghast that you have called the police to come and take him away!
Do we treat God any different? Truth be told, the vast majority of mankind sees God as a glorified butler who is called in to clean up their mess. Most people are quite happy to see the God of the universe as their cosmic “good luck charm.” While we selfishly like the idea of God being our servant, that is not the way God says it will be. We are called to follow God and submit our will to his will. I believe that most people ignorantly take God’s compassion as an excuse to do their own thing.
In Luke 9 Jesus clearly defines what he expects his followers to do. Before we unpack those expectations, let me offer some insight into the wisdom of following Jesus (being his disciple). As we look at the world around us, we see that something is missing in the lives of all people. Despite the glorious creation that God has placed us in, something is missing. There are those who mistakenly think that more “stuff” (money, possessions, trinkets, things) will make life perfect. Others chase after a relationship that they hope will make their life complete. But those who find a loving spouse, a beautiful child or a special friend have found a gift that is temporary at best. We are all doomed to pass away. Time marches on and we frantically search for that relationship that we hope will satisfy the ache in our hearts.
God tells us that we are his creation. God designed us to live in fellowship with him. God has the power to make all things right. God has the wisdom to instruct us in the way of life. Left to our own devices, we often ruin God’s creation. We chase after temporary pleasures and ignore eternal fulfillment. Are you tired of living life in a “hit and miss” fashion? Join me next week as we ponder the words of Jesus and consider what he says about a life lived his way. Keep looking up!