Luke 9:51-62        “Ban the Buts"

     At a church women’s conference focusing on conflict resolution, the leader asked participants to take part in an exercise.  Her purpose was to show that many times people don’t present what’s really concerning them.  Conference attendees were paired up and then, one would present something that they had a problem with, something that upset them.  The other person would respond, “That’s your problem, but what is your real concern.”

     In one particular pairing, one woman who worked as a layperson in a church with family programming stated that she really got upset when people said that the church was very important to them, yet right away said they couldn’t help with a specific program or emphasis because they had something more important to do.  She went on to give examples that all church leaders have heard: like, parents thinking that children are a top priority for church, but they can’t bring their kids to Sunday School because they’re letting them sleep in, since they were up late the night before, and fellowship time is important but people can’t come to a church picnic because they have other commitments that day.  After listening to her, the other woman responded as the leader had asked, “That’s your problem, what is your real concern?”

     The response of the first woman was, “My concern is that I wish we could kick all the “buts” out of the church!”  She then went on to explain that grammatically, anytime a sentence contains the word “but” it entirely negates what was said before.

     You can probably see where this is leading – our Gospel lesson.  Jesus has begun his ultimate journey: as the text puts it, “he set his face to go to Jerusalem.”  The cross.  Nothing was going to stop him.  Not an inhospitable Samaritan village.  Not even angry followers who wanted to call down fire to avenge the rejection of Jesus and the disciples.

     As Jesus makes his journey, someone came along who indicated a desire to join him: “I will follow you wherever you go.”  Jesus’ reply, however, pointed out to the man the cost of becoming a disciple.  Those who wanted to be Jesus’ disciples needed to understand that it would cost them something, that they couldn’t expect luxury or even a warm welcome and they must willingly put aside worldly security.

     To another man, Jesus invited him, “Follow me.”  BUT he said, “First let me go and bury my father.”

     The strange reply from Jesus, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God,” shouldn’t be construed as Jesus suggesting that this man abandon the funeral arrangements for his father who has just passed away.  Had this father just died, the young man wouldn’t have had time to be on the road with Jesus anyway, for the tradition of that culture was to have a burial within 24 hours after death.  So, this son wasn’t being instructed to do something that anyone with an ounce of sensitivity would have objected to. Instead, we should understand this as an excuse and the excuse being, “Lord, I will follow you, BUT let me get all family obligations out of the way first.”  Even that doesn’t sound especially unreasonable.  However, the question that that raises is when will all the obligations be “out of the way?”  If that man’s family was anything like your family or mine, the answer could very well be never.

     Then another man says he wants to come along.  “I will follow you, Lord; BUT let me first say farewell to those at my home.”  Jesus’ response to this man draws on a bit of conventional country wisdom: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  Every farmer will tell you that no one can plow a straight furrow without keeping the eyes straight ahead.

     It seems to me that Jesus’ message to those men that day was: get your priorities straight.  Then, and only then, will you be ready for God to rule in your life.

     Now, let’s move that story up a bit, to 2007.  Jesus’ invitation to “Follow me” is offered again.  Our temptation is to offer excuses, as well.  “Lord, I’ll be glad to follow, but...but...but...  There are so many things that call to us. GOOD things - family, friends, work, and on and on and on.  The choices that confronted the would-be disciples on the road that day weren’t between good and evil.  The choices were between two “goods.”  Some things never change, do they?  “Lord, I will follow, but...”

     Is it time to “ban the buts” from your Christian journey?  Yes, they come so easily.  Worship?  But Sunday is the only day I get to catch up on my sleep.  Teach Sunday School?  But there are others who can do it better.  Serve on a committee?  But I’ve done that before.  Devotional time?  But I’m just way too busy.  But, but, but...

     An expert on the subject of time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration.  As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.”  Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on a table in front of him.  Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.  When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”

     Everyone in the class said, ‘Yes.”

     Then he said, “Really?”  He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel.  Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.  Then he smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?”

     By this time the class was onto him.  “Probably not,” one of them answered.

     “Good!” he replied.  And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand.  He started dumping the sand in, and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.  Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

     “No!” the class shouted.

     Once again he said, “Good!”  Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim.  Then he looked up at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

     One eager student raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!”

     “No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point.  The truth this illustration teaches us is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

     Jesus says, “Follow me.”  BIG rock.  We respond, “I will follow you, Lord, but...”  Priorities.  Get the big rocks in first.  How do you make sure the priorities are appropriate?  A good start would be a commitment to ban the buts, then all the rest will fall into place.

                                                AMEN