‘Not Here To Be Happy!’
Fergus Buchanan
October 29, 2021
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Luke 14: 25-35 (NIVUK)
25 Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even their own life – such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 ‘Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, “This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.”
31 ‘Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34 ‘Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out.
‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’
It was a meeting where a difficult decision had to be made. We were coming to a point of agreement but one of our number had been very quiet throughout the discussion. The Chair, obviously conscious of this, turned to the man in question an asked: ‘Are you happy with this?’ The reply was: ‘I am not here to be happy. I am here to serve.’
That might appear to be overly solemn and certainly a silence descended while we worked out the implications of that statement. But I took the point. Sometimes we have to make decisions and take actions that do not fill us with joy in the moment but they have to be followed through if we are to be faithful in service.
It is something like this that Jesus is seeking to convey in today’s passage of Scripture. I think we would hope that everyone is happy in their involvement with a Christian community. Sooner or later, however, they will be confronted with what Dietrich Boenhoffer called ‘the cost of discipleship.’ It all begins when we recognise who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and thereby receive His Spirit. It continues when as Paul taught we are willing to empty ourselves in service, when we recognise that other people are more important than ourselves.
Our instinct may be that in order to attract people to the Christian life we should not lay this on too thick. Jesus seems to be saying otherwise. At the beginning of discipleship it has to be understood where this will lead. Personal spiritual satisfaction will be ours but so also will sacrifice for the sake of Jesus and His Kingdom. Bartimaeus (from our key reading in the month from Mark 10: 46-52) has been healed, a new future has opened up for him. He may not always be happy but there will be assurance in faithful service.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus,
Our lives often come up against difficult decisions, awkward conversations, demanding tasks.
Help us to see we can go through it all knowing that despite frazzled nerves, uncertainties and misgivings we can find grace to be faithful in service. Amen.
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