In
the movie, The Godfather, Marlon
Brando’s character, Don Corelone, utters one of the classic lines that come
from the movies . . . do you remember it?
He said, “I’ll make them an offer they can’t refuse.” That is the power of being a mafia don or
boss, you can make offers that people can’t refuse because if they refuse, all
hell is going to break loose. Our
scripture reading this morning is one of those sorts of stories. Jesus, and ultimately us, is given an offer
that can’t be refused.
This story though has a lot of similarities of an early story that we
find today in the Old Testament of our bibles—the calling of Elisha. Elisha was the prophet who followed Elijah .
. . the one whom Elijah passed the mantle to.
Elijah discovers Elisha out in a field plowing with 12 yoke of oxen—a
substantial financial investment for that time.
Elijah “anoints” Elisha symbolically by throwing his mantle over
him. Elisha recognizes both the
significance of the call and his own inability to refuse it . . . he leaves the
oxen in the field, runs after Elijah, and asks if he say goodbye to his parents
before he completely follows the prophet.
Elijah challenges Elisha to count the cost of discipleship and make a
clean break with anything that would prevent his undivided attention. Elisha wastes no time in following Elijah.
Sound familiar?
Luke tells us this morning that Jesus is beginning to fulfill his
prophetic destiny in obedience to God’s will—he sets out for Jerusalem. It is an offer he cannot refuse. This is the build-up to the climax of the
story. And, so, Jesus heads down the
road. Along the way he and the disciples
encounter several men. One comes up to
Jesus proclaiming that he is willing to follow Jesus. Another is invited by Jesus to follow. And, yet another, proclaims he too will
follow Jesus . . . but, they all have conditions. One wants to bury his father, the other wants
to say goodbye to his family. Not quite
the response Jesus is hoping for . . . opportunity is knocking, and Jesus wants
to know if they are coming or not.
Apparently there really are no offers that can’t be refused in life . .
. or so it seems. In the movie, The Godfather, the option to refuse an
offer was acceptable because the backlash would eventually make the people
refusing come to their senses before loss everything including their
lives. There would be hell to pay until
the offer was accepted. Luke makes
allusions to this sort of thinking in the beginning of our reading when the
disciples ask Jesus if they should ask God to bring down a shower of fire to
destroy the Samaritan village that would not receive Jesus. Elijah did just that to his enemies in the
Old Testament. Jesus refuses such
tactics . . . but, from his responses to those he encounters along the way to
Jerusalem, it is easy to tell that he is not happy with their refusal to drop
everything and follow him.
Last
week, I mentioned that when it comes to issues and problems in our lives . . .
we can run, but we can’t hide. Life
issues and problems dog us until we deal with them. So it is with following the call of God upon
our lives . . . God will pursue us until we can no longer refuse.
In
seminary both the wife and I were not the “typical” ministerial candidates. The average age of our seminary classmates
was in their late 30s, we were 21. Many
of them were coming back to school after having other careers and jobs, we were
fresh out of college and just continuing on up the academic ladder. The only thing that we had in common with our
classmates was the fact that we were all pursuing God’s call upon our lives to
be ministers. Over and over again I
heard their stories, how they had heard the call of God early in their lives,
but chose to do something else . . . but, God wouldn’t quit pursuing them . . .
wouldn’t quit knocking on their doors, until they could no longer refuse. They dropped everything and came to
seminary. God is like that . . . God
will pursue you until you can no longer refuse.
This is important stuff, this following of Jesus . . . life-changing
stuff. It is not something that can be
put off and picked up later . . . no, there is a sense of urgency in following
Jesus . . . there is a lot of work that needs to get done. When Jesus tags you, you better be ready to
play. Answer the call.
Opportunity is knocking—are you coming?
That is the question that Jesus is asking and what he gets in return is
a lot of “yes, but” answers. I’m too
young . . . I want to live a little before sacrificing everything . . . I want
to say goodbye to my family and friends . . . I’m too old . . . too rich . . .
too poor. I’m not smart enough, strong
enough, wise enough. Yes, Jesus, I want
to follow you . . . but tomorrow. Isn’t
that what the guy is doing when he wants to go home to bury his father? Isn’t that what the guy is doing when he
wants to go home and tell his family goodbye?
Isn’t that what we do . . . yes, but?
Well, that doesn’t get the job done.
That does not fulfill God’s will.
And, because it doesn’t get the job done or fulfill God’s will, God will
continue to pursue each and everyone us until we accept the offer. To love the Lord with our whole being, and to
love one another . . . to bring fulfillment to God’s Kingdom in this time and
place. So what are you going to do? Opportunity is knocking . . . are you
coming? Amen.
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