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 GREAT CROWDS - With the transitional verse 25 which begins our lesson, Luke
alerts us to a new audience: great crowds. Previously he has carried on semiprivate
conversations in a home, but now Jesus returns to the public. What temperament does he
encounter in the "great crowd?" According to some, Jesus meets not people
reluctant to the call to discipleship, but its opposite: fresh recruits eager to sign up
for an adventure with Jesus. These people are totally oblivious to what awaits Jesus at
Jerusalem, but they are enthusiastic to sign on. If that is the tenor of the passage, then
Jesus’ words may be more an attempt to curb the enthusiasm, rather than to simply be
harsh and exclusive in the demands of discipleship.
GREGORY OF NYSSA [ 4TH C. ] - What do we learn from the parable [of the building of the
tower]? One stone does not make a complete tower, nor does one commandment bring the
perfection of the soul to its desired measure. [1]
ON THE JERUSALEM ROAD - Fred Craddock wonders about the nature of the journey-perhaps
from the perspective of the great crowd that follows along. "Is it a funeral
procession? Apparently only Jesus has seriously faced the issue of his death . . . Is it a
march? Very like some think so, investing a good deal of emotion in imagining the
projected clash of opposites-Galilee v. Jerusalem, peasants v. power, laity v. clergy,
Jews v. Romans, Jesus v. the establishment. Is it a parade? Obviously this crowd thinks
so; they are clueless about any conflict, any price to pay, any cross to bear. They swell
in number around Jesus; everybody loves a parade. What does Jesus have to say to hasty
volunteers? In sum, his word is, Think about what you are doing and decide if you are
willing to stay with me all the way." [2]
 Hate, according to one scholar,
does not carry the high emotional charge that it does in our culture. Rather, to hate
meant to "turn away from, to detach oneself from." What is demanded of
disciples, however, "is that in the network of many loyalties in which all of us
live, the claim of Christ and the gospel not only takes precedence but, in fact, redefines
the others." [3]
 Begin with a rhetorical question for
which you can provide a "for instance:" have you ever jumped into a commitment
to a club, committee, or organization and only later to realize that you were in way over
your head? -Or- have you every gotten caught in a shopping spree and later realized that
you really didn’t need the stuff? Or joined a book club and only later realized that
you’d need to buy four more books at the low average book club member’s price of
$48.20 (plus tax)? Then you can understand better Jesus’ warning to would-be
followers about the cost of discipleship.
Describe how some Christian organizations and churches "sell" the gospel like
used cars-they are very aggressive, one-sided in their approach, and make commitment as
easy as "bow your heads and close your eyes; raise your hand if you want to accept
Christ." Yet, too often such conversions simply dry up, evaporate, because they were
based on a lot of enthusiasm, but with little reflection of what a "decision for
Christ" really entailed.
Go contrapuntual: in fact, no one can really completely fulfill their commitment to
discipleship. We’re going to have a mixed bag in our journey with Jesus-the disciples
sure did. But Jesus is not asking for a guarantee of complete fidelity in
advance-otherwise no one could make it. But Jesus is calling for each of us who would
consider being a disciple to consider in advance what that commitment might require.
Suggest some of what that commitment to discipleship might look like-a reprioritizing
of our life around a new life, a change in values, different pursuits, etc. Shape your
closing into the Good News that God provides us in Christ-a new life, one that is well
worth the commitment.
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[1] Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture III (InterVarsity, 2003), page 242.
[2] Fred Craddock, Interpretation Series: Luke (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1990),
page 181.
[3] Ibid, page 182.
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