June 15, 2025
Luke 9:57-62
Introduction
You know something… Jesus can be a real pain sometimes, can’t he? Sure, sure, we all love Jesus, believe in him, want to do well for him and by him, but sometimes Jesus can just be…so annoying and aggravating, right? Well think about it… We’ve all had that friend who we love, but sometimes it’s a love/hate relationship because they always coyly speak their mind with no filter, no social graces, and they are often right. And Jesus is not just often right, he’s always right—and has not just social graces, but divine grace—which is so annoying and aggravating, right!?
In our text from Luke, Jesus is calling into question some would-be followers, as well as us today. And Jesus calling us into question is never easy, fun, or comfortable—it’s usually annoying and aggravating. And what he is specifically calling into question (today) is the direction of our life, the values we claim to hold, how we prioritize those values, and ultimately how we are living and embodying those values. Jesus is asking us to look at ourselves rather than the “Samaritan” on whom we’d like to call down fire from heaven.
And by “Samaritan” I mean those who look, act, and believe differently from us; those who do not hold our particular religious or political beliefs; those who are not from these parts; those to whom we are opposed and in conflict with, for whatever reasons. And if you’re not sure who your “Samaritans” are look at your social media feed and who posts the articles and comments that push your buttons, turn on the news channel you refuse to watch, picture the face of that one person who—in your head—you would crush in an argument.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus won’t let us get our way or turn away from our “Samaritans” the people and situations right in front of us. Nor will he let us turn away the future coming to us. Jesus takes the tension we live in and with, and then holds it right in front of us, and in that annoying and aggravating way of his, says, “Hey, let’s deal with this. But instead of dealing with it the way the world would—ignoring it, complaining about it, judging it, or asking for fire from heaven to come down and smite— let’s try something different, and I’ll show you how. Just do what I do.”
Ugh! Don’t you just hate that!? Taking the high road is always exhausting, but taking the Jesus road is excruciating, right?! That tension is excruciatingly exhausting because on the one hand we say to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And yet, on the other hand, we say to him, “But first I gotta….” Which is then followed up by Jesus with a, “Yeah, but you don’t gotta.”
You probably know what that’s like. I know I do. When have you experienced that tension? When has it felt like you were being pulled in two directions, the way of Jesus and some other way? In what ways have you said, “But first I gotta…?”
Move 1
It’s easy and simple to follow Jesus… in principle. Love your neighbor as yourself, love your enemy, welcome the stranger, visit the sick and imprisoned, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give the thirsty something to drink, turn the other cheek, forgive not just seven times but seventy times seven.
These are core values Jesus holds. That’s where Jesus is going. That’s the direction in which he has set his face. That’s the road to Jerusalem—where his life and ministry culminate in betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection— and it sounds good, it’s faithful. We all agree with these “follow Jesus” values. It’s our “road to Jerusalem” we too have chosen to travel…in principle. But it’s so much harder and messier to follow Jesus in life than in principle.
We are all in favor of love, hospitality, forgiveness, and nonviolence… until we meet the unlovable, the stranger who scares us, the unforgivable act, the one who throws the first punch. We are all in favor of following Jesus…until the thing we really want to do becomes a bigger priority. We are all in favor of the ways of Jesus… or our “Samaritan” shows up. Then it’s a different story and that story usually begins with, “But first I gotta…”
Jesus, however, puts no qualifications, limitations, or exceptions on where he is going, who is included, or what he is offering. He doesn’t care who we are, where we are from, or what we have done or left undone. Republican or Democrat, citizen or foreigner, Christian or Muslim, gay or straight, black or white, good or bad, believer or nonbeliever—none of it matters to Jesus. For him there are no conditions, no strings, no bait and switch attached to his love, hospitality, forgiveness, or giving. Jesus does not utter, and does not allow for a “But first I gotta…” anywhere in his life or the lives of his followers. And o’boy is that annoying and aggravating because we all have some hardcore “Samaritans” we gotta go deal with.
Move 2
“But first I gotta…” is the way we put conditions on the unconditional. Yes, I will love the other, but first I gotta who the other is, whether she or he is deserving of love, whether I like him or her, whether he or she agrees with, and is agreeable, to me. Yes, I will open my door to and welcome the stranger, but first I gotta see who’s knocking, how different he or she is from me, what she or he wants, and what I am risking. Yes, I will forgive another, but first I gotta see if she or he has acknowledged her or his wrongdoing, is sorry for what they did, and has promised to change. Yes, I will give to and care for another, but first I gotta see why I should, what it will cost me, and what’s in it for me.
“But first I gotta…” is today’s “Round-tuit.” And this “But first I gotta…/Round-tuit” mindset is as if we are backing our way into the kingdom of God, while keeping an eye on the door. It’s as if we are walking backwards into our future, not wanting to see or deal with what is before us. It’s as if we have put our hand to the plow and looked back. And we know what Jesus thinks about that. But backing our way through life can be just as exhausting and just as aggravating as the way of Jesus. Backing our way through life with a “But first I gotta…” mindset is a constant mental and spiritual gymnastics routine.
Backing our way forward limits our ability and opportunity to see God’s wonder and beauty us. I don’t want to live, if you will pardon a bad pun, a “butt first” life. And I hope you don’t either. I want us to turn and be led with our hearts—from the depths of our hearts that loves the unlovable, forgives the unforgivable, welcomes the stranger, and offers grace even when it’s not earned.
Move 3
I wasn’t kidding when I said today’s text is annoying and aggravating. I wish I could resolve this in some neat and simple way, as much for myself as for you, but I can’t. Because it’s not about resolving the Gospel. It’s about resolving ourselves, resolving our heart.
And to make things even more annoying and aggravating, that resolving ourselves and resolving our hearts, is not a simple “one-and-done” effort. This kind of resolve is a way of being in this world, a way of relating to others, a direction for our life, rooted in core values we have to set withing ourselves by choosing this direction and way every day. It’s our road to Jerusalem.
That means looking at the ways in which we are backing through life. It means naming the people and situations to which we have turned our backs and acknowledging that we do sometimes—maybe more than we even realize—live a “But first I gotta…” way of life.
Conclusion
I wonder what our lives and world would be like if we were to love, give, welcome, and forgive without a “But first I gotta…”?
I’m certain it would be risky and scary and look wildly obtuse to the world we are used to seeing. I’m certain it would be annoying and aggravating…at first. But as I look at the world, read and watch the news, and listen to the lives and stories of others, the world is already risky, scary, and obtuse—it’s already annoying and aggravating.
So what if we took a better risk, faced fear in a better way, and lived a kinder kind of annoyance and aggravating?
What if we were to let that way of life, that mindset, and those core values start today, in our lives, in our particular situations, and with whoever or whatever is before us?
What if instead of asking to call down fire upon the “Samaritans” in our lives, what if we called down God’s blessings for a better way forward.
What if we extended grace to our “Samaritans”?
What if we were to lead with our hearts and not “But first I gotta…”?
Do you think life today would be better?
Or do you think even the idea of it is just annoying and aggravating? Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, June 15, 2025
Holy God, evidence of your gracious love is always present, always there for us to receive and share; always there for us to embody and become living embodiments of your kingdom.
How grateful we are for your love and grace, and for how your Son brought it into this world, setting his face to Jerusalem, so all of creation would be embraced in your grace and love.
Lord God, amid a world dominated by self-interest, power and greed, your gracious love teaches us that mercy can triumph over judgment, acts of peacemaking can restore relationships between individuals, tribes and nations; that hope can foster self-respect and respect for others; and that transformation of heart, mind, and soul is possible through the redemptive work of your Spirit.
We know this truth, and yet we admit we still stray from it. We admit we profess how we want to follow your son—that we have declared to him, “I will follow you wherever you go…”, and yet we know, too, we have often added to that declaration, “…but first I gotta…”
Forgive us Lord, for the qualifications we so often require.
Forgive us for the conditional love and devotion we put forth to you.
Then help us to set our faces toward Jerusalem, following Jesus without conditions, and truly becoming living embodiments of the grace and love he offers. Because that is how Jesus changed the world for the better, and it is how we can continue and further his ministry today.
God of all life, on this Father’s Day we say thanks to our fathers and those like fathers to us. And whether this day is of joy, or sorrow, or a reminder of what never was or what won’t be, we know today can be a reminder of the life we were born into, and that within our life is always the opportunity to still find gratefulness, and that gratitude can still to be expressed, regardless of how we approach this day, because we are alive and blessed with your love of a father, and have a chance to share that love and blessings with others.
Hear now the prayers of our hearts as we offer them to you in this time of Holy silence.
All this we pray in the name of Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray saying, “Our…”