Suburban Legend: Jesus is for Women and Children

I would like to use the words taken from a pastor in an e-mail devotion from this past week:To answer that, put yourself in the big shoes of the first responders after the Twin Towers were attacked on 9/11. Huge plumes of smoke are rising to the sky. Many people have already died. . . . And it's raining . . . raining people, people who are forced to choose between death by fire or death by jumping out of the buildings a hundred stories up. The sirens of the fire and police vehicles howl and echo back and forth in the skyscraper canyons of the city. The first responders speed toward the task appointed before them. The firemen and the policemen set their faces toward the Twin Towers. Their eyes are fixed on this catastrophe; I don't think they could look back if they wanted to. They could not say good-bye to their families. There was nothing more important at that moment than the task of saving the lives of those still trapped in the Twin Towers.What an important task, saving lives. Yet this pales in comparison to the task of saving eternal lives. The brave first responders went to save earthly lives. Jesus and those who respond to His words, "Follow Me" set their faces to save the eternal lives of those who are trapped in sin. . . It's still raining. . . Raining the souls of men being lost from our Heavenly Father's tender care to a hopeless, despairing eternity. So Jesus says, "Follow Me. Right Now! Don't look back!" That's the meaning of this passage of the Bible.

I suppose that there are at least two groups of people listening to this message. For the first group the words "Follow Me" are impossibly challenging. This group is composed of those who are content with their current lives. They are comfortable, and perhaps even complacent. These words of Jesus require radical change. The second group is composed of those who realize that their lost condition, who have no hope of saving themselves or finding their own way. To them, the words, "Follow Me" are sweet hope. When we acknowledge that we are lost, Jesus' words are rescue because only He can lead us to life.

Jesus continues His journey through Samaria. During this time He encounters three people, who are counting the cost to follow Him. In Verse 57, we meet the first man: "As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.'" We meet the second man in verse 59 "[Jesus] said to another man, 'Follow me.' But the man replied, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.' We meet the third man in verse 61, 'I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.' Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'" What is Jesus telling us? He is telling us that the matters of the Kingdom of God are incredibly more important than the issues of this world, even family and home, as important as they are.

People have souls, souls that will live forever, either in the bliss of heaven - as God wants - or separated from Him in hell forever. As I said before, it's raining souls, souls of people being lost from the Father's tender care in a world that is ready to collapse. The work of bringing people back to God is so important that the lack of a place to lay your head should not deter you. It is more important than burying your father. It is so important that there should be no reason to look back after having set your hand to the plow. So Jesus says, "Follow me!" And these words rock our world to the foundation. Do we find ourselves in this first group? Are we stuck? Are we so stuck in the earthly that we are not able to see to the greater purpose that Jesus has for our lives? Or, maybe, we like Jesus well enough, but are we ready to respond to His call to radical commitment?

What about the second group? It is not composed of people who are content and complacent, but rather of those who realize that they are in need of rescue. They are like the people who were trapped in the Twin Towers after the planes struck. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. The elevators won't work. The stairwells are destroyed. The smoke is thick and choking. The flames are advancing. You will not get out alive. The only thing left to do is to choose between death by fire or death by jumping out of a skyscraper and you have chosen to jump. You are about to jump when you feel a hand on your shoulder. It is a first responder. The rescuer speaks the words . . . "Follow me." Follow me! Of course! He knows the way out! No longer are the choices only about death. Now there is hope and maybe even a future. There must be a way. The rescuer got into the building. He must know the way out. So, by no means would the rescuer's words, "Follow me" be viewed as an imposition to your busy schedule, but as the only hope for a new life. That is how it is with people who understand their spiritual condition before God. Because of sin, we have offended God and deserve only punishment from Him. The punishment that we deserve is eternal death and separation from Him. We cannot help ourselves out of this situation.

You are the person trapped in sin. I am too. This sin has consequences for your eternal life. It poisons everything in your life - your relationships, your job, your family, but most of all your standing before God. Because of sin, you are like that person caught between the fire and the great, big fall. The only choices that you have lead to death. But there is a way to life. In the same way that those first responders stormed the hell of those trapped in the Twin Towers. Jesus came to ours. He knows the way in and He knows the way out. He says, "Follow me." For Jesus, the way is through Jerusalem. He knew that there was some very nasty business awaiting Him. Yet it must be done. So in which group do you find yourself? It depends on the day I suppose. Some days you may be in the first group: stuck in complacency and completely oblivious to the rain of men's souls. On other days you may feel like that soul on the edge, feeling like you are caught between the flames and the fall. And, you know, feeling that way isn't all bad, because on those days when you feel that there is no hope or escape, there is one in Jesus. Through the Word, Jesus' hand is on your shoulder. He says, "Follow Me. I know the way.