Friends,

This is the day before an important midterm elections. I am calling on all my Christian brothers and sisters to remember to vote tomorrow, November 6, and to vote Republican. Our faith is not partisan, but we have both priviilege and opportunity to elect our leaders, and it behooves us to elect those, whose policies most closely mirror our biblical values. In this day, the Republican Party is the party that defends the life of the unborn. The Republican Party defends the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. The Republican Party understands that God created people as male and female according to biology and not according to personal preference. The Republican Party nominates Supreme Court Justices, who uphold the original intent of the Constitution and promote laws that protect Christian liberty. The Republican Party promotes greater parental choice in the education of our children.

There are many secular reasons to vote Republican as well, including a strong economy, low unemployment, rising wages, a strong national defense, lower taxes, better support for the military and the men and women in law enforcement, and respect in the world as the U.S. finally challenges the nations that have used and abused American good will and generosity for decades.

I am calling on you, my Christian brothers and sisters, to join me today in fasting and prayer for tomorrow's midterm elections, that God might allow Republicans to win across the country, so that the spiritual and economic prosperity might advance in spite of the threats, violence, and dispicable tactics of many Democrats in trying to thwart it. 

He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Luke 8:8).

When Jesus told the Parable of the Soils, He was explaining the significance of how the Word of God was heard by people. There was clearly a stark contrast between the first three kinds of people and the last person. Only the last person bore any fruit. It is in this context Jesus taught, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear". Now, they all received the Word (Gk. logos) of God, but they did not all believe. Therefore, it was not the Word of God by itself that produced faith. It was the condition of the "ears" of the hearers. Those that did not believe or did not allow the Word to bear fruit did not have "ears to hear," or perhaps more precisely, ears to believe. Now, consider what Paul wrote in response to the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews, who had clearly heard the Word (Gk. logos) of God,

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (Gk. rhema) of God (Romans 10:17).

This verse is often preached to mean that simply the hearing of the Word of God has the power to bring forth the response of faith. But as we learned from the parable of Jesus, this was not the case. What is more, even in the context of Romans 10, if simply hearing the Word produced faith, why would Paul make the argument that the Jews heard but failed to believe? (cf. Romans 10:18-21). But why then does He write, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"? 

Rather than force our preconceptions onto this text, we should consider whether there is an alternative understanding of what Paul may have meant. And there is! Notice the different Greek words used by Luke and Paul. The Word (logos) of God does not produce hearing faith but the word (rhema) of God does produce hearing faith. The first has to do with the content of Scripture and the Gospel, but the latter has to do with God's sovereign and elective decree. 

It was by God's elective decree that some believed and others remained in their unbelief. It was by God's elective decree that the Gentiles, who never even sought God's Word, nevertheless, both received and believed in it. 

Friends, we have ears to hear, that is, hearing faith, because God has given it to us. Faith is a gift of God. Praise be to God!

And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear (Luke 8:37).

The people of the country of the Gerasenes have experienced a tremendous miracle; namely, the healing of a long-time, demon-possessed man. This man was no ordinary demoniac. He was possessed by a legion of demons, so that he possessed seemingly super-human strength. How scary is that to have someone like that in your neighborhood. And Jesus healed him!

Yet, instead of celebrating Jesus' arrival, they asked Him to leave them. They were more scared of Jesus than they were of the demoniac. What's going on here?

Friends, there is an important lesson for us here. In the movie "Shawshank Redemption," there was a prisoner, who was serving a life sentence. He had already served some fifty years of it, and he had adapted to life in prison. Then, he was pardoned and let go. But shortly afterward, he committed suicide in his state-provided apartment. Morgan Freeman, who was in a similar situation, explained to Tim Robbins, a fellow prisoner, what happened. This man had become "institutionalized" at the prison, so that the oppressive, shameful conditions in the prison became comfortably normal for him. When he came out, he did not know how to handle his new-found freedom and chose to end his life rather than facing his fear of the unfamiliar.

The people of the country of the Gerasenes were used to having the demoniac in their neighborhood. The liberation that Jesus brought was frightening to them because it was so unfamiliar to them. 

Friends, have we become so comfortable in our sins that we fear deliverance? Have we become so used to the rat race that we fear getting off? Have we become chummy with the idols in our lives that displace God as our chief desire so that we're unwilling to change? As startling as the behavior of the Gerasene people might seem to us, careful consideration might reveal a reflection of our own entrapment. 

 And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately (Luke 8:55).

The people mourning Jairus' daughter ridiculed Jesus because they "knew" that the girl was already dead. Presumably, they would not have mocked Him if He went to heal her while she was living? When Jesus came to raise Lazarus, even Mary and Martha did not believe Jesus could do this. It was one thing to heal the sick but quite another to raise someone, who was already decaying in the tomb. The disciples marveled that Jesus could feed five thousand people with just a few loaves and fish, but then they could not trust Him to save just the handful of them in the storm. The Son of God, who healed the sick, also had power to raise the dead. The Son of God, who fed the five thousand, also had power to calm the storm. 

Friends, I wonder whether we fail to perceive the full extent of the power of God. We proclaim Him as both Creator and Redeemer, as the Sovereign Lord of the universe, yet we worry like there's no tomorrow when our child gets sick, when the stock market tanks, or when our business presentation flops. Isn't this kind of inconsistent and almost hypocritical?

Consider a church that goes into debt to pay for land, a building, or a new endeavor, yet, at the same time, claim that it is a step of faith. Others require their members to make pledges. Why not believe that God will provide all the money without the need to go into debt? Does this require greater faith? Is the God that moves hearts to make a pledge not the same God that moves those same hearts to give all the money up front? Some may argue that it's just a little debt, only a million dollars for doing x compared to ten million dollars that they could have incurred if they did y. How is this any different than the unbelieving disciples, who did not discern the connection between Jesus' feeding the five thousand and the same Jesus' calming the storm, or the people, who could not connect the dots between Jesus, who heals the sick, with the same Jesus, who raises the dead?

Friends, let us be sober in the consideration of our ways. I adjure our leaders to be prayfully mindful as well, for there can be a fine line between calls to faith and machinations to manipulate a gullibly ignorant people.

When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (Luke 9:54).

Amazing! Right on the heals of seeing Jesus calm the winds and the waves, the discipes now not only believe in the power of Jesus, they seem ready to use some of this power themselves to call fire down from heaven.

In the Martial Arts, I tell my students that red belt is often the most dangerous belt level, even more so than advanced black belts. It is not because they are more skilled or stronger than the black belts. It is because they have finally developed the skill to hit hard and fast and do damage, and so their zeal overwhelms any wisdom to exercise control . The advanced belts can do even more damage, but they have gained the wisdom to exercise great care and control. 

Jesus told the disciples, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of" (Luke 9:55). Even if they now understood the power of the Son of God, they still did not comprehend His mission: "For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:56).

Jesus could have called a legion of angels to fight against His captors, but He didn't. He chose to obey the will of God and so achieve in God's way the salvation of all mankind. 

Friends, just because we can does not mean that we should. May everything we do be in line with the will of God, led by the Spirit of God, in obedience to the Word of God. 

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me (Luke 9:23).

This call to discipleship is found in each of the synoptic gospels; however, Luke is the only one to explicitly include the word "daily". It is fitting because Luke was the physician and generally provided the longest and most detailed account of Jesus words and acts.

Jesus had just finished instructing his disciples about how he "must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed" (Luke 9:22). It was logical that those who followed him might very well suffer the same fate. As Jesus taught elsewhere, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:20). Surely, those who chose to follow Jesus would have their faith severely tested. I believe this is why Jesus used such strong language to describe those that chose to follow him. He was providing a road map for their immediate future.

We must understand this immediate application of Jesus' words to his first disciples before we try to extrapolate the teaching to Jesus' disciples in our present day. Jesus was describing a very real, near-term, life-and-death type persecution for his first disciples; however, we may not experience nearly the same things today. In some parts of the world, where persecution is both real and severe, Jesus' words might resonate more directly. For us, who live in a relatively free society, we do not live out our faith on pain of death, so we may be hardpressed to find direct application of Jesus' words here.

Nevertheless, we cannot miss Jesus' call to devotion. Therefore, it is fitting that we translate this call to devote one's whole life to our present-day experience. It is approrpriate to ask ourselves whether our lives are defined by our desire for worldly gain or by our desire to honor Christ (cf. Luke 9:25). It is right to ask ourselves if we are living as if we are ashamed of our faith in Christ, or if we are simply wearing our faith on our sleaves, or whether we are boldly proclaiming that Jesus is the only hope to avoid eternal judgment and gain eternal life.

Luke writes that Jesus' call to discipleship is a call to a devotion that is to be practiced "daily". Consequently, as we consider our devotion to Christ, we too ought to check ourselves daily. Am I daily making Jesus the priority? Am I daily living for him? Am I daily being bold in declaring the Gospel of Jesus?

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me 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.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:58-62)

Friends, I find three lessons from Jesus' replies to the three different expressions of commitment presented in this passage. Like the first three soils in the parable of the sower, these three declarations of commitment to follow Jesus come short of a right response. 

I. Count the Cost of Following Christ

Consider the first. This man says to Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go." While it sounds bold and unequivocably devoted, Jesus responds, in my paraphrase, "Do you even know what you are getting into? If you follow Me, there's a restless life ahead." As Jesus would teach elsewhere, He is saying that those that want to follow Him should first count the cost (e.g. Luke 14:25-33). Interestingly, in Matthew 8:18-20, we find a parallel account that identifies the person making the commitment as "a teacher of the Law." And what do we know about them? Jesus says,

Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets (Luke 20:45)

Jesus' response would strike at the heart of the self-interest and comfort-seeking attitude of the teacher of the Law. Following Jesus would not be the kind of easy, well-respected, and comfortable life that he is used to as a teacher of the Law. 

II. Understand the Nature of Christ's Mission

Then, another man comes to Jesus and says to Him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Here is another noble-sounding expression of commitment. Essentially, as a number of commentaries suggest, this man is saying that he would follow Jesus after his father died. This does not necessarily mean that his father is presently in a casket somewhere awaiting burial. The father is likely still living but old. This man wants to first take care of his father in his old age before fully devoting Himself to Christ. 

Jesus' response may at first sound kind of insensitive. He tells the man, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." It sounds like He's saying, "Let someone else bury your father." But Jesus' words, always profound, is actually questioning the man's understanding of Christ's mission. Jesus' mission was about proclaiming life, even eternal life in the Kingdom of God; yet, this man was concerned about managing his father's temporal life until death? He was not talking like the spiritually living (i.e "saved") in Christ but like those who are spiritually dead (i.e. "lost"). The spiritually dead are concerned with the matters of this life since this is the only life they know. This is why Jesus says, "Let the dead bury their own dead." But the spirtually living know of an after-life in the kingdom of God. This is by far a greater concern than managing the remaining days of somene's temporal life. It would have been more appropriate for the man to say, "Lord, I will follow you. Let me first proclaim the kingdom of God to my father." 

As the first man needed to count the cost of following Christ, this second man needed to understand the nature of Christ's mission. Even when considering death, there is a clear distinction between believers and unbelievers. While it is fitting for unbelievers to stake everything in this life and grieve profusely at their funerals, Paul writes,

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

The dead have no hope. Jesus tells the man to let the dead, who have no hope, do the things that hopeless people do for their own. But this man should instead preach life and hope in the kingdom of God, which is what hope-filled people in Christ are called to do. 

III. Have an Undivided Devotion

Finally, consider the third man, who says to Jesus, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family." Again, nothing here sounds ignoble or blameworthy, but we need to ask, 'Why does this man need to say goodbye to his family?' Most of Jesus' three years of ministry was in the same region of Galilee. It was not as though Jesus was leading His disciples to Africa or China or some other far-off place. 

But perhaps what is unsaid in this man's request is what the Lord perceived. Jesus tells him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." This man wanted to embrace the new life in Christ but also wanted to stay connected with his old life. Like the rich young man, who wanted to follow Christ but could not part with his wealth (Luke 18:18-30), this man could not make a clear break with his family and the lifestyle that they represented. 

In those days, perhaps also in ours, farewells and goodbyes were done to maintain connections rather than to sever connections. Jesus tells the man that he cannot pursue a double life, that he cannot serve two masters, and that he has to choose. Elsewhere Jesus taught that there must be an undivided devotion to Him, such that His disciples' love for Him would make every other expression of affection towards others seem like hate:

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “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. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-27).

Jesus says fitness for service in the kingdom requires an undivided devotion. Just as you cannot plow properly when your eyes are looking back all the time, you cannot serve God while you're yearning for something else all the time. 

Friends, today we have another passage that clarifies our understanding of the relationship between faith and healing:

While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher anymore." Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed." (Luke 8:49, 50 NIV)

Notice, when Jesus healed Jairus' daughter, the one exercising faith was not the daughter, who was dead, but the father. Before this, the woman healed of her bleeding exercised her own faith. And before this, when Jesus healed the demoniac, faith came to the demoniac only after he was healed. In yesterday's reading, Mark 7, Jesus raised a widow's son, and again the faith followed the healing. And if you recall earlier in Luke 5:20, there were men who brought a paralytic to Jesus, and rather than the faith of the paralytic, the passage suggests it was the faith of the men that brought him that prompted Jesus' healing.

What do all of these incidents teach us? Jesus can heal whether there is faith or not. He can heal no matter who is exercising the faith. The key is not faith but Jesus, who gives faith it's effective power. Jesus emphasizes faith not because of its inherent power but because His mission is to direct people to believe in Him, even that He is their promised Messiah, and the Son of God.

In passages like Luke 8:49-50, it is perhaps best to understand the "just believe" not as "just believe that healing can take place" but rather "just believe that I, Jesus, can heal her." To Him be all the glory!