Luke begins the pericope, the passage of the Gospel for today, by describing how great crowds were traveling with Jesus. He then relays how Jesus then turns to address them. I can see this scene in my mind’s eye. Jesus striding along with people walking, talking, and moving about, when he just stops and turns. Those closest to Jesus pull up to a stop with him, others continue right past, while at the same time others bump into and trip over those who had stopped before them. The subtle hum of random conversation then slowly comes to a halt, a stillness ripples through the crowd, and then there is silence. The dust begins to settle, as a slight breeze is felt. Those closest have their eyes locked on his, as those further back are craning their necks, moving left and right to get a better look, some cupping their ears to catch the sound of Jesus’ voice.

This crowd is not made up of Jesus’ disciples, they are just on the periphery because of curiosity, they are here because they just might receive that special word or phrase, that confirmation of why they have come to hear this man, that will convince them to be his disciples. Jesus begins with, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife or children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” and then finishes with  “In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple” (cf. Lk 14:25-33).

I do not have a clue as to what this group expected to come out of Jesus’ mouth at that moment, but I would not be surprised to see that more than a few began walking away not to long after Jesus finished with bewilderment. Those maybe hearing it second hand as it was relayed to them because they may have been further from the point of direct hearing may not have believed the message was transmitted to them correctly.

Luke does not share the response of the large crowd. Again, I would not be surprised if the response was very similar to John, chapter 6, when Jesus was talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. All walked away except the Apostles. Any advertising or marketing campaign aficionados would have been absolutely apoplectic with either presentation from Jesus.

The invitation that Jesus offers is for all to be saved. Though he is not going to dumb down or sugar coat his message just to get numbers. He is presenting the way to live a life of fullness and wholeness, to restore that which has been lost: the relationship with God his Father. The message has been the same from the beginning of his ministry. “The time of fulfillment is here. The kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:15). The key step to restoring that relationship which has been lost is that God the Father must be the primary focus, nothing else can come before that relationship. With God first, all other things will fall into their proper place.

If we are willing to surrender our will to God, to receive his love, it is only then that we will truly be able to begin to be free to love our father and mother, wife or children, brother and sister, and even our very self. Any possessions or materiality we place before our relationship with God will distract us from the very flow of the life force that fuels our existence. Finite materials will always fall short of the fulfillment that we seek. Is your finger getting ready to swipe away from this message as the feet of those who began to turn away from Jesus were? If you are, are you doing so because you think it is not possible to truly put God before our relationships and our technology and our possessions? You are right. On our own, through our own effort and willpower it is impossible. But with Jesus all things are possible!

The real question is do we want to be an onlooker or a disciple? The path back to the Father is through Jesus. All we need to do is pray:

Jesus, I trust in you, I believe in you, I surrender all to you, show me the way back home to the Father. Baby steps.

Photo: In chapel at St Ignatius Cathedral, just prior to my ordination Mass, September 2013. To my left, long time friend Fr. Ed O’Brien, a true disciple!

Photo Credit: Deacon Michael Miller

Link for today’s Mass readings:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/110817.cfm