The Message, March 16, 2025: "On My Way!" Luke 13:31-35
Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
March 18, 2025
“On My Way!”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Luke 13:31-35
“On my way.” I type those three
little words fairly frequently in response to text messages from my wife.
“When are you coming home?”
“On my way.”
“I am at the front of the store.”
“On my way.”
“We need to leave soon.
“On my way.”
In all of those instances, the
meaning is basically the same. I am heading home, or I am heading in her
direction.
In our scripture passage this
morning, we hear Jesus utter a similar phrase when he said, “I must be on my
way.”
We can look at that simple phrase
and understand it in a couple of different ways. Jesus had been travelling
around in the region of Galilee preaching and teaching, casting out demons and
healing the sick. He was doing those things that made up the core of his
ministry. He was showing the people the Way of community. He was showing the
people the way of compassion and generosity. He was showing the people the Way
of a loving God.
When the Pharisees came to Jesus to
warn him about Herod’s intention to him, Jesus said, “No. I will be
ministering unto the people today, tomorrow, and the next day. I am going to do
this my way, not Herod’s way. I will leave … when I am ready to leave … three
days from now.”
It was a bold and courageous
statement. Those Pharisees that came to warn Jesus must have been amazed and shocked
by his response. One did not mess around with Herod … any of the Herods, for
that matter. After all, it was this Herod … Herod Antipas … that had ordered
that John the Baptist be executed. And what was John’s offense? He had the
audacity to tell Herod that it was unlawful for him to marry his brother’s
wife.
And there was Jesus directly
confronting Herod. He told the Pharisees to let Herod know that Jesus called him
a “fox,” which in that day and time was an insult. The fox was sly and sneaky,
not to be trusted. The fox was the most destructive of animals. (Just ask
anyone with chickens.) And in that culture, the “fox” symbolized anyone who was
considered to be worthless and insignificant. Being called a “fox” by Jesus
would certainly get Herod’s attention in the worst possible way.
Yet Jesus was not afraid of Herod.
Jesus did not answer to Herod. Jesus was faithful to God and God alone. He
would not be dissuaded from his mission and his ministry. He still had three
days of work to do in that region and he would complete that work. “Today,
tomorrow and the next day I must be on my way. I will be doing what I am
here to do.” The construction of that verse would indicate that “on my way”
refers to the work and ministry in which Jesus was engaged.
Of course, we also know that Jesus
knew of his destination. He had been telling the disciples that he and they
were going to Jerusalem. Jesus had been telling them the fate that awaited him
there. “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the
elders, chief priests, and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
(Luke 9:22)
Not long after the event on the
Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus said this to his disciples, “Let these words
sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” (Luke
9:44)
And then, a few verses later, we
read this, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face
to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead
of him.” (Luke 9:51-52)
Even though the disciples tried to
discourage Jesus from making the journey to Jerusalem, he knew that he had to
fulfill his mission. He had to fulfill his destiny. He had to be on his way. He
would not run away. He would not hide away. He would make his way to Jerusalem.
Now, as we gather here this morning,
nearly two thousand years later, we consider those two words, “my way.” “My
Way” could be the slogan or the motto for the world that we live in today. “My
way or the highway” is the philosophy or the principle by which many people live
their lives in our world today. ‘Do things according to the way that I want.
Believe the way that I believe. It is all about me. I am the spindle around
which the world revolves.’
There is a deep vein of selfishness
and self-centeredness in our world today. Of course, selfishness and
self-centeredness have plagued humanity for generation after generation. In our
world today. It is evident in our public discourse. It is evident in our
politics and also in the legislation that is being introduced almost daily. The
selfishness and self-centeredness are made manifest in some very ugly and
hateful ways. Just the other day I saw someone post a meme on social media that
something horrible like, “Love Everyone.” (Awful, I know) The very first
response to that post read, “Yes! But I do not want to pay for them.”
That sentiment emerges whenever a
town proposes building a new school, or a senior center, or a new police or
fire station. “I am not going to pay for that! I do not have any kids in the
school! I am not going to use that!” The ‘Why should I help you?’ mentality
runs deep in our world today. And that is NOT the way God intends it to be.
When I served the church in New
London, New Hampshire, I helped establish a community organization called the
Kearsarge Assets Network. It was based upon the premise that the single most
important factor for raising successful children and youth is a network of
assets in their lives. And the research indicated that the most important “assets”
were positive, supportive relationships within a child’s community. The most
important way to raise successful children and youth is to care for them. It
was not rocket science. We did not discover anything new. It was the same
message that God had been trying to communicate to us since the dawn of time.
“I must be on my way,” relates to
the necessity of Jesus’ divine mission. Jesus gathers us in and invites us to
join him on that mission. Join him on the mission to teach and to heal.
As we make our own Lenten journeys, we
contemplate the focus of our desires. What is the longing in our hearts? Is it
self-directed? Is it about OUR way … MY way? Or do we want to go the Way of
Jesus Christ?
Are we willing to join Jesus on his
sacred mission even if it is difficult for us, or challenges us?
Do we long to be like Jesus? Do we
desire to find compassion for our neighbors? Even the ones we do not like? What
about for our enemies?
In this world today, a world of
political tension … and violence … what does it mean for us to desire that our
“enemies” experience the compassion of Jesus Christ?
These are not easy questions to
answer. They test our will; they test our resolve and our commitment. But what
are the consequences if we do NOT choose the Way of Jesus? What are the
consequences if we pursue our very human desires and passions? Will our “house”
… our “temple” … be found desolate? Empty? Destroyed?
That may be where Jesus’ image of
the mother hen comes into play. Throughout scripture there are several places
in which God is described as a mother bird or mother hen.
Psalm 57:1 “Be merciful to me, O
God; be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your
wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.”
Deuteronomy 32:11 “As an eagle
stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, as it spreads its wings, takes
them up, and bears them aloft on its pinions.”
No matter how many times the
Children of Israel turned away from God, no matter how many times they were
unfaithful, God was always there to shelter and protect them. The mother hen
courageously and selflessly defends her chicks from danger. She will sacrifice
herself to protect her chicks.
As Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, he
conjured up the image of the mother hen. Jesus has nothing but love for them in
his heart, but they reject him. Jesus offers them life, but they offer death.
Yet even so, his love for them is not diminished.
Jesus linked the image of the sly
and deadly, destructive fox with the mother hen who will defend her chicks even
unto death. And in Jesus’ imagery, instead of the “fox” raiding the chicken
coop, the mother hen is taking a stand in the fox den.
How does this image speak to us
today?
In what ways are we willing … are we
able … to join Jesus on his Way?
Who are the “children” that need our
care?
Will we be brave and strong and
courageous in the face of the “fox”?
The Way that Jesus offers … the Way
to which he calls us … is a path that leads to life for all people, love for
all people, compassion and justice for all people. Are we able to say, “We are
on YOUR way with you, Jesus.”?
Amen.
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