All those words we use – miserable, miser, misery come down to one thing and that is hate. The verb in Latin and Greek for “hate” is miseo. Whoever does not hate, says Jesus today, and goes on to list just about every family member we might have and, he adds, whoever does not hate their own soul.
Bah! Humbug! Are we all then supposed to turn into cold hearted Scrooges – locked away inside ourselves and fearful of anything which resembles warmth or human kindness? We might be tempted to take up this anger if we only read this passage. But in the context of a Gospel which is at times tough but which encourages love and community what are we to make of this apparent volte face on Jesus’ part?
Let’s look at what is going on. Last week we had the story about hospitality. Jesus suggesting that people move away from the “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” model of living and social advancement – much of which revolved around meals and entertaining.
In the Jewish world, family was vital. Extended family. First cousins often married, thereby extending the bonds within a family unit. Sons usually remained at home and brought wives to their father’s household. Social advancement depended on everyone cooperating with social norms. Usually your job came with your family. You identity was bound up in family. That is why widows and orphans were needy of charity – they were no one.
The word “hate” is almost certainly hyberbole – it means make a clear choice between kingdom life and this strictly defined and often stifling family life. But even as hyperbole, it makes its point – this is a tough choice and following Jesus will involve everything in a person’s life changing. Hate is not the motivation which Jesus is suggesting – love is. But a person, who in love, chooses the way of the cross over the way of human influence will have an initially difficult time maintaining the life which they have known up until now. Much as they would, were they to revolt against those around them in hate.
These crowds have begun to hang on every word, they are amazed at Jesus’ actions. They do not listen to the leader of the synagogues objections, they must be feeling empowered and ready for action and Jesus say, “Hang on! Not so fast!”. The discipleship which they seek is not just following around after a magical circus act – it is something more. Firstly it will cost them and secondly it will take work and preparation.
I think we often read those accounts of the early Disciples leaping from their boats and running to Jesus open armed as the usual model of Discipleship. We forget that they often limp through the Gospel, barely understanding and that they are broken by the events on Good Friday. Their journey is one of growing understanding and growing commitment. It might be vaguely heretical but I wonder whether Jesus started off with a lot more than twelve and we know about the ones who stayed the course.
Sit down and plan, says Jesus. Sit down and plan your tower, look at our enemy in the war. Use the wisdom of the elder to negotiate peace if that is what needs to happen. This is very different from the ebullient Peter and James and John dropping nets and splashing through the water. Much slower, more calculating. Much harder work.
Perhaps I need to work harder, pray harder, look holier, disable the horn on my car. I need to make sure I can build towers, accumulate bricks and wealth and workers. I can wage wars against the infidels if only I can focus my attention hard enough. If only I can make that magical clean break away from all those people who hold me down. Away from that ridiculous feeling that I have needs and desires which are actually OK. Hmm. Probably not.
You see, all of that makes the work of Discipleship up to us, and it isn’t. Jesus warns us that we need to take this seriously, that we need to understand the cost but that we are not all on our own. We are not striving after some bizarre sort of greatness which we can define and put in a nnice neat box.
During the London Olympics, Nike made a series of commercials which involved the central messaging that we should not limit our concept of greatness to those who we would watch competing in the events in the Olympic venues. It was not that others are not great, it is that what we think of as great does not include enough people.
The series was not shy about saying that you had to put in some serious time and effort to your sporting activities but it was saying that greatness is in everyone. Great.
But what if that was true. What if commitment and time and effort – no matter our level of performance in a sport, made us great? Is that OK? It is not OK in the way we define ourselves in our culture. But what if we choose against our culture? What if we question that need for advancement and climbing the ladder by promoting ourselves and our values over another. This is the criticism of family which Jesus makes, that it demands a self-definition which denies the worth, or worthiness of another.
Jesus says – try to deny the worth, to hate, the system you are a part of, try to see that you are only as worthy as the person across the room, the street or the religious divide and when you are willing to do that. When you are willing to count the cost of reaching up to heaven, when you are willing to assess possibilities without your ego controlling the outcome, then you are a disciple.
The parody of this has become a rather sniveling, subservient version of Scrooge but one with the same level of anger and hate in them. The words are right and a smile is often strangled out of terse lips. But love disappeared somewhere with the 63rd consecutive week on the coffee rota – not that anyone is counting.
This is how people have often experienced Christians, this is who many people assume Christians are. Squashed up and lonely losers who have no idea about real life and offer a bitter pill covered in platitudes. Jesus knows this. He sees it all around him in the Jewish establishment which he is so often at odds with.
Luke gives the clear message that the Kingdom of God is not for those who have, apparently, clawed their way to victory but for all those who find their greatness in defining themselves, first and foremost as those loved by, and in love with God.
It is uncomfortable to think this one through. It is no longer about best for me, or even best for my family. Life is a team sport but the team is made up of all sorts of people who we thought were playing on a different field. What do we choose? What do we not choose? Who or what are our gods and who do we allow to treat us as if we were, somehow, divine?
Our greatness, if it is anything at all, is not found in our self-definition or our own sense of achievement or failure. It is found in the image which is reflected in us, not a human image, but the image of God. Becoming a greater and greater likeness of Christ is the work of the kingdom. This is the greatness we live into because we are, not because we are trying to be.
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