Last year I was invited to give the Invocation at the rodeo. As I waited to be called to the microphone on the Bandstand Stage, I noticed two rough, tough-looking cowboys sitting backstage waiting to ride angry bulls and bucking broncos as rodeo competitors. They were sitting together, sipping coffee and talking about life on the rodeo circuit. They were also telling each other about their rodeo-related injuries… a busted knee, a sprained ankle, a broken rib.
Just then, a young man walked by sporting…
- Brand new cowboy boots;
- A new pair of Levis;
- A wide belt with a huge belt buckle;
- A freshly starched cowboy shirt;
- … and a big white cowboy hat.
He was all dressed up for a night at the Rodeo… but you could tell that he had probably never been on a horse in his life. He was all decked out in brand-new western garb and doing his best imitation of the John Wayne walk. As he strutted by, one of the rodeo cowboys smiled,.. nudged his buddy and said: “Big Hat, No Cattle.”
What did he mean by that? He probably meant that some people like to dress the part, but not pay the price. We will dress up like a cowboy for a night or two, but we have no idea what is really involved or demanded… in the real “hard-knocks life” of a committed cowboy. “Big Hat, No Cattle!”
This evidently was the problem with these three men in Luke 9…
- They came to Jesus, but not whole-heartedly;
- Each, in his own way, wanted to put “certain conditions” on his discipleship.
At first glance this is a disturbing passage of scripture because it seems so “out of character” for Jesus to be discouraging these “would-be followers.”
What are we to make of this?
And, what is the message here for you and me today?
What can this mean?
Well, it probably means that Jesus “saw through” the men. He was very good at that. How perceptive he was!
Remember how He saw immediately…
- The loneliness of Zacchaeus;
- The mixed-up priorities of the Rich Young Ruler;
- And how quickly He sensed it when the lawyers tried to trap Him and trip Him up with loaded questions.
Somehow here in Luke 9, Jesus sensed that these three men were not totally committed. Each (in his own unique way) wanted to put “certain stipulations and conditions” on his discipleship… “Yes, Lord, I will follow You, but first let me do this or that or the other.”
Jesus knew that this kind of “half-hearted, watered-down, conditional discipleship” would not work now…
He and His disciples were at that very moment heading toward a crucial show-down in the Holy City.
I. THE FIRST MAN SOUNDS GOOD. He says: “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Maybe that’s the problem here. He sounds too good. He talks a good game,… but somehow Jesus senses that this man is not really ready…
- To give the allegiance
- And make the sacrifices demanded in the cost of discipleship.
This man is speaking “high-sounding” words into the air, but he is not really ready for the action which looms ahead in Jerusalem in the shape of a cross.
II. THE SECOND MAN INDICATES THAT HE WANTS TO BE A DISCIPLES, BUT THEN HE SAYS: “Let me go first, Lord and bury my father.”
Jesus’ answer to him seems at first glance to be harsh, “Let the dead bury the dead.”
Upon closer examination, however, we realize why Jesus answered as He did… If the man’s father were already dead, what’s he doing out here on the road-side?
What he is really saying to Jesus is this: “I will follow you after my father has died.” That might be a year or 5 years or 10 or 20 or 30.
Jesus realized that the man had missed
- The urgency of it all;
- The urgency of the moment;
- The urgency of the call.
Only a short time before, Jesus had “set his face toward Jerusalem.” At the very moment of this encounter, Jesus is on His way to the cross. This is serious business now… and He senses that this man is not really ready to commit himself… totally, completely, unswervingly.
Jesus somehow senses that this man does not really understand how important, how crucial, how urgent, the whole matter is.
III. THE THIRD MAN SAYS: “Yes, Lord, I will follow you; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
Now, we don’t have all the details of this incident, but evidently Jesus recognizes that this man is not ready to break with the past. So, Jesus says to him: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit for the kingdom.”
We miss the point if we think Jesus is attacking family life. Certainly not! Not that all! We know that wouldn’t be the case!
No, somehow, Jesus had sensed either
- Through the tone of voice;
- The nervous inflection;
- The shifting eyes;
- Or the awkward indecision.
That it is not this man’s family that is holding him back… No, it is his own hesitation, his own inability to break with the past and so… bound by the “old,” he misses the “new.”
You see, what we have here is the quickly-drawn portrait of three men toying with discipleship… but not totally committed. If you look closely, you can see that each one has a “Big Hat, but No Cattle!”
But, this won’t work, will it?
The Call (then and now) is to unconditional commitment,… to total commitment with
No reservations
No hesitation
No strings attached.
The Question (then and now) is this: Are you totally committed to God, to His church, to His cause and to His kingdom.
In the novel entitled Barabbas… a young Christian named Sahak is told that if he doesn’t stop following Christ, he will lose his life. Sahak responds: “Yes,… but I cannot lose my God!”
Let me ask you something… are you that committed to Christ? Will you follow Him… and will you come this morning to His table to receive His love, His forgiveness, and His call to real discipleship?