“A king going out to wage war”

Luke 14:25-33

Pastor Tom Johnson, September 8, 2013

This is one of those weeks that the appointed readings sent a chill right up my spine. There are two illustrations of the cost of being Christ’s disciple—the contractor building a tower and a king going out to wage war—just as leaders of United States debate whether or not to strike Syria militarily.

“What kind of builder, begins construction before calculating the cost?” Jesus rhetorically asks. “What an eyesore the huge, empty foundation is! How embarrassing for people to daily pass this unfinished major building project as a constant reminder of poor planning. Won’t such a builder also lose his reputation? What sort of king declares war on another king before some reconnaissance? What if his troops are outnumbered two to one? What will the outcome be if you only have sticks and stones and the enemy has swords and flaming arrows? That’s why the military calls such information ‘intelligence.’ Without this military data, a king may not have the good sense to send out his ambassadors to negotiate peace.” “Like the tower builder and the war wager, so it is to be my disciple,” Jesus says, “If you do not give up all your possessions.”

Ok, Jesus, you lost me. What does a failed construction project and losing an unnecessary war have in common with a person who fails to be his disciple? Today we live in a country considering, struggling, and arguing for and against military action against a foreign power. And at the top of the list of what is stake is the reputation of a world power that draws red lines but may fail to keep good on their threats…just like the builder whose reputation is at stake. Is it a good king who goes out to wage war whose odds are on his side but whose reason or outcome for war is unclear? Does might make right? Does not calculating the cost of war also include what happens after lives are lost and a people whose homes are brought down low? And for the one who builds a tower: Is being ridiculed for not completing the project the worse it gets? Is one’s reputation sometimes worth sacrificing if it means doing what is good and right?

Jesus’ two illustrations and these questions lead me to one clear conclusion: it is difficult being a leader. It is a tough job to be a king, a president, or any person who makes decisions which impact millions of people. We know from recent history how a few, bad business decisions can have dire, economic consequences for a nation...or how faulty intelligence can be the impetus to wage war against a nation. Millions of people have lost their jobs and their lives because of a lack of foresight from business and political leaders. I don’t know about you, but I find that tremendously humbling.

Who am I to armchair quarterback? Who am I to sit back and tell the television screen how I think decisions should be made? Who am I to believe I have all the answers and that if the world followed my economics and my world diplomacy that there would be no more poverty or war? It is no accident that Scripture commands God’s people to pray for earthly leaders. The Apostle Paul writes, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life” (1 Tim 2:1). Commend their responsibilities, decisions, and actions to God in prayer.

That’s when it hit me. “Ah ha!” I said to myself. That’s what it means to be a disciple of Jesus—to loosen my grip on all my possessions, to understand what is at stake, to finish what I start, to bear the burden of my fellow human being. Being Christ’s disciple is tough stuff. You’ll recall that the word disciple means pupil, student, or learner. To be a disciple of Jesus means that we are all on a learning curve—often times a very steep one at that. We on a path of spiritual growth. We have answered the challenge of loving God and loving our neighbor even when it is inconvenient, confusing, and downright difficult.

Did you hear the Collect we prayed earlier in the service? It expresses this deep truth beautifully:

Almighty and eternal God, you know our problems and our weaknesses better than we ourselves. In your love and by your power help us in our confusion and, in spite of our weakness, make us firm in faith.

O God, you understand the chaos of international diplomacy better than the world’s wisest leaders. In your love, and by your power, help President Barach Obama, Congress, Syrian President Assad, and other world leaders in their confusion and weakness. Enable them all to faithfully serve those to whom they are called—especially the innocent and vulnerable. And help each of us to answer Jesus’ call to be his disciples—to have the courage of continuing our journey with humble and teachable spirits for the greater good of all God’s creation. And help us to be learners of Jesus who, although ridiculed on the Cross for what looked like a tragic failure, carried out his plan to the end—who, although said he had twelve legions of angels who could fight for him, instead, conquered sin, death, our common enemy and found for us a path of eternal peace.