TITLE: BARGAIN HUNTERS
SCRIPTURE: ST. LUKE 14:25-35
We live in a society that loves bargains. Everybody loves a bargain. It is a great feeling when you pay very little but you get a lot. Bargain hunters seem to be everywhere you turn. No one wants to pay full price for anything nowadays. That’s why -
• We go to garage sales
• We search the classified ads
• We wait for the sales in our local stores
• We wait for Memorial Day – Fourth of July – Presidents Day sales
• We wait for Black Friday
• We wait for Tax Free Weekend
• We even shop on E-Bay
And the basic mantra of the bargain hunter is –
• What is the least amount I have to pay in order to get as many benefits as possible?
• How do I sacrifice a little and still get all the good stuff?
• Everybody seems to love a bargain
We love to get a good deal because we are all 'bargain' hunters to some extent. Very few people desire to pay retail for anything. Yet at times, what begins to be a bargain turns out to cost too much in the long run.
--I am reminded of a lady she was new in a community and was driving down the streets to get the lay of the land. She saw a beauty salon with $7 haircuts advertised. She mused to herself, "How can the other shops compete with a $7 haircut?" Down the block she saw another salon whose ad read, "We repair $7 haircuts." It seems what started out as a deal, became a big deal, and then was an ordeal.
Bargaining has another meaning besides this thought of getting something at a low cost or cheap. I do realize there is a big difference between inexpensive and cheap. Bargaining carries the idea of bartering, negotiating, or haggling. For those that enjoy travelling or vacationing out of the country you will note in many foreign market places you can negotiate, barter, or bargain the price of goods that you want to buy; that is just part of their custom. Just like buying a car as well, no one ever pays the sticker price. Although we know the vehicle is already marked up tremendously, we feel we have a bargain when we negotiate the price down and hear the car salesperson say “we are doing this just for you.” Yea, sure you are, but it makes us feel good because we think we have saved some money.
Let me tell you that Sis. Lawson is a joy and I appreciate her so much, but i will not go to the grocery store with her. She will walk up and down the aisle and over to the next aisle and then back to the first aisle and take something from the shelf and finally put it in the cart. She is checking prices and discounts and all that in an effort to get the best deal she can. I am all frustrated when I go with her, just pick up the Spaghetti Sauce or bag of Sugar, put it in the cart and let’s get out of here. So I appreciate her always trying to save us a few dollars here and there. But I still won’t go with her to the grocery store.
Can I tell you this morning Church that sometimes the bargain we are looking for isn’t always a material thing. Sometimes we search for bargains in or spiritual life.
• There are times in our spiritual lives when we want all the blessings of heaven - but with the least amount of sacrifice possible
• There are times when our Christian lives are lived in such a way that we seem to be saying, “What is the least amount that I have to do and still receive all the good stuff of heaven?”
• We expect God to bless us with the least amount of our commitment
During our School Years if we played various sports in order to get into the game we had to be committed to make practice –
• Football we were committed to Two A Days no matter how hot it was outside in preparation for the new season
• Basketball in order to get in the game we had to make practice - we were committed
• Earning that College or University or Tech School degree it took intestinal fortitude we had to be committed 4-5 years and longer for advanced degrees – it took commitment, no bargains offered
When it comes to our Christian Journey and Faith, it seems most Christians look for a BARGAIN BLESSING. Now this kind of attitude is nothing new to our generation. This kind of attitude has been around for thousands of years, including the time when Jesus walked on this earth. The Gospel Writer LUKE tells us in CH. 9:51, “AS THE TIME APPROACHED FOR HIM TO BE TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN, JESUS RESOLUTELY SET OUT FOR JERUSALEM.” Now Jerusalem was the place where Jesus would ultimately die on the cross. So when the Bible tells us He was going to Jerusalem it is saying Jesus was choosing to go to the place where eventually He would give His life for those He loved.
• Jesus refused to take any Shortcuts
• He refused to look for a Bargain
• He knew His purpose
But shortcuts in life can get you lost every now and then. These are the things we do to try to bargain hunt the plan God has for us.
• They are our own methods of trying to shorten the time or effort it takes to obtain something
• They are our own methods to get somewhere - financial, spiritual, material, relational
• Can I tell you they never work
• Instead of making the journey easier, they actually make it harder and longer
• Because we’re not doing it God’s way
• God doesn’t bless shortcuts in life
• To grow, we will have to go on the road less traveled
• To grow, we will have to choose the right path
• It’s not easy – we can’t bargain our way to an easier process
• But in the end, it’s so worth it to follow God’s plan for our life
Let me cut through the alley and get back to the text. Most people had no clue that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to give up His life on a cross. To them Jesus was a –
• Miracle Worker
• A Healer
• A Powerful Teacher and Preacher
• Someone who would lead them out of the oppression from the Romans and into freedom
• And so thousands of people followed Jesus for what He could do for them
Now you would think Jesus would have been thrilled with the number of people following him.
As the Bible says, “GREAT MULTITUDES OR LARGE CROWDS WERE TRAVELING WITH JESUS.” But numbers didn’t matter so much to Him. What mattered to him was commitment.
• Unlike our ministries today that are more concerned about the numbers than commitment
• More concerned about filling the pews than commitment to serving the Lord
• More concerned about getting money out of our pockets than following the Lord
Sometimes Jesus in his teachings and use of parables seemed like He was beating around the bush, and at other times He hits you across the forehead with a 2 x 4. His parables sometimes enlighten, but at other times muddy the waters. In this passage, Jesus leaves little doubt as to His intentions, and what He says in this portion of the text should make us all a little bit uncomfortable.
The text calls to our attention, Jesus stops in order to thin out this massive crowd that is now following him. And His method of doing so was to use several images and parables to drive home the point that in order to be a follower of Jesus we need to be 100% committed to Him.
• It’s all or nothing
• There is no bargain hunting here
• No bargaining to keep the numbers large
• No bargaining to make sure the Church stays full
• No bargaining to make sure you come back week after week
• No bargaining to get you to join the Church
• No bargaining – it’s about commitment
Jesus shows us the easiest way to thin out the crowd. The easiest way to decrease the numbers on Sunday morning. However, if we want to grow the Church quickly and increase the numbers –
• Start Entertaining - instead of Ministering
• Start Hooping and Hollering – instead of Worshipping
• Hire a Band and Professional Worship Leaders – instead of Real Authentic Praise
Jesus does just the opposite. He does not increase the Crowd, He decreases the numbers following Him. Before I expose this next point, let me say - I was raised on the KING JAMES Version of the Bible and I love it dearly. However; it is not the only version, there are easier to read translations that are perfectly fine. Jesus is about to Thin out the Crowd. Now the first thing He says to the crowd in His attempt to thin them out is this, “IF ANYONE COMES TO ME AND DOES NOT HATE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN, HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS – YES, EVEN HIS OWN LIFE –HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.” Wait a minute –
• Hate your Father
• Hate your Mother
• Hate your Wife
• Hate your Children
• Hate you Brothers
• Hate your Sisters
• Hate even life itself
• And only then will you be ready to take up your cross and follow Jesus
Now wait a minute, something does not sound right here.
• What is Jesus talking about?
• Has Jesus forgotten about the fourth commandment?
• Are we to forget about honoring our parents?
• Wasn’t it Jesus who said that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves?
• Didn’t Jesus try to talk people into loving their enemies?
• Has Jesus forgotten that God is Love?
• Why does He rant and rave about hating our fathers, mothers, children, sisters, brothers and even life itself?
It is difficult to recognize the Jesus in this text.
• This is not the gentle Jesus of my childhood
• This is not the happy Jesus who smiled out from the pictures in my illustrated Bible
• This is not the Jesus that the rightwing conservative Christians point to when they harp on about family values
• This is not the gentle Jesus we have come to expect
• This Jesus sounds too harsh
• This Jesus wants to turn us into religious fanatics who hate everybody and give up everything, even life itself
The Gospel Writer tells us that huge crowds were following Him –
• Clamoring for his attention
• Pleading for his healing touch
• Anxiously waiting for the next miracle
• Pledging to follow Jesus where ever He was going
• Hoping against hope that Jesus could save them from all their problems
• Only Jesus knows where He is going
• Only Jesus knows He is on his way to Jerusalem
• Only Jesus knows He is headed straight for the cross
• Only Jesus knows what horror lies ahead
So He looks out at the large crowds who were travelling with Him and He throws a huge bucket of cold water all over them. At that moment He may well be their Savior and they may want to follow Him to the ends of the earth. But Jesus knows exactly what following Him will mean and so He asks the crowds to think carefully before they follow Him any further. Then He cautions the crowd with that very tough and challenging statement. Does Jesus really want his followers to hate?
I am always disturbed when someone begins a sermon or Bible lesson by telling us how the dictionary defines a word pertaining to a Biblical principle. What Webster has to say about Godly things is not important. I want to know how the Lord defines these principles. I say this because it is important to define the word “HATE.” We know it means –
• Intense Hostility and Aversion
• Distaste or Ill Will
Can I be honest with you? - If that’s what Jesus is asking for — then count me out. I love my family and not willing to engage in intense hostility, aversion and distaste coupled with sustained ill will. There may well be days when I don’t exactly like my family and certainly there are probably some days they don’t particularly like me either. There are times I am not thrilled with some areas in my life, but hate even life itself? No way! I kind of like my life and at a minimum, I kind of just like “Life in general.”
To properly understand this text and what Jesus was saying we must go back to the ORIGINAL GREEK to discover just what it was that Jesus was saying. The writer of the Gospel of Luke uses a Greek phrase that comes from a SEMITIC EXPRESSION meaning - TO LOVE LESS, - TO TURN AWAY FROM - DETACH ONESELF FROM.
• Jesus is warning the crowds that following him means that they must turn away from the people they love and detach themselves from the life they have known
• Jesus is trying to shock the crowds into some sort of understanding of what’s to come
• He knows that most of the crowds will not be able to follow him to the cross
• Jesus’ words are designed to shock the crowds into an understanding of the cost of following him
Jesus knows the MESSIAH SEEKERS and SALVATION HUNTERS - the BARGAIN HUNTERS don’t really want the type of leader who is headed for a cross. His words are designed to shock the crowds and unmask their idolatry.
• And now, these provocative words provoke us
• These shocking words shock us
• These difficult words unmask our idolatry
• For we too seek salvation everywhere but in Christ
• We want desperately to justify our existence
• We want desperately to know that our creation was not in vain
• We want to know that we are not merely a waste of space
• And like those who went before us, almost without fail, we turn to our families to provide justification
There are many who make a hasty decision to follow Christ but then fizzle out. they go up like a rocket and come down like a rock! I have seen persons, sincere at the time, make a break with the life of sin and start for heaven only to fall back with the same old crowd, flounder around in the world and finally give up altogether. Discipleship like tower building is not easy. Those who are looking for an easy life should not attempt either venture. We have too many BARGAIN HUNTERS that just need Jesus –
• Long enough to get out of Jail
• Long enough to pay the next months Rent
• Long enough to find a Job
• Long enough to get you through Chemotherapy
• Long enough to get your Child safely home from Iraq or Afghanistan
• Long enough to get you a big Refund Check from the IRS
• Bargain Hunters
In other words, Jesus is helping the large crowd understand there are a lot of people who call themselves followers of Jesus and they want nothing more than to have comfort and security in life. They go along living their Christian lives and will eventually encounter a situation that challenges them spiritually. And it demands of them more than they are willing to give.
• Someone hurts them deeply, and they are challenged through the Bible that they have to forgive as Christ forgave - And they think, “That is more than I am willing to give. I am not going to do it.”
• Or they have been confronted with some sin or wrong doing, and they are in a position where they need to confess and say those very difficult words, I’m wrong and I’m sorry. And I will do all that I can to make it right - But doing this is more than they are willing to give. And rather than push through and keep following Jesus, they stop. And they say, “I can’t do it, because it is going to cost me more than I can give.” So they quit
• When this happens, says, Jesus, people notice
• And some of these people will point their fingers and say, “Hey, I thought you were supposed to be a Christian
• Don’t you go to that church over there?
• Well how come you are still so bitter?
• Or how come you are still so angry, or how come you are still so selfish?
• Where is your Comfort?
• Where is your Security?
• You see Just going to church isn’t comfort or security
• True comfort and true security comes when we are willing to follow Jesus in all things
• But if we are not willing to follow Him in every way then we cannot be His disciples
So, what does it cost us to be a disciple of Jesus?
• For St. Francis it meant becoming a fool for Christ
• For Julian of Norwich it meant taking up residence in a small room attached to a medieval church
• For Mother Teresa it meant serving the lepers of Calcutta
• For Dietrich Bonhoeffer it meant returning home to Germany from the safety of a teaching post at Union Theological Seminary to take up the struggle against Nazi tyranny
• For Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. it meant taking up the charge for Racial Equality during turbulent times in our nation
• Bonhoeffer never saw himself being a Martyr
• Nor did Mother Teresa see herself as a Saint
• Dr. King never saw himself as the voice and giving his life for a greater cause
--The witness of these women and men have been an inspiration to many
--This is what Jesus referred to as COUNTING THE COST OF FOLLOWING HIM
--The Lord is not looking for Bargain Hunters
--We can’t pick and choose how we want to serve Him
--We can’t come to the Lord and to the Church trying to see what we can get out of it
--Bargain Hunters look for the best deal
--The Lord is looking for our Total Commitment
--It will cost us something
--There are no Discounts in serving the Lord
--Lord is not looking for Bargain Hunters
--Lord is looking for those willing to give their all
