Roc Homily Prequel #2 – Twenty-First Sunday Ordinary Time 2016

In the meantime…

Jesus seems to address disciples and followers by answering the question, “Will only a few be saved?” And his answer resembles what happened earlier in Luke, chapter 4, in the synagogue.  There, Jesus applied the ol’ 2by4 to the forehead to get the attention of his countrymen.  Effectively he said, “In the time of the two great prophets, Elijah and Elisha, God favored Gentiles, so get over yourselves.”  That’s why his neighbors tried to throw him off the cliff!

Here, he seems to want to shake up his followers enough that we let go of our expectations.  To their complaints, “We ate and drank with you! You preached in our streets! At least we haven’t killed anyone! We are good enough and require you to open the dang door, Lord!!!” he has the householder say, “Go away from me evil doers. I do not know where you are.”

My problem is that I’m better with guilt & shame than with urgency or with ultimate surrender.  “Follow you to Jerusalem? Let you dash all my expectations? Hardly!”

What if Jesus’ 2by4 to get our attention is more about having us deal with, “What is the next better thing I can do to collaborate with grace toward greater freedom?”

Blessings! –roc,sj