Walking with Jesus: Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, August 21, 2022

Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30

In Luke’s gospel someone asked Jesus a question. Let's think about this for a moment:

• If you were present at that time in that place and had heard much about this miracle worker and heard His lectures;
• If you had come to believe that He was special, very holy and close to God;
• And you were very faithful in following the dictates of your faith and treated those around you with compassion, love and forgiveness;
• And you loved family members, fellow workers and neighbors, and tried to encourage and stiffen their resolve to practice the Mosaic law and be God-fearing and God-loving;
• But consistently you heard the reply, “I’m not interested … that type of religion is for hypocrites … maybe when I get closer to my end days, I might consider it … I’m just not ready to be a holy person …”

Would you not want to ask Jesus if there is any hope for these “people I love?” The question, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” might be your own.

Each of us has been misguided by taking the “easy way out” … feeling confident that “I’m in control” but have realized that our pride has led us down the wrong path and often separated us from one another. This has been expressed with angry words, envy, selfishness and unwavering defense of “my way … my opinion.” My dad told me long ago that I would meet people who would act like this: “I used to be proud but now I don’t have any faults.”

Jesus constantly told us the way to heaven: “There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘What is written in the law? How do you read it?’ He said in reply, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ Jesus told him, ‘You have answered correctly: do this and you will live.’” [Luke 10:25-28] As the saying goes, it’s not rocket science! It'snot new technology. The word of God has been with us since the beginning, leading us closer to Jesus’ heart of love, through the narrow gate.

Today’s passage from the final chapter in Isaiah testifies to God’s saving grace. The exile has ended. The defeated nation is small, poor, weak and now ruled by Persia. The Jews have been scattered all over the known world. Jerusalem and Judah will never reach a “promised future.” God steps in and assures them that soon He will gather all nations to Jerusalem to worship and see His glory. They are to go out to other nations and bring their people back to the worship of God. Isaiah is talking about you and me. The Savior has come. We know about His life, His love, His dying for you and me. Here God has chosen to become worthless … a nobody … and now everyone knows about His death. God loves me this much that He would do this? This is what God’s love is all about: showing us the way to love. Right?

Paul is encouraging the Hebrews to persevere: Have faith in God, listen to Jesus, resist sin. The struggles we endure, Jesus endured. Our life trials provide invaluable lessons from the Lord. Each pain of discipline leads to the joy that comes with making progress along the journey of faith. Just look back on our lives: Each examination exposes which idols are misleading us. Money, trying to impress others, saying I don’t have to care, help those in need, isn’t life about me? Each refocusing returns our focus to God’s love.

Notice how Jesus does not give neutral answers to abstract religious questions. Instead He continually challenges us. Today's question is also ours: Am I going to be saved? Well, how are you ... how am I ... on forgiving, caring, loving, responding to the poor? It is hard. Each tiny daily response is hard, because most of the time we have to “forget self.” “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” [Luke 13:30] Entry is not limited to a single nation, group or religion, or even select individuals. Those who hear the Good News of the Gospel of love and put it into practice will qualify for entry. Those who accept Jesus will be accepted by Him … those who reject Him will likewise be rejected, be they Jew or gentile or catholic or ...! Those who do not accept the invitation have only themselves to blame when they do not enter into the Kingdom of God.

So I reflect on:

• How much do I value following Jesus? Am I pretending? Am I serious? Is it a mixture of both? Am I conscious that Jesus might say, “I do not know you?” We do have time now!
  

Sacred Space 2022 states:

“Unlike Jesus, we seem very often too concerned about numbers, as if that is the most important sign of the presence of the Kingdom and of its power to save the world. Rather than numbers, Jesus asks us to concentrate on entering through the narrow door. This phrase has given rise to all sorts of negative spiritualities, but what Jesus is saying is to take up the cross and follow Him every day of our lives. It is the cross that will bring us joy and everlasting life.”