Jesus brings to us one of his more challenging moments in today's Gospel. Jesus moves form his conversation with his disciples to address the "crowds" who gathered around him.

His response to them is like the other times when someone would proclaim, "I will follow you wherever you lead."  I think that Jesus recognized it as a challenge.  It is as if Jesus puts it to the test.  If you want to follow me, then this is where I will take you…

Ever play follow the leader with a bunch of rowdy teenagers?   That’s what Jesus reminds me of sometimes, especially in today’s Gospel.  Follow me… up this tree… over these rocks… into this grave yard… and yes, this I saved for last, can you walk on water?

Follow me…

1. If you're willing to follow me you will have to be willing to hate your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself.   Come and follow me…

2. Can you carry the cross that I carry?  Come and follow me…

3. You’ll need to be ready and willing to follow me wherever I lead you; if you’re not willing to follow, it would be like someone who built a big addition to their church, but did not first sit down and estimate the cost.  Do you have the commitment to see it through? 

4. Or it would be like your King, going out to wage war against another leader, but not sitting down first to consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?  So, what are your options? Is it your best choice to follow me?

5. You need to be willing to give up everything, all your possessions.  Let it all go and follow me...  

It won’t be easy, better consider the cost before getting too close.

“Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?

It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away.

Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”  And, if you dare, follow me…

The question that we are to ask ourselves today is what is a satisfactory response?

If Jesus is God in the flesh, the Son of God, then he is a surprising God.  This is not the God that most people expect.  If you choose to follow, you’ll need to keep your saltiness, you’ll need to keep your viability, you’ll need to remain committed to the end.

This is not an easy does it God.  This God of Jesus’ has a bit of adolescent - radical spunk in that divine spirit.  There is no room for partial commitment, no lukewarm obligations here.  It’s all or nothing.

Can such an omnivorous (being impossible to appease or satisfy) – all consuming God with an adolescent zest, be omnipotent (all powerful), Omniscient (all knowing), Omnipresent (infinite and all embracing), all loving, and just?  Would an omnipotent God have the need to be as demanding as what Jesus describes?

These Jesus stories tell us something about God that is more complex and relational than a simple philosophy affords.  The Omni-philosophies of God are too simplistic.  We like to paint God as being remote, disinterested, unaffected, contained, definable, and predictable.  We want a God who will take care of everything so we won’t have to be involved.  The parables and teachings of Jesus reveal for us a radically new understanding of God.  Jesus’ God is relational, interacting, and needy.  God needs our best efforts. 

You play an important role in God’s Realm.  Your response, your connection, and your relationship with God is critical.  Either you are friend, or you are not.  Either you are in relationship with God or not.  Either you are salt that flavors or you are not. 

How many of you have a friend or two?  How many of you someone who is ½ of a friend?

That’s right, either they are your friend or they are not.  There is no such thing as someone who is ½, ¼, 1/3, or 1/7^th of a friend.  Maybe they are a good friend, or not such a good friend.  But they are either a friend or not.

Oh, I’m sorry Jesus, I’m only available to be a disciple on Sunday.  That must make me 1/7^th Christian.  No, either you are a disciple or you are not.  Count the cost, says Jesus, and follow me…