Luke 9:57–62 57And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 59And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
"Me First"
“Me first!” he said as he broke every rule of etiquette by jumping to the front of the line. The silver haired ladies that had led the row all looked on with disgust. Someone near the back was heard to say, “how rude!”
Church potlucks are not supposed to be exhibits for such selfish and boorish behavior, acting like that is not appropriate anywhere. This was just a bad way to behave and was magnified by the guys title and position within the church.
No pastor should do this, ever!
I have certainly learned my lesson! I won’t do it anymore.
Ok, I’m just joking, this never happened but wouldn’t have been awful if it had?
So, what would have been so wrong with saying “me first” and jumping line?
For one thing, it would imply that I was more important than the others in line and say somehow that I should take priority. It would say that my agenda is more significant but that isn’t true. I am certainly no better, my time is not more valuable than any other person in that line.
A lady reminded me one day after I preached a sermon that she felt was a bit too self-righteous that the Bible says, “the ground is level at the foot of the cross”. I told her smugly, “it doesn’t say that, but the principle is there” and may have proved her point. I may have been acting a bit above my raisin’.
There is a wonderful diversity of gifts and callings within God’s kingdom but there is no difference in worth. Yes, the ground is level at the foot of the cross and nobody has the right to say, “me first” to another. Well, maybe one person…
In our reading from the gospels today we discover some men who said, “me first” to Jesus.
When Jesus called one man to follow him, the man replied “me first”.
Luke 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this man’s father had just died, and he was only requesting a couple days for a funeral to be arranged. This man was saying, let me follow you but not until my father dies. Our Lord did not accept this arrangement.
Luke 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Another man volunteered for the Lord’s work with an upfront condition of “me first”.
Luke 9:61–62 61And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Here is a great contradiction, this man called Jesus Lord and then said, “me first”. He volunteered for service without surrender. If Jesus was truly Lord, then “me first” is not an option.
Jesus is the only person that has the right to say those words because he is more important, and his agenda is more significant. For me to say it is hypocrisy, for him it is right!
Colossians 1:16–18 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
You see, he was first, always has been and will always be first. He has every reason to claim his “me first” rights.
Did you catch the first verse of our reading?
Luke 9:57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
A man offered to follow Jesus anywhere he leads, and the Lord replied with a warning that to do so would require sacrifice.
Luke 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
While walking the earth our Lord had no home. Jesus left Heaven to come to a place with no pillow on which to lay and no roof over his head. He sacrificed his comfort and his life for all of us. The King of kings and Lord of lords put me first! He lived homeless to give me an eternal home and he did it for you too!
So, what is my point?
Let’s all determine to say, “I won’t put me first because he put me first!”
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