Luke 9:51-62
Cross Focus
Life is full of distractions. There’s no shortage of easy and convenient things to draw you away from what’s important in life. Family, work, faith, and so on. Consider that every good thing that God has given us has a counterfeit distraction. For example, if you don’t like your family or don’t have family, you can easily go on social media and find “fake” people to become your family who won’t bother you, but won’t help you either. Likewise, if you don’t want to work, there are zillions of “get-rich-quick” schemes that are all presented as easy and convenient for you to avoid the workplace. Of course, we understand that most of the good things require dedication, hard work, and focus so that we can fully appreciate and enjoy them. Indeed, focus is important in life. Without focus, we wander and stray away from everything good. It’s just like talking with someone who is easily distracted. You can tell when someone tunes out of the conversation and isn’t present with you, even if they’re sitting right in front of you and act like they’re listening. This is all the more the case in this day and age with the prevalence of smart phones that are attached to us, tempting us with endless distractions. Likewise, Satan is bound to toss distractions your way. He wants us to lose focus on what’s really important so that we’re more easily led astray.
In our Gospel lesson today, we hear about many people who reject Jesus because his focus isn’t on them in that moment, but rather on his mission. Jesus is laser-focused on the reason why he was sent to us. Thus, it’s important that we have the same focus and dedication to our Lord if we’re to follow him as he calls us to do. Let us learn then:
SET YOUR FACE TOWARDS YOUR SAVIOR LETTING NOTHING DISTRACT YOU.
I.
It’s almost tempting to say that Jesus was the one in the wrong in our text today. Afterall, he’s the one who’s distracted from the people around him. He’s traveling throughout the towns of Samaria and his mind is somewhere else…. And it’s quite evident that he’s not fully present with them. However, we know the problem isn’t our Lord’s but rather those who reject him. Just as we read, “And [Jesus] sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem,” Luke 9:52-53. Jesus is focused on his destination. He’s focused on the plan which the Father has laid before him and seeing it to the end. Yet, there’s more to this scenario than Jesus’ so-called distraction. For the Samaritans were Jews who had intermarried with other nations when Israel was conquered even when God commanded them not to. Thus, They were seen as “impure Jews”, hence there was a lot of animosity between the “pure” Jews and the Samaritans. On top of this, the Samaritans had their own holy place established on Mt. Gerizim which they counted as the main place of worship. So, the fact that Jesus doesn’t acknowledge their holy city, but rather seeks to go to Jerusalem really upsets them.
Consider then, to the world, we seem like we’re the ones who are distracted. We should be the ones who have our head in the clouds and not among the so-called “holy sites” of our world. But this distraction is meant to be the main focus. Instead, as Christians, the world will seek to get you to be present with them. Satan will seek to distract you from the true focus just so you think you need to be more present in our world. Consider what else Jesus says to those who say they’ll follow him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God,” Luke 9:62. Our Lord doesn’t take kindly to those who are only in this life half-heartedly, or more correctly, those who are easily distracted by the world and think they can straddle both lives. It doesn’t work that way. You’re either all-in with our Lord, or all-in with the world. For many things in this world will demand your full attention. It’s for us by faith to realize that not everything this world offers us is worth our attention.
II.
Let us understand that common saying, “Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” It’s not much different with our focus. If we’re not focused on something, we’ll never achieve anything. This is why Jesus fixes his gaze upon his goal. As we read, “When the days drew near for [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem,” Luke 9:51. Jesus knew he needed to go there. It was the end of the plan. It was his time now to complete the task given him by his Father. If he wasn’t focused on it, dedicated to it, then it never would have gotten done. But Jesus was focused upon Jerusalem. Jesus was dedicated to going to Jerusalem so that he could show us his passion. Yes, Jesus turned his face to Jerusalem, but he also turned his face to the cross. And so should we. As Christians, we should be laser-focused on nothing else than the cross. It means everything to us, our life, our salvation, eternity, love, joy, happiness, and beyond! Just as Jesus turned his face towards Jerusalem and the cross, as followers of Jesus, we must be focused on him… and his cross and passion.
There would be nothing to draw Jesus away. No threats, no pleasures, no mild inconvenience would deter our Lord. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God,” Hebrews 12:1-2. Jesus would remain fixed upon the cross. He’d remain fixed upon his goal. But let us understand that his real goal, his real focus and prize… was you. This is why Jesus turns his face to Jerusalem. He seeks the cross because he seeks you and me. Jesus is willing to be rejected. He’s willing to be tortured. He’s willing to die on the cross for you and me. That was his goal, and because he’s fixed his gaze upon it, you can count it as done! So too with every promise of God. If God has promised to forgive us, if he’s promised to be with us, if he's promised to grant us resurrection and new life, then he’s fixed his gaze upon it so that it will most certainly be done!
May it thus be the same for us. Let us fix our gaze upon Jesus that we may follow him by baptism, into his passion, through his suffering and death, and to the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting! May nothing distract us from this goal, that our focus may now and forever be fixed upon the cross of Christ! In Jesus’ name! Amen!