Letting Go of the Past

Pastor Daniel Rea

Luke 9:51-62

It may seem odd just six weeks after Christmas we read in the Gospel today of Jesus preparing for His death.  While it seems odd, we as Christians must bear in mind that Jesus was focused on just this during His earthly life.  Jesus knew what his mission was and we must keep in mind continually that Jesus was crucified and resurrected from death because He is the Lord of all creation.  For Jesus, the past mattered not one bit, what mattered was what would play out for a week in Jerusalem.  Jesus and the disciples would enter in victory and the week would end in eternal victory.  Between this was a time when the very faith of each follower of Jesus would be tested.  Jesus would be betrayed, sold for 30 pieces of silver, denied, beaten, spit upon, crucified, die, and resurrect.  This is all Jesus was born to do.

It really is not so strange then that here between Christmas joy and the solemnity of Lent we read of Jesus preparing for His death.  First, Jesus would send out the 12 disciples.  They would preach, teach, heal, and minister.  With all Jesus was doing the authorities became increasingly nervous of Jesus and His mission.  After the 12 returned Jesus fed 5000 and Peter reveals who Jesus is, "The son of the living God, the Christ." Jesus predicted His death and eight days later Jesus was transfigured before Peter, John, and James with Elijah and Moses giving witness.

Jesus and the 12 enter a Samaritan village and some oppose the presence of Jesus since He was a Jew.  Jesus simply reminds all the cost of following Him.  One man wishes to bury his father and another wants to say bye to his family.  Jesus reminds us that we are to stay focused on our work and not on the past.  We are to look forward to our planting and not looking back on what we have already sown.  In other words, we are to stay focused on now and the future, and not on the past.

It is only now Jesus is able to reach us and make a change in us.  The past is long gone and cannot be changed.  We on the other hand can do great work with our focus on Christ and on our work now, and looking enough into the future to assure we stay on track and stay sharp to do Christ's work.  This is what Jesus was demanding during this time.  To follow Jesus is keep in mind what Jesus accomplished with His death.  That is what our gain and all work for the Lord entails.  To be followers of Jesus means to focus on the resurrection victory, and not the suffering of the past.

Jesus needed the disciples to let go of their past denials and betrayals and focus on the future.  Jesus wanted the Jews to let go of the Law and focus on God's future glory as He fulfilled the Law.  Jesus needs us to let go of past failures and work for God's kingdom now, and on the future of the Church.  When we do this we can do more than just feed 5000, we can feed all of humanity with the word of God.  We do not eat by bread alone, but by every word from God as we are reminded in scripture.