“Looking Forward And Glancing Back”
Text: Luke 9:57-62
12-31-2023
Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Today we stand at the threshold of a new year. In about 14 hours, 2023 will be history as we welcome 2024 tomorrow morning. I may have shared this in a newsletter before, but I discovered something interesting about the month of January. It was named after the ancient Roman mythological god, Janus. He supposedly had two faces; one facing forward and the other backward. That seems very appropriate for the month of January since we look forward to a new year, and glance back at the old year behind us. I grew up believing that my mother had this attribute of Janus. She used to tell us kids that she had eyes in the back of her head and could see everything we did. It must’ve been true because it seemed like whenever I did something stupid or naughty behind her back, she instinctively knew what I was up to. I can remember trying to part the hair on the back of her head to find those hidden eyeballs. I never could. When I became a parent, I acquired those same all-seeing eyes. My children were just as astounded at what I could see when they didn’t think I was looking. The only difference between me and my mom though, is that my kids didn't have much hair to part in their search for those hidden eyes.
Anyway, on New Year’s Eve it’s good for us to take some time to both look forward and to glance backward. It’s a time for us to look again at where we are headed in our Christian walk. And it’s also healthy to remember where we have been. For that reason, I chose the Gospel Lesson for our sermon text. There Jesus uses the analogy of a farmer plowing a field to describe our Christian life as one of His followers. He says in verse 62: "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” As we look forward and glance back on New Year’s Eve, let’s apply those words of Christ to our own lives.
I suppose the best place to start is to understand a little bit about farming practices in the days of Jesus. Of course, they didn't have the tractors and farm implements we have today, but many of the basic principles were the same, like preparing the ground for planting. In our modern world, farmers use field cultivators and discs to accomplish this. In the days of Christ, though, they only had what we would classify as a single-bottom plow. These plows would turn a thin strip of soil with each pass, making for some long days for the farmer who walked behind it. So, you’d want to be as efficient as possible, which made plowing a straight and consistent furrow extremely important.
I know hardly anyone uses a row cultivator anymore but that farming practice is a great illustration for this farming principle. For those of you who used to do it, you know that following the rows was essential. When I started farming, my brother-in-law warned me about a deadly crop disease called "cultivator blight.” It happened when you spent too much time looking back where you had been and the tractor drifted over in the row. Then you have to crank the steering wheel to get back on course. In the process, the cultivator tore up 4 rows of corn behind you. You don't want to do that too much if you have plans on being a successful farmer.
In our text, Jesus applies this principle to the Christian life. Prior to making this statement about the plow He had been approached by the 3 individuals mentioned in the text. In essence, all 3 of them had come to Christ and said "Lord, I want to go to work in Your field.” That field, of course, is the field of souls. As a matter of fact, in the verses immediately following our reading, Jesus sends out 72 of His disciples who were to go and prepare the way for Him. So, it shouldn't surprise us that Jesus would first tell us what He expected from His workers. Unfortunately, some people get sidetracked when they hear what Christ said to those 3, especially the second and third. It almost sounds like He was insensitive and uncaring, but He wasn't. You see, Jesus knew how critical it was for these men to set aside any excuses and move forward in following Him. Because if they were allowed to postpone His call, they would fall away and get caught up in the life they were leaving behind.
Please don't misunderstand. Christ is not saying that people shouldn't mourn the loss of a loved one. Many of you have had to go through this painful process this past year. It’s okay to miss someone we love when they've gone to be with the Lord. And it's okay to shed tears as we remember the good times we shared. That’s not what Jesus was warning against. Rather, He was cautioning against a fixation on death and being totally wrapped up in the past. There's a big difference between that and remembering a loved one. It’s the same as the difference between occasionally glancing over your shoulder when plowing and being stuck, staring behind at where you have been. Jesus wants us to move forward with our eyes on the goal which He has laid before us. If we don't, we'll make a mess of our lives as we drift all over the place.
But it's not just those who mourn the dead who have to be careful. Every faithful Christian has something we may lose due to our following Jesus and it certainly may tempt us to get stuck looking back from the plow. It may be that your boyfriend or girlfriend will drop you if you devote more of your life to the work of Christ. You may lose out of a promotion at work if you make it known that you’re serious about living as a Christian. Your friends may laugh at you for “wasting time” going to worship or Bible Studies. It may even cause conflict between you and a family member because you insist on standing up for the clear teachings of Christ that are found in Scripture. No matter what the situation, Jesus calls us to put our hands to the plow and get to work in His fields, without hesitation, without anything holding us back.
But it may not be a loss that’s making you look over your shoulder at the past. St. Paul says in the Epistle reading: “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul had a lot of stuff in his past that could have held him back. He had been the arch enemy of the Christian Church prior to his conversion. He had arrested the believers. He condoned their punishment and happily witnessed their execution. If he had gotten stuck staring back at his past, he would not have been fit for the work that God had planned for him. If he were fixated on those bad and shameful memories, it would not have been possible for him to move forward as a bold, effective spokesman for the Gospel.
Do you have something in your life that’s causing you to look back and be stuck in the past? Perhaps it’s something really rotten that you did. Perhaps it’s a sin which you don’t think God can or would forgive. Well, I have good news! Those old sins don’t have to haunt you anymore. Through Jesus Christ, God has forgiven all your sins in the past. He wants you to look forward now and to press on towards the heavenly goal that He has prepared for you. He wants you to be an effective witness for Him in this world with nothing holding you back.
In the verses just prior to our Epistle reading, Paul says he counts everything in his past as "rubbish." That includes all his personal achievements as well as all his terrible mistakes. He refused to be stuck looking back at those things because He knew how much Jesus Christ had paid for his freedom. On the cross, Jesus suffered the wrath of God which we deserved. He took that upon Himself because He loved us. He did it so that we could share in the prize He won for us when He rose from the dead. Paul was determined to focus on that and work for Christ, not in order to buy his own salvation, but rather, as a work of love and gratitude for what Jesus had already done for him.
As we glance back at the year gone by and as we look forward to the one that lies ahead let’s have that same determination that Paul had. With the help of God, let’s not get stuck staring at the past. Instead, let’s move forward with the work that God has given us to do. Let’s be determined to "press on toward the goal" that God has set before us, the goal that leads us heavenward in Christ Jesus. May God grant us the strength to follow His will as we devote ourselves to His work. And may you all have a happy and blessed New Year. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!