Putting Your Hand to the Plow

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Luke 9:51-62

          My first church out of seminary was in Etowah County, way out on Route 4.  Most of the men in the church worked in either the steel factory or the tire and rubber factory.  Some were truck drivers.  Some of the retired men were farmers.  They were all salt of the earth.  I didn’t grow up around those professions and learned a lot from these men.  I became close friends with an older man named Sam Wilson.  He’s deceased now.  I officiated his funeral.  His son, Sam Wilson, Jr., is a friend now and was at my daughter’s wedding last weekend.  Sam, Sr., operated a large farm and a curb-side vegetable stand.  He would pick the vegetables early in the morning, leave them on the counter of the vegetable stand, and put out a cigar box with money in it.  Customers took the vegetables they wanted, made change, and then left their money in the cigar box.  It was all honor system.

          There was another farmer named Russell Winningham.  He would show up at our house early on Sunday mornings with bags full of freshly harvested vegetables.  Two hours later he would be singing in the choir.  Sam and Russell taught me some things about farming.  First, they taught me to honor the soil.  It’s not dirt, by the way. It is soil, and when it is healthy, it is teaming with life.  Take care of the soil, they said, and it will take care of you.  They also taught me how to plow a straight line.  If you want a straight line, they both said, focus your gaze on something in the distance.  It could be a tree, a fence post, a rock, anything.  Focus on that object and do not look to the left or to the right.  The minute you become distracted and begin to look around you will ruin your plow line.  Most certainly, never, they said, never put your hand to the plow and look back.

          They understood that in Jesus’ day too.  It was an agricultural society.  They lived from the earth.  They took care of the soil, and it took care of them.  So they understood what Jesus was saying in our text from Luke 9.

          Let me insert a quick footnote here.  Luke 9:51 is a hinge in the Gospel of Luke.  The entire gospel turns on this verse, when Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem.”  Luke is presenting a look of concentration, determination.  For the rest of this gospel, Jesus is focused on that destination: Jerusalem, his Passion, the cross.  From this point onward, Jesus does not look to the left or to the right.  He certainly does not look back.  He is singularly focused on his destination.  He set his face to go to Jerusalem.

          That wasn’t true for all his followers.  They were professing the right things.  “I will follow you wherever you go,” they were quick to profess.  Then they began to make excuses.  I’m in, Jesus, but I need to bury my father first. 

A look to the left. 

You can count on me, Jesus, but let me go home and say goodbye to everyone first.  Just hold me a spot, would you? 

A look to the right.

          In response to these excuses, Jesus spoke one of the great truths of the Kingdom of God, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

          It’s still true.  Being a Christian all the way to the end is hard work.    It takes concentration, determination.  We face 101 distractions.  Church squabbles.  It’s easy to become disillusioned when a church is in conflict.  It’s a distraction, and we must focus on our goal.  Political changes.  I used to embrace the term evangelical.  Now, political forces have coopted that term.  They’re trying to do that with the word Christian.  They are using the church for political ends.  It would be easy to become frustrated.  They’re a distraction, and we must keep focused on our goal.  I said we face 101 distractions.  Let me correct that.  It’s more like a 1,001.  The challenge is to keep focused on the goal.  Don’t look to the left, and don’t look to the right.  Most certainly, don’t look back. 

          This phrase didn’t originate with Beverly Cornelison, whom many of you remember, but she used to call the Christian life “a long obedience in the same direction.”  She was right.

          We have four deacons being ordained this morning.  Tommy Baker, Mike Campbell, Melissa Lewallen, and Terri Womack, that is the challenge I lay before you today.  Put your hand to the plow.  You will not regret it.  Commit yourself fully to something greater than yourself.  Hold back nothing.  Be all in.  Put your hand to the plow and never look back.  This congregation will look to you for leadership and service.  They nominated you to this office.  They voted for you.  They will follow you now, so it is important that you are going in the right direction.  Put your hand to the plow, focus on your goal, and do not look back.