There is a large turquoise house on the main street of a town I often travel through. It's a house that turns my head every time. It turns my head not only because it's turquoise, although it is the only turquoise house among the others which seem to have experienced some sort of earth-tone revival, but primarily because it has remained only partially painted for the past several years. Each side of the house boasts some of the turquoise paint as if the painter wanted to test the shade at every angle but that is where thorough stopped for this particular painter because it appears as though they put down their brush mid paint stroke on most of the portions. Still it is possible that the partially finished paint job might not have given passersby much pause if the paint that was prior didn't provide such a powerful contrasting color.
Last weekend as I traveled past what is perhaps the most obvious partially finished project in town it dawned on me that the house provides a perfect picture of a prohibition found in Luke 14:25-30, which begins by setting the bar pretty high.
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even life itself—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
These verses have always seemed a bit strong to me and I have often found it difficult to contend with the "if" and "cannot". Would Jesus really say to a curious crowd that unless everything else paled in comparison to following him, that following him was not for them? Did Jesus really mean to imply that someone who was unwilling to die on a cross was not fit for the cause? Certainly Jesus didn't mean to imply that all discipleship requires the embracing of "ifs" and "cannots". And then last weekend I turned my head to take in the turquoise tragedy and the verses that follow the "ifs" and "cannots" came quickly to mind.
"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, 'This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.
It became clear to me in that moment that Jesus' prohibition against following without finishing makes perfect sense if you consider the fact that Jesus is leaving his Kingdom project in the hands of his people. Jesus is making it clear that he has no interest in the Kingdom project becoming an eyesore on Main Street, which is exactly what will happen if his disciples fail to consider the "ifs" and "cannots" of the Kingdom project up front.
Jesus was looking for people whose would let their lives be so radically changed by the good news of the Kingdom of God that those who passed by would easily see the contrast between the old and the new. And Jesus was calling people who wanted the new Kingdom color to cover every corner of their lives, people who wouldn't put down the brush until every bit of trim was painted including the parts that were imperceptible to passersby. Jesus was well aware that people were going to poke fun at the Kingdom project even when it was fully painted, for turquoise houses in an earth-tone world will always take a few hits, but Jesus was not interested in increasing the reasons for ridicule and so he speaks clearly to those who wish to follow him the words, "if" and "cannot".
This week I invite you to reflect on the fact that followers of Jesus are meant to turn heads and I invite you to consider whether or not you are willing to be the turquoise house on an earth-tone street. Before you begin it is important that you take into account that undergoing visible change in front of those who pass by always opens you up to other people's comments and a critique of your Kingdom color. And if you have already begun the painting process I invite you to ponder if there portions of your project that contain a only a few strokes of contrasting Kingdom color and to consider the call to a more thorough treatment so that God's kingdom project in you will not be ridiculed?
