Being Saved

Homily for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time

Are you saved? It’s a favorite question of evangelicals, but not part of the vocabulary of many Catholics. The first time I heard the question I was 15 years old.  I moved from the big city of Sacramento, where there were a lot of Catholics, to Ansonville, NC, where there were none. The mother of one of my friends found out I was Catholic and was concerned about my immortal soul. She asked me, “Are you saved?”  I did not know how to respond. I did not even understand the question.  I said, “I don’t know.”  Puzzled and concerned, she asked the question a different way. “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?” Again, not a question I ever considered.  I also answered in typical 15-year-old fashion, “I don’t know.” 

The two questions feature prominently in Luke’s account of Jesus traveling to Jerusalem (Lk 13:22-30). One in the crowd asked Jesus the question that has fueled endless debates throughout the centuries. “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Rather than enter the debate, it might be a good exercise to walk with Jesus and hear the question anew. In particular, what did this question say to the crowd about not just the afterlife, but their everyday life? 

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First, what does it mean to be saved?  The word translated as ‘saved’ in the original Greek is sozo.  In the New Testament, the word is variously translated as not only ‘saved’ but also healed, preserved, rescued, or made whole.  The ten lepers, for instance, were healed by Jesus.  Healed and saved are the same word in Greek.  The word sozo can refer to either a present state of being or a blessed future. 

The man asks Jesus this question:   “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”   The Greek in the gospel would literally be translated as, “Are those who are being saved few in number.” (Johnson, The Gospel of Luke, 1991, p. 216) The words ‘being saved’ point to a present activity, not some future event. 

Instead of a black and white status – saved or not saved – the literal translation suggests that salvation is a process. Are those ‘being saved’ few in number?  It also carries the nuance of being healed, rescued, preserved, and made whole.   

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With this in mind, imagine you’re walking amongst this crowd following Jesus.  There is something about him that has compelled you to abandon your old life to follow this prophet, this holy man. You feel his magnetism and attraction. In your heart, you sense there’s something more to life. You yearn for healing, wholeness, and well-being. You want to be rescued from the tyranny of your life.   You want to be preserved from worry and anxiety. You follow this man because it feels like he may bring this healing and wholeness to you.  He might, just might, be able to conquer all of the forces keep you enslaved. 

From the crowd, you hear a person ask, “Are those being saved few in number?”  You listen intently to his answer.  In your broken life, you long to be saved.  You want to be in that number.   

You wait breathlessly for the answer.  He says one word, “Strive.”  Strive is not a word that just means ‘try’. In Greek, it’s it is the same root for the word agony (agónizomai).  Strive to enter the narrow gate.  Strive so you sweat blood and tears.  Strive – your salvation is worth the effort.  It also means fight, as when Jesus said to Pilate that if his kingdom were of this world, legions of angels would fight to keep him from being handed over. (Jn 18:36)

You long to be saved.  You long to be made whole. But this is not something that just happens if you say the right words or make a one-time profession.  You must continually strive and fight with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. 

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What are we striving for?  A personal relationship with Jesus.

After Jesus says ‘strive’, he tells the crowd a little parable. In it, you are standing on the wrong side of the door.  You say, “Lord, open the door for us.”  He says some of the saddest words in the gospel.  “I do not know where you are from.”  The original Greek actually has two phrases, “I do not know you, where you are from.” 

“And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’  Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’”

Jesus wants a personal relationship with you. He wants you to ‘strive’ for a personal relationship for that personal relationship with him.  He wants to know you. He wants to know where you are from. Your salvation depends upon it.

You might say, “Of course, Jesus knows me.”  Like the people in the parable, you say, “I ate at your table.  I listened to your teaching.”  That’s not enough. 

The reality is that we let Jesus come into parts of our life but not all of our life. There are times we are selfish and mean.  We get puffed up in our own pride.  We let our ego take offense at the world around us.  We gossip, cast accusations, and indulge in a whole range of bad habits.  When we do, Jesus shakes his head and says, “I do not know where you are from.”  To develop a personal relationship with Jesus, we need to jettison those parts of our life that have no place in this relationship.    

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This phrase in the gospel has been haunting me lately.  “I do not know you, where you are from.”  I’m working on being certified as a spiritual director and in addition to a lot of training, this involves a lot of soul searching. I left my residency last Spring with a shocking realization.  I know a lot about Jesus.  I preach about Jesus.  I teach about Jesus.  I have given my life to serving Jesus.  But I don’t know him as a friend, a companion.  I’m not going to be able to help others walk with the Lord if he’s a stranger to me on a deeply personal level.

So I am ‘striving’ to develop this relationship. Here is my four-point attack. Maybe they can be a help for you.

1. See Jesus in others.  Almost cliche, it is true that the image and likeness of God’s beloved son is present and sometimes speaking to you in every person you meet. 
2. Get to know Jesus in the scriptures.  Meditate on the scenes in the gospel, like the little ‘imagine’ scene above.  
3. Talk to his mother.  “Mary, could you help me make your son my friend.”
4. Visualize Jesus at your side. When I hike or walk, I imagine Jesus is walking with me. He doesn’t say much, but I’m getting more comfortable with his presence.

If someone were to ask the same questions today, “Are you saved?” or “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?”  My answer would be “Yes, but it’s a work in progress.”