Jesus lived for most of his life in one place, a town of maybe 200 people in the north of what is today the State of Israel.  It was a town called Nazareth.  He was born about 100 miles south of there in Bethlehem, then 5 miles from Jerusalem.  Today, the two are next to each other, but separated by a 20 foot wall.  It is difficult for anyone to go from Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and most people are not allowed from one side to the other, except tourists (unless they are Jewish or Palestinian).  It’s a very sad place, which most people think of in terms of the ancient past, rather than the present reality.

Today’s gospel takes place near Jesus’ home, in the North.  By the end of this short excerpt, he has traveled, probably by foot—no other way) to the South.  And for the last 2 years or so of his life, that’s as far as he will travel.  But the author of today’s gospel, St. Luke, considers the travel itself—the journey, important.

Jesus says that he must make this journey, on that will end in his death, near where he had been born.  The crowds along the way want him to stay, but he keeps moving on.

To give you an idea of the geography: think of McCall and Boise, about the same distance between Jerusalem and Nazareth.  It’s a 2 hour drive, but a much longer walk.  And then consider how many places I your life you have already been to.  I’m older, but I’ve been all around the world, and every state but two (S Dakota and Arkansas).  Would not have been possible in Jesus’ time.  Modern people are on a continuous journey and don’t think it strange that people live in New York, work in Tokyo, and travel to London.

We journey, we move about with some purpose, but perhaps too casually.  This is a very modern thing and it makes us simultaneously broad and narrow minded.  It’s because we think more of the destination rather than the journey.  Ironically, our restlessness keeps us unsettles-literally- and anxious to move on.  That’s both good and bad.

Jesus’ journey from the North to South was a command from God the father.  The journey is the metaphor for growth in spirituality. But also remember, Jesus spread the good news of the kingdom of God by waiting almost 30 years and then moving fast.
This time in your life is set—you’re in Boise, Idaho and many of you will leave I the next couple of years.  Consider carefully where you will go.  Because the journey is not in getting there, but is an end itself.  We are wanderers in this world, and maybe one day, one or more of you will travel to space.  Even that is not an end in itself. It’s a big world and an even bigger universe.

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