Luk 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
Luk 9:52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
Luk 9:53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
These are very important verses concerning the last few days before Jesus was to be taken, and crucified. He had spent many days speaking to the disciples, and warning them of the events to come; but their ears were “hard” and their eyes blinded, they would not truly understand until after his death and resurrection.
What can be gleaned from these passages? Let’s take a look:
Luke 9:51-52
When the days were well-nigh come. The time of his suffering was not far away. He was about to leave Galilee.
He stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. Knowing what he should suffer there. Just when this was we are not told.
Sent messengers. To secure a stopping place for himself and disciples on their journey.
Went into a village of the Samaritans. To go from Galilee to Jerusalem "he must needs go through Samaria," unless he went down on the east of the Jordan. The Samaritans were hereditary enemies of the Jews, and the two peoples had no intercourse.
Luk 9:53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
Luk 9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
They did not receive him. Because he was evidently journeying to Jerusalem. This stirred up their bigotry. They not only refused Jesus as a prophet, but violated the sacred duties of hospitality. The refusal to receive a religious teacher was considered a rejection of his claims.
Wilt thou that we command fire? These gentle apostles were filled with wrath at the insult to the Master. Their zeal for the Lord led them into a sanguinary feeling that was sinful. Often, religious zeal has led men to sinful acts and a persecuting spirit.
But, the Lord’s response to them was remarkable:
Luk 9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
Luk 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
What was he teaching them?
He rebuked them. Their spirit was not his. He quietly left the inhospitable village and went elsewhere. He was not a destroyer, but a Savior. Zeal for Christ is no excuse for fanaticism.
Even in his last hours, he spent every opportunity to leave lasting imprints on their minds and spirits; preparing them for the times when they would face their own persecutions and rejections. He showed them by example how to respond to a world that would hate them, as it did Him.
Lorna Couillard
2014
Luk 9:52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
Luk 9:53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
These are very important verses concerning the last few days before Jesus was to be taken, and crucified. He had spent many days speaking to the disciples, and warning them of the events to come; but their ears were “hard” and their eyes blinded, they would not truly understand until after his death and resurrection.
What can be gleaned from these passages? Let’s take a look:
Luke 9:51-52
When the days were well-nigh come. The time of his suffering was not far away. He was about to leave Galilee.
He stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. Knowing what he should suffer there. Just when this was we are not told.
Sent messengers. To secure a stopping place for himself and disciples on their journey.
Went into a village of the Samaritans. To go from Galilee to Jerusalem "he must needs go through Samaria," unless he went down on the east of the Jordan. The Samaritans were hereditary enemies of the Jews, and the two peoples had no intercourse.
Luk 9:53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
Luk 9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
They did not receive him. Because he was evidently journeying to Jerusalem. This stirred up their bigotry. They not only refused Jesus as a prophet, but violated the sacred duties of hospitality. The refusal to receive a religious teacher was considered a rejection of his claims.
Wilt thou that we command fire? These gentle apostles were filled with wrath at the insult to the Master. Their zeal for the Lord led them into a sanguinary feeling that was sinful. Often, religious zeal has led men to sinful acts and a persecuting spirit.
But, the Lord’s response to them was remarkable:
Luk 9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
Luk 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
What was he teaching them?
He rebuked them. Their spirit was not his. He quietly left the inhospitable village and went elsewhere. He was not a destroyer, but a Savior. Zeal for Christ is no excuse for fanaticism.
Even in his last hours, he spent every opportunity to leave lasting imprints on their minds and spirits; preparing them for the times when they would face their own persecutions and rejections. He showed them by example how to respond to a world that would hate them, as it did Him.
Lorna Couillard
2014
