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LUKE - Christ, the Savior of the World
A Bible Study Course on the Gospel of Christ according to Luke
PART 4 - JESUS' MINISTRY DURING HIS JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM (Luke 9:51 - 19:27)
1. The Unwelcoming Samaritans at the Beginning of the Lord's Journey (Luke 9:51-56) - Teaching against Bigotry
LUKE 9:51-56
51 It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before his face. They went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, so as to prepare for him. 53 They didn’t receive him, because he was traveling with his face set towards Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky, and destroy them, just as Elijah did?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them, “You don’t know of what kind of spirit you are. 56 For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” They went to another village.
Christ had not yet finished training his disciples, when the time came for him to suffer and give himself a ransom for the world as appointed by the will of God. The Son of the Highest knew that his disciples did not understand him completely, for their hearts were still bound by sin, and the Holy Spirit was not active among them. So he went toward Jerusalem to reconcile men with God on the cross. Then through his triumph on Golgotha, ascend to heaven and bring down to us needy folk his Father's power, bringing us knowledge, humility, love, and patience.
Beginning from this reading, Luke tells us how Jesus left Galilee, his homeland, and started his long journey knowing that he would not come back, but die there in Jerusalem. He was thirty years old, and the world was in need of his words and healings. However the Son of Man knew that his death was more essential than his life on earth, therefore he denied himself, took up his cross, and gave his life a ransom for many.
Christ did not allow sorrows to overcome him, but organized his procession of love, and sent the apostles to the villages to prepare shelter and food. This shows us that the guidance of the Spirit does not avoid organization in the life of individuals and churches. Our God is not the God of disorder, but the Lord of good order and organization.
Those who traveled directly from Galilee to Jerusalem at that time had no alternative but to pass by Samaria. This area was inhabited by people from remnants of the tribes of Israel, as well as those whom the Assyrians brought to the promised land, and whose religion became mixed. This made the Jews despise them and consider them unclean. The Samaritans in return despised the Jews, and caused harm and injury to travelers and incomers. Thus a state of enmity and deep-rooted hatred prevailed among them.
This harsh attitude caused a strong reaction in John, apostle of love, and his brother James, when the Samaritans rejected Christ the Lord of the world, and his companions, and prevented them from passing through and sleeping there.
John wanted to answer this insult with holy vengeance. He resented the slight, and wanted to avenge the Son of God by commanding fire to come down from heaven and consume them, justifying his zeal by referring to the case of Elijah and the condemnation of his anger upon the enemies of God. But Jesus rebuked John and his brother in the presence of the disciples, with the same power as he had already dealt with the fever of a sick man, silenced the storm, and driven out demons. In all these events, we find the word “rebuked” revealing the wrath of God. Thus we know that Christ did not wreak his anger upon the ignorant sinful Samaritans, but rebuked his two disciples who displayed a spirit of vengeance and spite, for all those who repay evil for evil show an attitude found in the Old Testament. Yet Jesus renders good for evil, forgives his enemies all their offences, and loves those who curse him so that they should repent and turn to him and be saved.
The Son of the Highest does his Father’s will: he saves, blesses, and endures. He neither condemns, nor destroys, nor rejects, even if slighted or insulted. The love of God is beyond our minds. What is your spirit? Are you born of the spirit of the world, affected by the Old Testament, where the dominating principle is “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth”, or are you born of the spirit of heaven and the power of the New Testament, passing silently wherever you are rejected, cursed, or betrayed, and loving those who treat you badly? So when Christ was rejected by the Samaritans, he departed from them and went toward another village in which he was received warmly. We see that John and all the company did not forget this incident as long as they lived because it taught them meekness.
PRAYER: O kind heavenly Father, please forgive all my anger, spite, hatred, and rejection. I thank you for your kindness and patience, and ask you for a true spiritual birth in order that I may not think of destroying people, but bear with them patiently, love them, and guide them to you, in your name and your power.
QUESTION 73: Why did Christ reproach his chosen disciples?