Facing the Cross II
My previous blog told how my study of Luke 9 began with thoughts about Jesus’ disciple-making process and how the Holy Spirit shifted my focus to just six penetrating verses. Verses 51-56 yelled out as my thoughts were directed to a point in time where Jesus turned His face toward Jerusalem and to His destiny with the cross. Only Jesus felt the impact of future events that would occur in just a few short weeks.
The first blog, Facing the Cross, only considered verse 51, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” It was the phrase ‘He set His face to go to Jerusalem” that snapped me to attention. Jesus was alone in His thinking about what awaited Him in Jerusalem. In just a few short weeks, He would be nailed to a cross and die as payment for the sins of the world. Even those close to Him failed to recognize what He was about to do for them.
Twice Jesus told His disciples that He would soon suffer and die, but somehow they failed to grasp what He was telling them. Then, a question began to form in my mind. Christians around the world look forward to celebrating the resurrection in a few short weeks, but how many will remember the cross came before the resurrection?
Certainly, the resurrection of Jesus is a reason to celebrate, but how about the sacrifice He made for each of us on the cross. How many people on this side of the cross will look past His agony on the cross and fail to celebrate the fact that His shed blood paid for our sin debt? In today’s blog, I plan to address circumstances that developed as Jesus prepared to go to Jerusalem. Let’s look at verses 51-56 again as a way to refocus.
51When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55But he turned and rebuked them. 56And they went on to another village. (Luke 9:51-56 ESV)
Now that we know Jesus turned his face to go to Jerusalem, give notice to part “a” of verse 51. “When the days drew near for him to be taken up” refers to His ascension into Heaven (Acts 1:11). According to God’s original plan, Jesus would die paying our sin debt on the cross, be resurrected, and be taken up into heaven. His redemptive act on the cross would be complete, but God’s plan always was Jesus’ return to Heaven.
Verse 52 explains Jesus sent messengers to the Samaritan village to make preparations for Him. The text is unclear about what preparations were needed, but the Samaritan response was quite clear. People in the Samaritan village didn’t physically threaten the messengers, but they refused to offer any assistance (v. 53).
How do we interpret the refusal to offer assistance to Jesus’ disciples? Hatred explains the opposition Jesus’ disciples faced here. The hatred between Jews and Samaritans (half-breeds) dates back to Old Testament patriarch times. The intensity between them developed around the time the Jews returned home after the Babylonian captivity. Hatred was so intense at the time of Jesus that Jews and Samaritans refused to travel into each other’s territory.
Just think about this situation. Samaritans refused to assist the One who was proclaimed the Promised Messiah simply because He was a Jew. They refused to offer assistance because Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. Personal prejudice prevented them from helping a man who healed the sick and cast out demons. They refused to give aid to the One who was going to Jerusalem to die so that their sins might be forgiven. He was willing to die for them even though they shunned Him.
Samaritans showed no interest in listening to Jesus or in providing Him with assistance because He was a Jew. Even though Jesus loved them and would die so that they might have eternal life, they opposed Him (1 John 2:2). Let me ask, as we look forward to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, do you see evidence of those very same behaviors exhibited in the world today?
Opposition to Christian values is a reality in today’s world. For example, we see Christian values opposed in our schools, colleges, and government. Christians who dare to speak God’s truth face threatening opposition. Christ died for people who stand ready to oppose His teachings today. At a minimum, Christians are shunned. At the extreme, they are persecuted and killed.
Finally, in this run-up to celebrating Easter, we should engage in some personal evaluation. Jesus loved and died for us even when we were dead in sin. He commanded us to love each other and to love our enemies (Matthew 22:39; Matthew 5: 43-44; John 15:13). In this age where it is easy enough to find ourself at odds with those who oppose Christian values, I find it easy to be drawn into a Samaritan response.
I will, most definitely, celebrate Jesus’ victory over death, and I will also celebrate what He did for me on that old rugged cross. Let us pray for forgiveness when we push back in ungodly ways against those that don’t support our Christian views. Let us pray for the wisdom to follow in the footsteps of our Redeemer.
In the next post, we will consider Luke 9:54-56. Jesus rebukes His disciples for conduct unbecoming.