Samaritan Opposition
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.The Cost of Following Jesus
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Our scripture this week is very short compared to last week. The author of our study subtitles this chapter "The Call to Discipleship." He begins the chapter with a real life example of a young boy who "set his face toward a goal and did not waver" to set up the importance of the language in Luke about Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem.
Consider what Jesus knew about his journey and its ultimate end. What emotions do you suppose he experienced?
As the scripture continues we see the passage about Samaritan Opposition. The author suggests this is a foreshadowing of what is to come. The note in my bible says the following about Jesus' reaction to the comment of James and John: And he said, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."
How do you suppose James and John reacted to being rebuked? What does Jesus' reaction to rejection teach us?
In the final section, "The Cost of Following Jesus," we see short interactions between Jesus and three different people.
Read carefully the three scenarios and note the commentary in your bible (if there is any). Please note this comment from my bible, which gives an interesting take on v. 59-60:
"If his father had already died, the man would have been occupied with the burial. But evidently he wanted to wait until after his father's death, which might have been years away."
Please note your reactions to these interactions and imagine what your dialogue with Jesus might look like today. How do we balance our comfortable lives with the uncomfortable call to discipleship described here?
Finally, consider these two statements from our reading:
"In coming to know the identity of Jesus, those who follow Him come to understand who they are to be."
"The more we learn about God, the more we learn about ourselves, and the more we learn about ourselves, the more we learn about God." (John Calvin)
How do you respond to these statements?
Short scripture, deep thinking!! Have a great week!
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