Luke 9:51-56 FALLING FIRE OR FLOWING FORGIVENESS?

FALLING FIRE OR FLOWING FORGIVENESS?

Luke 9:51-56

Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

Susan: The time was drawing near for Jesus to fulfill His purpose, the culmination of this being His crucifixion, presenting Himself as the final sacrificial Lamb. His sacrifice atoned for the sin of all those who trust in His finished work on the cross.

Susie: Therefore, from this point forward, Galilee is no longer His headquarters. Instead, He journeys through Samaria into Judea toward the city of Jerusalem with only a brief return to Galilee.

Luke 9:52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.

Susie: A small village could not easily accommodate Jesus and His entire entourage. He sent messengers ahead as a courtesy to let the town know to prepare for them and to find lodging.

Luke 9:53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

Susan: The Samaritans turned Jesus and His disciples away because of their deeply ingrained religious prejudices.

Susie: The Jews considered Samaritans “half-breeds” because their race was the result of Jews marrying Gentiles during the captivity. The Jews even considered Samaritans to be “unclean.”  The Samaritans had their own version of worship that combined Jewish and Gentile practices and had their own temple on Mt. Gerizim.

Luke 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?

Susan: James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were dubbed “sons of thunder” by Jesus. This brother duo seemed to be quick tempered in several situations, hot-heads, if you will. As we saw in the last lesson, these brothers also needed a refresher course on humility because they presumed to sit on either side of Jesus in His coming kingdom—the height of arrogance.

Mark 3:17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder.

Luke 9:49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.

Susie: Angered by the Samaritans’ lack of hospitality, James and John wanted to call down fire and burn up their town! Not all manuscripts include their reference to Elijah. This was their attempt at justifying their attitude toward the Samaritans.

2 Kings 1:10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

Luke 9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

Susan: Jesus admonished them telling them they were not operating from a Godly spirit of zeal but of vengeful retaliation.

Susie: They definitely needed an attitude adjustment. 

Luke 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.

Susan: Jesus’s reason for coming to earth as the God-Man was to bring grace and salvation to humans.

Susie: None of Jesus’s earthly miracles involved fire. That is reserved for the Day of Judgement, for Satan, his demons, and those who reject the Gospel.

Susan: Jesus did not stay where He was not welcomed. He led the disciples to another more hospitable village. 

Ponder this and Apply it: James and John wanted to call down fire on the Samaritan village that refused to accommodate Jesus and His disciples. Jesus said they were operating under the influence of the wrong spirit. Jesus extended grace rather than vengeance. Sometimes we may think we are righteously angry when someone offends the Lord. Perhaps we need to take a step back and ask ourselves whether Jesus would quickly condemn or extend forgiveness and grace. Rash judgment and revenge seeking are not the marks of a true disciple. Remember, Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).