Luke 9:51-56
A Samaritan Village Rejects the Savior
51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for
Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,
52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a
village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive
Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when
His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to
command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do
not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not
come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another
village.
How do you handle rejection?
No one wants to be left out / neglected / glossed over or
forgotten about
This is true in marriage > Family > Church life
Background:
Samaritans were viewed as ‘half – breeds.’ They are considered
to be ethnic traitors, bad guys, etc. When the nation was divided, Samaria was
the original name for the capital of the Northern Kingdom founded by Omri…
1 Kings 16:21-24
Omri Reigns in Israel
21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two
parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king,
and half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri prevailed over
the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri
reigned. 23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became
king over Israel, and reigned twelve years. Six years he reigned in Tirzah.
24 And he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of
silver; then he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built,
Samaria, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill.
The Samaritans inter-married with the people of that region,
(they’re no longer pure) – we still have these issues with racial upheaval
today!
Examples: ‘Tex-Mex’ | Newyoricans | Creole…etc.
So you can only imagine the bad blood that’s between these 2
people (Jews vs. Samaritans)
Even Jesus had to deal with this:
John 4:9-10
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it
that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have
no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the
gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have
asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
In the text, we see 2 totally different responses to this rejection experienced. In verse 54, we see that the disciples wanted to bring fire down upon these 'creatures'; but in verse 55, Jesus rebukes them because they picked up a 'spirit' they knew nothing about.
As you can see, this is more than just tragic happenings in your life, this is a spiritual issue!
Verse 56 - For the Son of Man did not come
to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And
they went to another village.
Jesus understood what and why He was going to Jerusalem…to
save, not to judge.
Rejection never deterred Him – His aim was reaching the
lost; His being rejected didn’t affect His destiny (destination)
So you see, the spirit of rejection is to destroy holy
momentum.
This spirit moves on so many levels. There are people here
and beyond who are so afflicted by this spirit…
They no longer seek friendships
They no longer fellowship
They develop a critical and / or cynical view of life
You won’t seek people out because you’re afraid of being
hurt – this is a form of Pride…here’s an example:
1 Kings 21:3-5
3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I
should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!” 4 So Ahab went into his
house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had
spoken to him; for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my
fathers.” And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat
no food. 5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your
spirit so sullen that you eat no food?”
Do you respond to rejection in this manner? Another example
is Naaman. There’s another true story where there was a leper in the church and
he approached Jesus with this verbiage – ‘If You’re willing, You can make me
clean…’
So, we see the examples of rejection - unfortunately, we don't see how to process it correctly so that we can be free - here's where Jesus comes in!
He reveals the answer in verse 56 of our text…He keeps the
disciples in check about the main aim and purposes of His heart…
Whenever you suffer rejection – no matter what level or
circumstance…you first need to understand that it’s not about you – it’s about
what you’re trying to do for God…
People reject the momentum of God in your life…
- Our natural tendency to overcome rejection is to CHANGE our convictions to please others > the bible says Jesus was determined…
- The Main thing is to keep the Main thing the Main thing…
Know who you are in Christ…understand that Jesus never
rejects you!!
Hebrews 13:5
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be
content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never
leave you nor forsake you.”
Can you believe this? If you can, you’re on your way to
freedom!
