Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem
Chapter Nine in Luke has got to be one of the most action-packed chapters you may ever encounter in the Bible. In only sixty-two verses, we see thirteen different dramatic scenes flash before us:
- Jesus sends out the twelve Apostles
- Herod is perplexed by news about Jesus — Is he Elijah?
- Jesus feeds the five thousand
- Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
- Jesus foretells his death
- Jesus talks about taking up your cross daily to follow him
- The Transfiguration!
- Jesus heals a boy with an unclean spirit after disciples are unable
- Jesus foretells his death again
- Jesus talks about who is the Greatest
- Jesus talks about how anyone not against us is for us
- A Samaritan village rejects Jesus after Jesus sets his face on Jerusalem
- Jesus spells out the cost of following him
Each of these scenes provides a lot to think about and talk about. I’ve been reflecting on number twelve when Jesus was rejected by the Samaritan village.
Verse 51 says: “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way, they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for him;.”
Presumably, to arrange for a short overnight stay?
Verse 53 continues: “but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.” To the Samaritans, going into Judea could only mean one thing: you were friends with Jerusalem, the Samaritan’s historical religious rivals since before the days of Elijah. No friend of the Jews in Jerusalem could be their friend— i.e., “anyone who is for them is against us.” Sort of the opposite of what Jesus had said to his disciples!
For the disciples, heading to Jerusalem had another purpose —Jesus was going there to become King of the Jews. Naturally, James and John bridled at this Samaritan enmity towards their future king.
There is a kind of irony in all of this: on an earlier occasion, Jesus and his disciples were traveling north, having “abandoned Judea” (Jn.4:3). John will later recount the incident of the Samaritan woman at the well and all the goodwill that resulted from that short stay in Shechem, in Samaria.
Maybe they assumed the Samaritans would receive Jesus enthusiastically on his return south to Judea. Reports about Jesus’ earlier visit had no doubt gone out throughout their country by then.
James and John were indignant, and without considering what Jesus would wish to do, the “Sons of Thunder” wanted lightning — “Fire from heaven”— to teach the Samaritans a lesson.