35: Journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-62)

Next week is Student Sunday, where you will hear how God is growing our teenagers to impact their world.

Right now I want you to get this commitment card out and fill out what you can right now…keep it handy and we’ll use it later today.

Mr. Sonny Pitman was HUGE powerful man who made a HUGE impact in my life. He has been an encourager who would hug anyone who would receive it. He is a man who LOVES Jesus and has walked with Him consistently for over 30 years - committed husband, father, & grandfather.

But that isn’t who he used to be. Mr. Sonny used to go pick fights at bars & drink his paycheck up. He lost his wife & family, but in his words, he had a life full of drinkin, cheatin, fightin, lying, cussing, stealin, and chasing sorry women. One day while standing in his front yard waiting for one of these women to show up, he heard God say, “It’s time to change your life.” It so rattled him that upon her arrival he told the woman she had to leave. He attended church that Sunday and when He came to understand what it cost Jesus to pay for his many sins, Mr. Sonny humbled his heart and bowed his knee to the One who died for him. He immediately quit drinkin, cheatin, fightin, lying, cussing, stealin, and chasing sorry women. But even though he quit drinking, he couldn’t bring himself to toss his alcohol out.

Sonny says every Sunday that month the pastor preached against drinking and he returned to his home to see all the liquor in his house. The the pastor later clarified, “Sonny, I didn’t preach against drinking even once that month.” No? Then what was going on? God was dealing with one of the last things he was still holding on to.

So one Sunday afternoon after church, Mr. Sonny starting pouring booze down the drain - the cheapest ones first - just in case he changed his mind. But he didn’t. This act of pouring out the alcohol was Sonny communicating, “Jesus, I’m all in…NO TURNING BACK.”

When Mr. Sonny speaks passionately about the One who died to pay for His sins, it is obvious that he considers obedience to Jesus to be a privilege, not a problem…

Sonny quickly came to realize what WE need to recognize, that…

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

Maybe there’s something you are holding onto…something the Lord is asking you to sacrifice in obedience. PRAY

As we have seen in the past several studies, Jesus is speaking of the death that awaits Him. And today we watch as He begins the Journey to Jerusalem.

Luke 9:51–52 (NIV)

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;

The phrase resolutely set out literally reads that Jesus ‘fixed his face’ for Jerusalem. It was a phrase to mean He was focused & had firmly decided He would NOT be distracted as He Journeyed to Jerusalem to make the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE - to give His life as a ransom for many. Jesus was headed to the CROSS.

And rather than dodge Samaria and take a different route, Jesus planned on entering a Samaritan village as he made his way to Jerusalem.

As many people were traveling with Jesus, He sent some of His disciples as messengers to go to prepare the people for His arrival as well as make preparations for meals & overnight lodging.

When traveling between Judea & Galilee [SHOW MAP], most Jewish people would have taken a different route rather than have to travel through this ‘unclean’ place and ‘unclean’ people known as the Samaritans. Why is that?

Almost 1000 years before Solomon’s Kingdom had divided into North & South - Israel & Judah with 2 different kings. Israel (north) worshipped false gods while Judah worshiped Yahweh. In 722 B.C. God brought the Assyrians to conquer Israel (the North section) and took over 27,000 (27,290) Israelites captive. But not all the Israelites were taken and they remained in the land. The King of Assyria resettled Israel’s capital city of Samaria with foreigners from other lands he had conquered (2 Kings 17:24).

Over time, Jews around Samaria intermarried with these people who followed false gods. This was a blatant act of disobedience as God commanded them NOT to intermarry with pagans.

On a side note: Some Christians have misunderstood this command and have taught that God condemns interracial marriage. One of my grandmothers, a godly woman, believed this…because this is what she had been taught. But the truth is…we all come from a mix of Noah & his family - 8 who restarted the human race after the flood. Look at someone in here and say, ‘howdy cousin’! The command against interracial marriage was not about purity of race, but purity of religion - not about color but about character. This wasn’t about where you were from, but where you were heading.

If fact, there are several people in the lineage of Jesus who weren’t racial Jews…but they followed the God of the Jews and therefore were considered part of the Jewish family.

In Samaria, the outcome of these inter-religious marriages was people who were theological half-breeds. People who, like many in our culture, took some of the Scripture & some of their false religion and mixed it all together. Consequently, the Samaritans and the Jews were at odds.

Remember when Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for water? She thought it was a problem for them to even drink from the same well! After determining Jesus was a prophet, she mentioned one major difference between them,

John 4:20 (NIV)

Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain [Mount Gerizim], but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

This was a real point of contention. Thankfully, the woman listened more to what Jesus had to say. And when she told her Samaritan community about him, they came to meet Jesus for themselves! Jesus even stayed several extra days because they asked Him to! But this would not be the case in THIS story.

Luke 9:53

but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.

What’s the difference between these Samaritans and the community we were just reminded of? One group was willing to hear what Jesus had to say…EVEN if what He said differed from their preconceived ideas. But the messengers of Jesus quickly determined that THIS GROUP of Samaritans was NOT willing to listen to His message.

Let me ask YOU a Question

Are you, like the Samaritans who received Jesus - willing to listen what He had to say…even if it hurts to hear…even if it is different than what others have taught you? Those who listened to Jesus were glad they did.

John 4:42 (NIV)…now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Will you listen to what He has to say…Or are you like these Samaritans who rejected Jesus because His teachings don’t fit your belief system? What if what JESUS says is RIGHT…and what you believe is WRONG?

These people missed out on an evening to host the Messiah, and His disciples saw this as quite an insult. So they asked for permission to do what Elijah had done to hostile soldiers sent by a wicked king from Samaria 850 years before ( 2 Kings 1:1–12).

Luke 9:54-55

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.

Is it any wonder why Jesus nicknamed these brothers ‘The Sons of Thunder’?

[funny] If your 1st response to rejection is to call fire down on people…you might need an attitude adjustment!

R.C. Sproul notes the difference between Jesus & His disciples: Jesus is slow to anger, patient, gracious and long-suffering, while His disciples who were quick to anger, impatient and short-suffering.

In fact, in Luke’s sequel called Acts, Jesus will later command the same disciples to go to Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth - including specifically - SAMARIA with His message of death, burial, & resurrection.

Luke 9:56-57

56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Matthew 8:19 tells us that this man is a scribe, a highly educated Bible scholar who was more likely to be a TEACHER with followers than be a FOLLOWER of a teacher…especially someone like Jesus who weren’t trained in rabbinical schools.

Nevertheless, this man made quite a commitment to Jesus: “I will follow you wherever you go.”

What would WE expect Jesus to say to him? “Awesome! Join the parade!”

But that’s not exactly how Jesus responds. Instead Jesus warns him,

Luke 9:58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Like many of us, this scribe was eager to declare his allegiance but had not counted the cost of following Jesus.

Jesus is saying, ‘Have you really THOUGHT this through? It’s not going to be comfortable. 'The animals have homes, but we haven’t even found a place to lay down tonight. And the unwelcoming Samaritans we just met were just the beginning. It’s about to get much more uncomfortable. Are you sure you’re all in?’

While many had shown hospitality to Jesus up to this point, praising his words & works, the dark days were coming as Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem. In fact, as Jesus approached the CROSS, many who claimed to follow Him would fly the coop.

Have you noticed how EVERYBODY supports the home team when they are winning, but what about when the tough times come?

Robert Lenski draws a vivid comparison to the person who…

sees the soldiers on parade, the fine uniforms and the glittering arms, and is eager to join but forgets the exhausting marches, the bloody battles, the graves, perhaps unmarked. It is less cruel to disillusion such a man than to let him rush in and go down in disappointment.

Jesus warns the man that he might want to reconsider signing up. It will cost the disciples of Jesus. Many of them would be killed & run off from their homes - sort of like what is going on with some Christians in Iraq right now. Many of them would be banished from their families. Following Jesus is COSTLY…but…

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

Many prosperity preachers are calling people to follow a comfortable Christ - a build-a-bear Jesus - They emphasize a Jesus who guarantees health, wealth, & earthly security…but is this what Jesus was pointing this scribe to? Of course not.

So too, we do people a disservice to tell them, “Just pray this prayer and you’ll be saved,” instead of pleading with them to examine the evidence, count the cost, and TRUST Jesus with everything they’ve got.

Many sign up and say Jesus, I will follow you wherever you go…as long as it doesn’t cost me anything.

People in the 21st century think they can make deals with Jesus: “I’ll follow You if…”.

But Biblical Christianity is saying, “I’ll follow You…EVEN if.”

Even if…it cost my job, my relationships, my comfort.

Biblical Christianity is recognizing that..

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

Have YOU counted the cost? Are YOU all in?

Next, JESUS approaches a man.

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.”

This seems like a reasonable request. But if his father had just died, why is this son with Jesus now instead of making burial preparations?

Some commentators note that this man might be awaiting his father's death in the next few days/years. In other words, “First let me go and bury my father” might be understood as “Some day, after my father has died, I will follow you.”

As Jesus is going to the CROSS in Jerusalem, He is calling this man to immediate obedience without delay, to decide WHO is most important in his life. He tells the man, Let the dead bury the dead - The spiritually dead can bury the physically dead. You want LIFE? Follow me!

you go and proclaim the kingdom of God - Use the time you have to make an eternal difference! Go on behalf of ME and be MY voice to others.

Oh church…if WE would put the desire of Jesus before the desire of our families!

Oh that WE would go and proclaim the kingdom of God without allowing other people to distract us from this eternal task!

Finally, another man responds:

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.”

Again, this request sounds reasonable and innocent. But what if Jesus knows something we don’t? What if this man gets back among his people intending to tell them he is leaving only to give in to their pleading to stay with them and to give up Jesus?

As Jesus has fixed His face toward Jerusalem, focused & committed, He wants His disciples to get to work building the kingdom.

Jesus uses a farming metaphor to clarify this. A farmer would guide the animal pulling the plow with one hand and guiding the plow with the other. The one who keeps looking back will plow crooked rows…and is unfit for the work.

And here is the difficult truth…Even good things can keep you from doing the kingdom work.

What are you looking back at?

Is your family first…or is Jesus first?

Is that relationship with another human keeping you from giving Jesus 1st place?

Are you more concerned with earthly treasure than eternal treasure?

Is there a sin habit that is keeping you from plowing straight?

As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, He clarified that following Him requires a radical shift in priorities. Jesus must be “first.” He will not accept second place to anyone or anything. Following Him WILL cost you…BUT…

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COSTBIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

BIG TRUTH: Life with the KING, IS worth the COST

There is an OLD HYMN that I want to close with…if you know it…sing it with me right now.

Hymn

I have decided to follow Jesus;

I have decided to follow Jesus;

I have decided to follow Jesus; No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me;The world behind me, the cross before me;The world behind me, the cross before me; No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow;Though none go with me, still I will follow;Though none go with me, still I will follow; No turning back, no turning back.

PRAY