How to Respond to Rejection
Notes
Transcript
Opening
Opening
Please make your way to Luke 9:51-56 in your copy of God’s word. Page 815 if you are using one of our church bibles furnished for you in the seat rack near you.
This is the word of the Lord, let’s read it together.
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.
53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
55 But he turned and rebuked them.
56 And they went on to another village.
Prayer
Prayer
Father in Heaven, as we gather to hear your word today, we pray that you would open our hearts and minds to the message that your word has for us. Lord, we pray that just as you set your face towards Jerusalem, determined to fulfill your mission, that we too would be willing to follow you on the path of obedience, even when it's difficult. Help us to let go of our attachment to our own plans and desires, just as you did when the Samaritan village rejected you. Give us the grace to respond with kindness and compassion, rather than judgment and condemnation. And as we journey with you, may we be filled with your Spirit and empowered to share your message of love and redemption with all we meet.We pray for your guidance and wisdom as we explore Luke 9:51-56 together. Speak to us through your word, and may it transform us more into your image. In your name we pray, Amen."
Introduction:
Introduction:
The passage we have just read together begins a new section in Luke’s gospel account as Jesus begins his final journey toward Jerusalem where he will face crucifixion. This section begins here in 9:51 and extends all the way to 19:27. Interestingly many of things Luke will cover in this extended section are not found in any of the other three gospel accounts (Matt, Mark, John); as well, Luke put’s particular emphasis on Jesus preparation for the suffering Jesus would endure leading up to and on the cross. This section focuses less on Jesus miracles and more on his teaching. It turns from having Jesus coming into the word as its focus to Jesus leaving the world as its focus.
The scene we have just read is the first event on this journey toward Jerusalem very soon after the Transfiguration had occured. This Journey began on the western side of Galilee and would take him down into Samaria and then over into the region of Perea. The nature of Jesus journey shows us that he did not begin toward Jerusalem by heading straight there. A journey that normally took less than a week, apparently took Jesus much longer. This leads us to believe that along the way, Jesus and his disciples would stop and stay in a place for an extended period and make short day trips to different places to preach to the people and to instruct his disciples.
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
H are two phrases here we need to examine:
“When the days drew near for him to be taken up- This phrase tells us that the redemptive plan of God that would culminate in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus was fast approaching. It was fixed point on the timeline of God. But it doesn't just refer to the death, burial and resurrection but also to his ascension back to the Father (“taken up”).
“He set his face to go to Jerusalem”- Means that he determined to leave Galilee and head toward Jerusalem with resoluteness. In fact the NIV says he went “resolutely”.
His first stop along the way was going to be a town in the region of Samaria. It is important to note that most Jews would not dare travel through Samaria while traveling between Galilee and Judaea. Instead they would cross over the Jordan river, over into Decapolis and then travel south through Perea, recross back over the Jordan at Jericho and then go up into Judaea. (As evidenced by the purple line in the map, the green line is the path Jesus took) The path of Jesus wasn’t completely uncommon, it was the most direct (three days journey) but if Jews did go this way they would hurry along, not stop and try and do the journey in one day.
There was a reason for this, Jews and Samaritans had a long history of hatred between each other that dated back long before the birth of Christ to the time when the twelve tribes of Israel were a divided kingdom. When the northern kingdom (Israel) were defeated by the assyrians the ten northern tribes were taken away as exiles into Assyria.
23 until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had spoken by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day.
24 And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.
Those gentile foreigners then intermarried with the jews who were not exiled away from the land forming a mixed race known as the Samaritans. They brought their own idolatrous religion, which eventually mixed with the worship of the true God. However, they had a convoluted version of worship, accepting only the Pentateuch and worshiping on Mt. Gerizim. When the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem, the Samaritans offered to help rebuild the temple but were rejected, the Samaritan’s then built there own temple leading to centuries of animosity and mistrust. The Jews saw the Samaritans as inferior and used "Samaritan" as an insult, while the Samaritans reciprocated the hostility.
As was his custom, Jesus sent some of his group ahead of him into this village to prepare the way. We need to remember, Jesus didn't just travel with the twelve, but he had a much larger entourage of other men and women who would also travel with him and who were his disciples. (In the next chapter we’ll see that he sends out 70 on a missionary trip so we know there were at least that many.)
Not surprisingly, the Samaritan town, rejected Jesus and his group. Not because they didn't like Jesus per se but because they didn't want a group of Jewish pilgrims who were traveling to the temple in Jerusalem (which they viewed as false worship) to pass through their land.
This rejection of Jesus in this Samaritan town teaches us that there is a right way and a wrong way to respond to rejection and can inform us as to how we should respond to rejection and hurt in our own lives as well.
1.) The wrong response: retaliation. (v.54)
1.) The wrong response: retaliation. (v.54)
54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
These two men, James and John were given a nickname by Jesus that we learn in Mark 3:17 because they both had a very volatile nature.
17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);
We see this nature on full display here as they basically suggest the Lord allow them to call fire down from heaven and blow this city off the map.
Now, before we get to far ahead of our selves in condemning these men as hateful and bigoted, we need to put ourselves in their shoes.
As Jews, they had been taught the old testament and they no doubt remembered a time when the great profit Elijah had called down fire from God when wicked King Ahaziah of the northern kingdom of Israel had sent a company of 50 soldiers to arrest Elijah so he could be executed for preaching the Word of the Lord by prophesying Ahaziahs death. Then, after those 50 met their fate, the king sent another 50 who Elijah called down fire on as well. (2 Kings 1:9-16) Ahaziah sent a third group to arrest Elijah but that commander begged Elijah to spare their lives. The prophet Elijah then went to the wicked king and pronounced God’s judgment upon him. (Some translations even go as far to add “just as Elijah did” for explanation. This phrase is not found in our oldest and most reliable manuscripts.)
James and John simply wanted to do the same thing as an act of “righteous vengeance.”
The only problem was, their desire for vengeance wasn’t based in righteousness as in the case of Elijah. But in retaliation.
James and John wanted to retaliate on this village that would not welcome Jesus. Maybe a little rightly so, they had a profound loyalty to Jesus and they likely thought “don’t these people know who they are rejecting.” This is a natural feeling to have when being rejected but we must remember that judgement belongs to God alone and we should not expect him to use his holy and righteous judgement to carry out personal vendettas on our behalf.
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
As the Lord’s church, we must know how to deal with the worlds rejection of Christ.
Those outside of faith often see our commitment to Jesus as blind exclusivism. Who are we to say what is right and wrong? In fact many people react very negatively when the church takes a stand on the moral character of society. They think we just want to oppressively control people. When in reality our warnings are against self destructive behavior to both individuals and society at large.
Friends we must be careful not to respond the way James and John did.
Don’t be the angry christian that is so often represented in media hatefully condemning others.
Anger and condemnation rarely draw people to Jesus it tends to push them further away. That does not mean that we do not stand up for right and wrong, but people should never dislike us because of our demeanor.
Instead we should respond like Jesus.
2.) The right response: mercy. (v.55-56)
2.) The right response: mercy. (v.55-56)
The very purpose of Jesus mission here on earth was not one of judgement but one of mercy.
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Jesus was on his way to die as the only way that we as underserving sinful human beings could receive mercy and be redeemed from our sin and eternity in hell. Jesus didn't come to destroy life, but save it from eternal destruction.
To desire for the destruction of those who reject Christ is not reflective of the Gospel.
47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
Mercy not judgement should have been the response of James and John. This moment was not the time of judgement for this village.
In fact, because of the mercy of Jesus, later Philip the evangelist is sent to preach in this same town in Acts 8:6-8 and looked what happened.
6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
8 So there was much joy in that city.
Later in Acts 8:25 Peter and John would return preaching the gospel
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
There does come a time when the mercy of God reaches its limit and his justice must take over. There is a time when the chance for a person to repent and turns to Jesus runs out. If a person continually and stubbornly rejects God and his offer of salvation that God will “give them over” to their own sinful desires. (Romans 1:18-32).
But, that day is up to God to decide, not us. Until then, we are to show the mercy and love of Jesus to everyone we come in contact with by pleading with them to come to Jesus for salvation.
We must confront and call for repentance as the Lord’s church but we must leave the final judgement to the hand of the Lord.
Luke 6–10: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Mercy Extended to All
Whenever those claiming to represent Jesus Christ have wielded the right to pronounce temporal judgment, the results have been disastrous. The Inquisition, the Crusades, the execution of those thought to be witches, and the persecution of the Anabaptists by Reformed Protestants and Catholics alike have been a blight on the name of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion:
The challenge to us this morning is to handle rejection rightly.
Consider the rejection Jesus experienced during his ministry on earth. Despite performing miracles and preaching the truth, he faced rejection from those he came to save. Yet, Jesus never responded with hatefulness, vengeance or retaliation. He continued to love and offer mercy to those who rejected him, showing us the ultimate example of handling rejection rightly.
The spirit of retaliation is not from Jesus, it comes from our sinful flesh. The spirit of Jesus is one of mercy calling the sinner to repentance before it is too late.
Give an invitation to think on these things and to respond to the gospel.