A Mindset of Serving

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, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 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?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

The Samaritans and the Jews had differences:

The woman at the well: John4.19-24

John 4:19–24 ESV

The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

This was no small difference. Where one could worship, or other beliefs one may have, especially when the belief is strong and devout, can lead to hatred or anger. John Calvin said “when men differ among themselves about the doctrines of religion, they readily break out into hatred of each other.” If you haven’t experienced this, you will at some point. People do not like to have their beliefs challenged or disagreed with.

So there was outright hatred, going both ways, between Samaritan and Jew. This is also what made Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan so powerful. To imagine a Samaritan helping a Jew in the way Jesus described in that parable would be like saying today that someone from Hamas kindly took care of a Jew.

Leon Morris:

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary 1. Rejection by the Samaritans (9:51–56)

Their feud with the Jews was so bitter that they would not help anyone travel to Jerusalem, though apparently they did not mind receiving Galileans as such. Josephus tells us that Samaritans were not averse to ill-treating pilgrims going up to Jerusalem, even to the extent of murdering them on occasion (Bellum ii.232; Antiquities xx.118; this latter passage tells us that it was the custom of the Galileans to pass through Samaria at festival time).

So then, you have an idea now of the attitudes that existed between the Jews and the Samaritans, and we see that as Jesus passes through here, he has his face set to go to Jerusalem.

If he was going to Jerusalem, he was holding Jerusalem up above the mountain the Samaritans worshiped on.

He sent messengers ahead. Just as today, one may send people ahead (such as a head of state, whose staff arrives first to get everything ready).

But the Samaritans did not receive him. They had most likely heard of Jesus. Why did they not receive him? Luk9.53

Luke 9:53 ESV

But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

What does it mean that they did not receive him? Most likely that they refused to take Jesus and his company as guests.

This seems to have been done in a rude way, because James and John take great offense. Remember John, who wrote so beautifully on love, and James, who wrote we should count it all joy when we encounter various trials? Well, at this point they were not quite there yet with that wisdom they would later share under the inspiration of the Spirit.

Luke 9:54 ESV

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?”

Some of the manuscripts add here, “As Elijah did”.

Now, there is a lot wrapped up in this statement.

Their understanding of the offense

Their knowledge of God’s justice

Their faith in the power of God (delegated at times to his followers)

They were right to see that those who offend God deserve his wrath.

They knew that for Elijah’s sake, fire was sent, and they had seen Elijah himself pay homage to Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration.

They were right that justice requires this

They were right to see that if Jesus gave them authority to do this, it would happen.

They were wrong about their attitudes. Romans 3.23-25

Romans 3:23–25 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

In his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

God is patient and longsuffering.

He graciously holds back his wrath for a time

He will pour out that wrath on unbelievers in his good time

In them meantime, he grieves over the lost, who are slaves to their sin nature.

So he rebuked them: Luk9.55-56

Luke 9:55–56 ESV

But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

We need to balance the truths of scripture:

God’s wrath is being stored up for sinners

But his followers are on mission to share the gospel.

We should not wish to see the fire of God consume unbelievers. Instead, we should be concerned and pray for their redemption.

Kent Hughes:

What do we need to travel along the road with Jesus? Tender mercy and steely commitment. The only fire we wish to fall on those who have not welcomed Jesus are the fires of the Holy Spirit—fires of regeneration and new life. Jesus demands that we be merciful if we are to walk with him, that we be tenderhearted, compassionate, forgiving. We will want the best for our enemies if we have a heart like his.

Jon Courson:

A ministry of fault-finding requires no skill because if I say, “You’re not praying enough,” who will disagree? If I say, “You’re not worshiping enough,” who will argue? I could rail on people for any number of things, and the response would always be, “Preach it, brother!” because we are all aware of our shortcomings in every area of our walk. It is so easy to blast and call down fire upon people. But all you do is burn them in the process. Of Jesus, Isaiah prophesied, “He shall not strive in the streets, break the bruised reed, or quench the smoking flax” (Isaiah 42:2, 3). In other words, to the flax barely smoldering, Jesus doesn’t say, “Only smoldering, huh?” before drowning it with a bucket of water. To the broken reed, He doesn’t say, “Broken, eh?” before crushing it with a heavy foot. That’s not His ministry, mentality, or personality. He’s a compassionate High Priest who understands our frailty (Hebrews 4:15).

2 Parts of this sermon:

How to deal with those who reject the gospel (51-56)

How to understand the urgency of the mission (57-62)

Luke 9:57–62 ESV

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

A figure of speech: Jesus stayed with people, but did not have his own “hole” or “nest” as foxes or birds might.

The one following Christ may be asked to give up everything he has to get everything Christ has for him.

May we understand that the things of the kingdom, the eternal things, are more important in the end

First let me go and bury my father.

Likely the Father was not dead yet, or the man would have not been there with Jesus

Some scholars believe he meant to wait until his father died so he could do his duty

This was a sacred and high responsibility of Jews, preparation and burial were to honor the dead

It would be a terrible and offensive thing if a son did not see to his parent’s burial.

But Jesus says the gospel work is more important even than that. This would have been shocking and offensive to many.

Luke 9:60 ESV

And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

How do the dead bury the dead?

The spiritually dead can stick around to bury others. The spiritually alive, who follow Christ, have a higher mission.

Luke 9:61–62 ESV

Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

This may be the most reasonable sounding request. Let me go and say farewell. Even this is something Jesus makes a point to contrast with the urgency of the kingdom work that he was doing. Maybe going back to say goodbye, they would talk him out of going with Jesus, as Christian’s neighbors did in Pilgrim’s Progress.

Plowing a straight line requires keeping your eyes and path on a fixed point. Example (riding mower)

2 Parts of this sermon:

How to deal with those who reject the gospel (51-56)

How to understand the urgency of the mission (57-62)

Balancing truths,

Understanding the urgency

If we could combine the love and concern, even for those who seem to be most offensive to God, with the urgency of Jesus in reaching the lost, we would be a powerful force for His Kingdom!

May God help us to have the mindset of serving

Related Media

Related Sermons

Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.

A Mindset of Serving

Big Idea: Doing our mission for Jesus well requires an understanding of his heart for service

​