But The People There Did Not Welcome Him

Luke 9:51-56 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them ?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.

Our world is broken. This is not a bold statement amongst Christians. We know that all too well. And in our world, there are many who do not welcome Jesus. The condition in our modern world is much like the Samaritan village that did not welcome Jesus. Different times with similar results. Sadly for those in our world and time, who deliberately chose to disavow the existence of Jesus, or chose to ignore the significance of His sacrifice, or chose to accept His resurrection, there is no happy ending waiting ahead. There is no peaceful resting place at the end of life’s trials. We know this fact from scriptures.  If we turn to Matthew 13:36-43 we see the path of destruction those who turn away are walking. Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. This is a very sobering message to read. And between the Luke 9: 51-56 and Matthew 13:36-43 passages we learn two key points regarding those who do not welcome Jesus and his message. First, the Luke 9 passage reminds us that it is not our place to wish ill will upon those who refuse to accept Christ. Their judgement will come from God. Our place, our job if you will, is to pitch the love of Jesus to the lost. As much as we may want to call fire down from heaven to destroy those who belittle Christ or thumb their nose at God, we are not to judge. Second, the Matthew 13 passage reminds us that weeds sown by satan will be pulled up and burned in the fire. That does not sound like a happy ending. If we love our fellow man as Jesus tells us to, we need to speak the truth of Christ in love and not anger. We can make a difference in this world. Let’s pray for the opportunities.

PRAYER: Lord, we live in a world that turns its’ back on you. We live in a world that vigorously disregards Your commandments and follows its’ own misguided sense of morality. Help us, O God, to share Your love and message. Let Your Holy Spirit fill our words with wisdom and love. Open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf that they might find You. This we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.