Luke 9:51-58 - Opposition

9:51-56

Jesus was going to be “taken up to heaven”. Although He was going to suffer greatly this was not the end. He would ultimately ascend to the Father. Jesus set out resolutely. He knew what His mission was, and what the result would be, so He was determined. His journey took Him through a Samaritan village. Now Samaritans and Jews did not exactly see eye to eye, and because Jesus was going to Jerusalem the people of the village did not welcome Him. Seeing this reaction, James and John suggested calling down fire from heaven to destroy these ungrateful people. No doubt they were remembering incidents in the life of Elisha (2 Kings 1). Jesus rebuked the disciples, and they went to another village. Today people are all too ready to take offence, Jesus adopts a very different approach. In the last chapter we have seen many natural attitudes challenged by Jesus.

9:57,58

Jesus has given some direct statements on the nature of His mission and the cost of following Him, now His responses to two would be followers sheds more light on the cost of following Him. First He encounters a man who says he will follow Jesus wherever He goes. Jesus responds by warning the man that Jesus has no home on earth. Society tries to fit Jesus into its frame of reference. Sadly, the church all too often tries to make Jesus acceptable to the world. Jesus is not at home in the world, the gospel does not fit neatly into society. Jesus and the gospel offer salvation to all, but they do so by calling people to end their rebellion against God. Jesus and the gospel challenge the world.