Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Luke 9:51-56

For the sake of the salvation of people from every tribe, language and nations, Jesus “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (v.51). The older translations of this verse are more direct and capture the original image of the author with these words, “He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem” (KJV). This was the moment Jesus began the final phase of His very deliberate journey to willingly lay down His life on the Cross (See John 10:17-18).

Although it was not necessary for Jesus to pass through Samaria to get to Jerusalem (and in fact it was the route avoided by most Jews precisely because of the animosity between Jews and Samaritans) Jesus chose to pass that way. It seems that this was a deliberate continuation of His emphasis on reaching out to all peoples with Gospel grace.

If only the disciples who went ahead of Him to prepare the way had shared His heart. Instead, when a Samaritan village would not receive Jesus because they realised He was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover, James and John arrogantly asked for Jesus’ authority to “call fire down from heaven to destroy them.” But Jesus sternly rebuked them.

Although the NIV and other modern versions exclude the following sentence because it is not found in the older manuscripts of Luke’s Gospel, the KJV and other translations of the Bible which were completed before the discovery of these older manuscripts include an explanatory sentence which is very helpful in understanding the rationale for Jesus’ rebuke: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” (v.55b-56a) The spirit of judgmental condemnation is not the Spirit of Jesus. Jesus came to save and not to condemn (John 3:17). Jesus came to rescue the Samaritans from the fire of God’s wrath (along with the Jews), and not to call it down ahead of time.

Today we pray that the LORD would grant us the Spirit of Jesus, by which to overcome all desire to see others judged and condemned, and to awaken in us a deep desire to see every human being turn away from sin and embrace the Saviour Jesus and His offer of salvation and transformation! Amen!