PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

That truth has been inscribed into our heart and into the heart of every human being, there to be read and reverenced, thanks be to you, O God.

That there are ways of seeing and sensitivities of knowing hidden deep in the palace of the soul, waiting to be discovered, ready to be set free, thanks be to you.

Open our senses to wisdom’s inner promptings that we may give voice to what we hear in our soul and be changed for the healing of the world, that we may listen for truth in every living soul and be changed for the well-being of the world.

–       JP Newell, “Sounds of the Eternal:  A Celtic Psalter”

Luke 9:51-62

A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus

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. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53 but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.54 When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then they went on to another village.

Would-Be Followers of Jesus

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 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.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Our gospel lesson in Luke this week finds Jesus at a turning point, he is setting his eyes

towards the journey to Jerusalem. As we’ve discussed in the past, Jerusalem is the

center of Jewish religious life, it has the rebuilt temple, it is the focal point of Jewish life,

it is where God dwells on earth symbolically. Jesus has been teaching, preaching, and

loving folks from all different walks of life. He has been healing and restoring to

community those on the margins of society. He has also challenged the religious-political

structures of that time to be model better the type of community that God intended:

inclusive, loving, restorative, and built upon the notion of God’s dwelling being made

with all of humanity. Jesus modeled this by being a rabbi, someone on the “in” of Jewish

culture, going out to those on the outside, building genuine, authentic friendships with no

strings attached, but loving them towards restoration and bringing folks back “in” to

community with others.

In the Luke narrative, the late theologian Gordon Fee says that Jesus is “the coming of

salvation in all of its fullness to all people.” No one is left out, humanity, as the Jesuit

theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin says is the body of Christ that Jesus came to restore

in the 2nd “big bang” of history…and in that 2nd big bang, we have a deepening of awareness that we cannot continue to scapegoat our issues on to others, but to have agency and to let God emerge within and around us.  That starts with intention and “setting the course” towards a growth.  

So, Jesus is now “set” to move towards the center of Jewish thought at Jerusalem, putting

into another phase of God’s purposes of planting the seed that changes everything. This

is the Christ Project, working all of humanity towards wholistic restoration of

relationships with ourselves, others, and God.

And, Jesus is determined to get to Jerusalem. He sets out in a direct route that takes him

towards Jerusalem. In takes him through Samaria. This is an area that is populated by

folks who have have a mix of Jewish and Gentile (non-Jewish) lineage both religiously

and literally as they have intermarried. Because they are considered impure to devout

Jews that considered Jerusalem their center, and because Samaritans had a different view

of where God dwelt, they had built temples on the borders of Samaria suggesting that God dwelt throughout the land, they were looked down upon by devout Jews and Samaritans didn’t want to have to do with Jerusalem,

because of their being rejected.

So, when Jesus sends messengers to prepare the way for his journey through Samaria, his

messengers are rejected and the Samaritans, folks who Jesus actually was trying to

befriend, reject Jesus because his “face was set for Jerusalem”…in other words, they

weren’t rejecting Jesus personally, but his intent to go to Jerusalem. Yet, the disciples

were upset, James and John especially, and asked if they could ask for “fire to come

down from Heaven” and destroy Samaria.

It seems as if James and John had not quite received the message that Jesus was sharing

yet, actually, they didn’t until after Jesus’ death and resurrection, it’s certainly safe to say

that they were working in an old paradigm of viewing Samaritans, looking down upon

them rather then opening up to them, and they also didn’t like rejection. They still had some small “e” ego.  There were drawn to the aspect of power and glory that Jesus presented, they liked the notoriety of the flash of Jesus’ message, the hearings, the miracles, but they were missing the power of rejection and of humility.

We all face rejection, but how we deal it is important. If we are set on something bigger

than our small “s” selves, then rejection can simply be a moment of growth for us, and for those doing the rejecting. If we take rejection in stride and move forward, we grow. If we reject others out of pride or contempt or a lack of self and others awareness, it can lead us towards bitterness, discontent, and we miss out on relationships and God’s blessings. God’s flow, God’s Spirit will always find a way to move towards growing something within us and in the communities that we find our being in our capital “s” Self. When we are faced with obstacles, instead of reacting to them with power plays or with pride, if we let love flow in and through us, we can see that rejection or barriers will simply add some narrative or contour to a greater story and will not stop us on our journey.

That’s what happens in this story about Jesus. Jesus rebukes the disciples, in some

ancient manuscripts, there is even an extra line in verse 56 that says this: “You do not

know what spirit you are of, 56 for the Son of Man has not come to destroy the lives of

human beings but to save them.” Jesus is for us, Jesus is for humanity, and Jesus is set on

his journey to Jerusalem to change the course of history towards a trajectory of love that

always wins out. And, Jesus wants us to live in his spirit and do the same.

It’s also important to note that even though the Samaritans didn’t get it, had pride and

couldn’t see beyond their contempt for the Jews, that there are stories in the bible that

show Jesus’ love and commitment towards the Samaritans, even befriended them. The

same thing with the disciples, they didn’t get it, even put up roadblocks and made Jesus’

life and message a bit difficult. Yet, Jesus chose them and they chose Jesus to be on the

journey together in ministry and literally towards Jerusalem.6

I have been reminded these past weeks at how important it is to be on a journey together

with folks…folks that sometimes are there for you, and sometimes not, yet the intent is to

be together and to be set towards a goal. A few years ago, I climbed Mt. Whitney with

some friends from seminary…friends from the UK, Latvia, Alaska, and even Indiana!

When we climbed Mt. Whitney, Andy was there for me in many ways…all of us would

encourage each other as we climbed. That bond continues on in many ways. I’ve had

other journey companions who’ve trained for marathons, friends who have conspired to

get some good things going in our neighborhoods and churches.  And, others who have co-created with me so many good things.

I can point to others who have been there for me…not perfect folks, actually, all of us a

mess at times….there have been difficult moments in those friendships… But, still, there

has been a flow, a bond, some would even say a covenant or a promise of friendship.

These journey companions have caused me to be set on certain goals that are all about

seeing God’s Presence within me and all around me as we have “set a course” together.  And, I’ve found that the best journey partner that I can have is the divine within me and all around me…or my True Self which allows me to see my other journey partners truly as friends.  

Jesus calls all of us into these types of relationships, as we journey together, we realize

that we are dependent on each other in this new community that Jesus is calling us

towards. It takes priority over all sorts of other tasks. We can’t be bogged down by how

we’ve always done things or even understood things, there are too many people in this

world that need the system changed in a way that Jesus lived out. Jesus says to follow

him and his way, to let the dead bury their own dead, to not make excuses of why we

can’t follow, to not delay, to not try to build up some idea of power or some sort of

kingdom that is not for the common good, but to not look back and to look forward towards building the new reality of God’s Presence that builds us up, builds bridges between us, and tears down walls that have been built up both literally and figuratively. May we live lives that set the course for the journey God’s called us on.