June 26, 2022
Hope Lutheran Church
Luke 9:51-62
Not Part of Jesus’ Agenda
Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.
In 1845 Sir John Franklin set off with two ships from England. They were in search of the Northwest Passage across the western hemisphere. Unfortunately, upon reaching Canada, his two ships became locked in ice. They remained ice bound for over a year. Eventually, Franklin died and his crew had to abandon their ships and make for land. They were never heard from again.
But they were not forgotten. England sent several expeditions to recover Franklin or to find some trace of his ships. One of those expeditions included the HMS Resolute.
The Resolute was originally called the Ptarmigan. But when it had been outfitted for this Franklin mission, it was rechristened the Resolute. The name reflected its mission. Resolute means purposeful, determined, unwavering. The men on board the Resolute were determined and unwavering towards their mission into a hostile territory.
Eventually, the Resolute also found itself icebound in the Davis Strait. Its captain and his crew were forced to abandon the ship and move to another ship in the party.
The lonely Resolute remained ice bound until the next year. It was found by a whaling ship from the United States. The captain rescued the Resolute and sailed it home to the US. After repairing it, the US government returned the Resolute to England as a goodwill gesture.
Eventually the ship was decommissioned. Queen Victoria ordered that a piece of furniture be crafted from its heavy oak timbers. A stately desk was made. That desk was then presented as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes. It was a gesture of thanks to the US for having rescued and returned the ship. The Resolute Desk remains in the Oval Office of our White House.
Resolute: purposeful, determined, unwavering.
The word resolute is frequently used in translating today’s text. The New International Version states, “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” As Jesus sets his face towards Jerusalem, he does so resolutely: he looks to Jerusalem purposefully, determined, unwavering.
This verse, Luke chapter nine, verse 51, marks the turning point in Luke’s gospel. Prior to this, Jesus’ ministry has centered in Galilee. He’s gone about preaching and teaching throughout the cities; he’s healed the sick. But with this verse, Jesus’ agenda shifts. Now he’s focused on what is to come, what will go down in Jerusalem.
Jesus has reached the final leg of his mission. It’s like a mountain climber who’s reached the last base camp before making the final ascent to the top of Mt. Everest. He shifts all of his focus upon the great final feat of his destiny: his death on the cross. Jesus fixes his gaze resolutely upon his ultimate goal: he is destined to become the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is to be the great reconciling instrument who will return all things to the Father. His Everest is the cross. He is resolutely fixed upon it.
As Jesus and his disciples pass through Samaria, the Samaritan people can sense he’s focused on Jerusalem. There’s bad blood between Samaria and Jerusalem. If Jesus is intent on Jerusalem, the Samaritans interpreted that that as a snub.
The Samaritans thought that Jesus regarded them as inferior because his gaze was set on Jerusalem. But that wasn’t it, not at all! They were part of his agenda. They were integrally a part of his plan. They held a dear place within his sweeping actions of divine reconciliation. They are part of this world God so loves. Jesus is going to Jerusalem for their behalf as well. But as he passes through their town, they don’t understand that his gaze is fixed on them, too. They don’t get it, and the disciples don’t get it, either.
We catch glimpse of the level of animosity between Samaritans and Jews by the response of James and John. They leap right to the nuclear option. “Lord, do you want us to command fire from heaven to consume them?”
Jesus had instructed his disciples on what to do if they were rejected by a city. They should simply shake the dust from their sandals and move on. But there’s none of that. James and John escalate the matter as far as you can go – straight to utter destruction! Their response reveals the level of extreme hatred between these two groups of people.
Their response is quite shocking. Jesus’ whole mission has been one of mercy. He’s gone out of his way to reach out to marginalized people: tax collectors, prostitutes, the sick, the insane, and also foreigners. Didn’t any of this rub off on his disciples? How is it that James and John can leapfrog all the way from mercy to utter destruction?
St. Paul instructed us, “Work out your faith with fear and trembling.” Sage words. Our human nature can lead us into assuming that we are one with God’s will. We perfectly know what God wants! We can discriminate the judgments of the Almighty! Paul urges us, “Think twice about that. Don’t assume. Work out your conclusions with fear and trembling.” Where are our blind spots? Where is our vision clouded by preconceived notions, by prejudices, by outright hatred?
When the Samaritans spurned Jesus, James and John could feel the bile rising in that back of their throats. How could these wayward Samaritans show such disrespect to God’s holy servant? This man is the Messiah! Surely, God was as equally enraged as they were.
Who does God hate? James and John assumed they knew. Who does God hate? Do we make assumptions, too?
Jesus has set his face resolutely towards Jerusalem. He was so determined and unwavering towards his goal that the Samaritans felt slighted by him. But something causes Jesus to shift his gaze and turn around. It’s the request of James and John. Luke tells us that Jesus turns around. He turns around, away from Jerusalem, and he rebukes them.
Their request is so starkly removed from his agenda that he simply has to turn around and speak to it. Consider: on the one hand, you have Jesus who’s on his way to Jerusalem – resolutely. It fills every fiber of his being. He’s going to Jerusalem so that he can be crucified. He’s going there to fulfill his destiny as the Lamb of God. In his supreme act of sacrificial love, Jesus will assume all of the sin of the world. He’s not just going to take away the sin of Israel; he’s taking on the sin of the WORLD. And that includes Samaria.
That’s the one hand. And then on the other hand, you have James and John. They’re focused on hate and divine retribution. They don’t want salvation and reconciliation. They want destruction. Their focus is so far removed from Jesus’ agenda that he simply has to turn around and address it. Their agenda is incompatible with Jesus’ goal. Jesus is resolutely focused on divine mercy and salvation, and he wants this to be the focus of his church, too. His agenda is to be our agenda.
Jesus wants his church to follow in his way. Jesus wants for his church to keep our eyes just as resolutely fixed upon his ultimate agenda: the reconciliation of the world into the abundance of God’s healing and eternal love.
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, we pray for your tremendous love to fill us, fill us to overflowing. As we follow you in our own living, we desire for your divine, inclusive agenda to shape our thinking. And day by day, as we more perfectly align our focus with his, we pray to be transformed more fully into the instruments of your reconciling love. Amen.
