51 When the time was coming near for Jesus to depart, he was determined to go to Jerusalem. 52 He sent some messengers ahead of him, who went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for him. 53 But the people there would not welcome him, because he was set on going to Jerusalem. 54 When James and John, followers of Jesus, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and destroy those people?”
55 But Jesus turned and scolded them. [And Jesus said, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. 56 The Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of people but to save them.”] Then they went to another town.
Read Luke 9:51-56 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
In today’s journal entry, we find two disciples, James and John, being offended that the people of a town would be inhospitable towards Jesus – and them. In what might appear to be an emotionally-charged overreaction on their part leads to what our fascinating truth for this passage is.
Our big idea for this passage comes from Jesus’ response: “The Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of people but to save them.” (v. 56) Some Bible scholars will be quick to point out that not all the manuscripts have this sentence included, however, regardless of whether these were the words Jesus used or not, we all agree that Jesus did scold them for their suggestion.
What really makes this idea stand out to me is when we place this concept alongside our actions, both individually and as a collective group.
- How often are Christians portrayed in the media as people who discriminate or belittle others?
- Have you ever heard a Christian talk negatively about someone, regardless of the circumstances/context?
- Do we ever catch ourselves with an “us vs. them” attitude?
These actions are all actions that push others down, but in this passage, we read Jesus’ scolding His followers who exhibit this attitude and instead remind them that He came to save people; He didn’t come to destroy them.
If you have ever found yourself putting someone else down, and you call yourself a Christ-follower, it might be worth stepping back and asking yourself if you are being more like James and John or more like Jesus.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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