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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
We are in Luke Chapter 9 and at verse 51, where Jesus Christ has resolutely and determinedly set His face to go to Jerusalem. In obedience to the Will of the Father - Jesus allows Himself to be crucified - and killed - laying down His Life - knowing this - that His Loving Faithful Father would raise Him up from the grave. No man took His Life from Him. Jesus laid it down.
On His way from the north, to Jerusalem, Jesus has to pass through hostile Samaria. There had been a feud between the Samaritans and the Jews. Jesus sent some messengers on ahead to arrange hospitality for Him, and nobody wanted Jesus. Nobody had room for Jesus.
When God is doing something new - something fresh - sometimes he finds very few open doors - sometimes He discovers that there are not many willing hearts.
Verse 54. James and John were upset at no-one wanting Jesus. Do you know something of that? You have something to say - something to share - something to tell - and you discover no-one wants to hear. Jesus understands that.
James and John want to deal with this situation their way. We can tend to want to deal with things this way too, at times. "Deal with them, Lord."
Why does Jesus permit people to make others suffer? Why does Jesus allow terrorists to roam around doing their ugly cruel work? So many questions.
Sometimes we think that everybody would be clamouring to receive Jesus Christ and all He has to offer - and for free! Into their hearts - into their homes - influencing their lives.
But, as we have experienced, only a few are willing and open and prepared. Only a few want Jesus Christ. These disciples are so upset, that they wanted to command fire down from heaven, and consume these Samaritans. Again, we see how the Bible portrays these disciples of Jesus as being very ordinary - with very human reactions. They react in the very way we tend to react at times.
Jesus has to rebuke them - Jesus has to give them a row - and the Bible does not hide that either.
Jesus realised that they were concerned, that nobody wanted Him in their homes. Yes, it is sore when people do not want you or your friends, and when they will not receive you, and when we see people not wanting Jesus, we can become just as angry.
Sometimes, Jesus has to rebuke us - and take us aside to give us a firm row.
Jesus saw their concern sprang from a wrong spirit. They wanted revenge. They wanted to retaliate. They over-reacted. There was no love in their words. Their love and loyalty to Jesus was being revealed in a wrong misguided way.
It is as if Jesus is saying - "Look, I am more concerned about this reaction of yours, than I am about the Samaritan's reaction and their not wanting Me." Jesus does not agree with their wanting a violent demonstration against what is fundamentally racialism - that is what it is - racialism - and Jesus wanted no violence.
They were being nationalistic, and narrow nationalism has no place of importance and prominence in the Church of Jesus Christ - in the Kingdom of God. (Neither has narrow denominationalism.)
Jesus is saying to them - "Calm down - you attitude is wrong - I have not come to destroy men - but to save men - to forgive men - to heal them - to change men - to set them free from all this. Come on, we'll go to another village."
Jesus Christ has a most wonderful way of calming us down at times when we are on the verge of getting some things so terribly wrong.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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