Kingdom Building

June 29, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 9:51-62

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. 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?’ But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village. –Luke 9:51-57

I am not sure what the problem was that caused Jesus to be rejected. There was a long-standing feud between the Samaritans and the Jews dating back to the division of Israel and Judah. I think they both claimed a corner on God, at the very least where it was appropriate to worship God. Jews when heading north away from Jerusalem would go out of their way to not enter Samaria. The book of John relates a story where Jesus did travel through Samaria and had an encounter with a woman at a well. He was accepted then and identified as the Messiah. Perhaps the Samaritans rejected him on this trip because the wanted him to be exclusively their Messiah while he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Our world today is similarly affected.

James and John’s over blown response is also akin to our world today. President Trump warned on Tuesday that any attack Iran might carry out “on anything American” would result in the “obliteration” of parts of Iran*. Jesus clearly saw a better way then commanding fire to come down from heaven and consume the Samaritans.

Living together in harmony is not easy. We each perceive the world uniquely and we tend to cluster together in groups whose participant’s worldview are close to our own. Living together in harmony is exactly what Jesus expects us to do. We are called to love one another and to be one. The ability to reach those seemingly unattainable outcomes lies in our first loving God and second allow the Spirit of God bring us to oneness.

Prayer: Lord, help us see the beauty of oneness in your love and guide us to reconciliation. Amen.

*https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/world/middleeast/iran-rouhani-us-sanctions.html

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.