1. Today is the last Sunday of the month. Liturgically, it is the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the Gospel (Luke 9:51-62), Jesus is walking. The Lord is moving. He is heading towards Jerusalem.
The question is, why Jerusalem? What is so special about Jerusalem? Why not Galilee, Judea, etc?
The point of Jerusalem is on account of Jesus’s passion: suffering, death & resurrection.
This act of Jesus is an expression of His love for humanity. As God, Jesus could have refused this way, but such was never the case. The love shown by Jesus should be our love for humanity.
2. Jesus sends some people to prepare for His coming. That is, there is an advanced party. This action of Jesus is indicative of two points:
• Prepare before you engage in the activity. Don’t take things for granted.
• These messengers said yes to Jesus. They did as instructed. It was not what they wanted, but what the Lord wanted.
Today, this same Jesus is sending you. He is sending you to tell the world that He is coming. That He will come to judge the living & the dead. To do this, these are important:
• Be attentive
• Don’t seek to please human beings, but God
• Don’t expect everybody to accept the message.
3. Strangely, the Samaritans would not allow Jesus to pass through their town to Jerusalem. This should be serious.
Why this attitude? Did Jesus cause confusion in Samaria in the past? Were the disciples of Jesus troublesome men? Did the Samaritans hate Jesus?
The fact is that there was a rejection. This is the reason for the rejection:
Biblically, Israel is one nation. In the course of history, this single nation was divided into two: the Northern Kingdom & the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom was known as Israel with Samaria as the capital. The Southern Kingdom was known as Judah with Jerusalem as the capital.
The Northerners married people other than the Southerners & also engaged in abominable acts. Now, when the Southerners saw what the Northerners had done, they hated them. Thus, those in the North hated those in the South & vice versa. This animosity led to the Southerners saying “whoever eats the bread of a Samaritan (Northerner) touches the flesh of a pig.”
The reason for the Samaritans’ unfriendly reaction is obviously from the above. The Northerners would want to have nothing to do with the Southerners & vice versa.
Sadly, this is what is happening in some parts of Ghana. The situation is that some people from some places wouldn’t want to associate with others, some wouldn’t want to marry from other places, etc.
Today, let us learn from this experience. Let us do away with the division. Let us live together, let us be one, etc.
4. By not letting Jesus pass through their town, the Samaritans sacked Jesus. They rejected the Word of God. They drove Jesus from their community.
Today (26-6-2022), this same Jesus is standing in front of your heart. He wants to visit you. He is knocking. He wants to live with you. He wants to bless you.
The Samaritans could have said yes to Jesus, but they said no. What would be your response to Jesus’s invitation?
5. This action of the Samaritans infuriated the sons of Zebedee (James & John). They were angry, they were filled with rage. In their state of anger, they wanted to kill the Samaritans by calling fire from heaven to destroy them. This is indicative of three points:
• You will be angry @ some moments in life
• Watch your reaction when you are angry. It isn’t the anger, but what you do when you are angry. To save yourself, do nothing, say nothing & take nothing when you are angry. Just a second of patience will save you & the person(s) who have made you angry.
• Two wrongs do not make something right.
5. Jesus rebuked the sons of Zebedee. He corrected them. He didn’t look unconcerned. The Lord wasn’t in favor of their intended deeds.
What is the point? Be like Jesus today in correcting people. Correct with love. How you correct people would lead to their acceptance of the correction.
Again, the sons of Zebedee accepted corrections in good faith. They didn’t harden their hearts but did acknowledge their faults. Be like these men. Accept corrections. Learn from your mistakes. If you don’t want to be corrected, make no mistake; if you make mistakes, accept corrections.
It is well…..