Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20090624.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Luke: Jesus, The Son Of Man For All Mankind
Part XXXV: Christ's Identity As The World's Savior By His Sharp Ministry Focus
(Luke 9:51-62)
  1. Introduction
    1. If Jesus is God's true Savior of the world, and if His work of salvation included going to the cross, we should expect Him to have shown a high degree of focus on that greatest of all assignments in history!
    2. Well, Luke 9:51-62 reveals the very sharp focus Jesus had that supplies a rich application for us as well:
  2. Christ's Identity As The World's Savior By His Sharp Ministry Focus, Luke 9:51-62.
    1. Luke 9:51 opens the section of Luke 9:51-62 that presents Jesus as resolutely setting His face to go to Jerusalem to fulfill His assignment of going to the cross before ascending up to heaven.
    2. Luke 9:52-62 thus details four ways Jesus was sharply focused on performing His assignment:
      1. Jesus revealed a sharp focus on God's assignment for Him over all other divine callings, Luke 9:51-56:
        1. While the Lord headed south toward Jerusalem, he sent His disciples into a village of the Samaritans to prepare them for His arrival that He might minister unto them, Luke 9:51-52.
        2. Yet, the Samaritans did not receive Jesus, for He was headed for Jerusalem, and centuries of strife between Samaritans and Jews led them to reject Him, Luke 9:53; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 232.
        3. James and John then asked Jesus if they should call fire to come down from heaven to consume these Samaritans, Luke 9:54. [The KJV phrase "even as Elijah did" is not in the earliest and most credible manuscripts, Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Com. on the Greek N. T., 1971, p. 148.
        4. Jesus turned and rebuked them, so they went to another village, Luke 9:55a, 56b. [The last half of verse 55 KJV and the first part of verse 56 KJV are not in the earliest and best manuscripts, Ibid.]
        5. Clearly then, Jesus was not occupied with judging sinners in His first coming as He will be in His Second Coming, but on going to the cross in the Father's will, Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T. !
      2. Jesus revealed a sharp focus on God's assignment for Him over all earthly possessions, Luke 9:57-58:
        1. When a man saw Jesus going to Jerusalem, he promised to follow Him wherever He went, Lk. 9:57.
        2. Jesus replied that foxes had holes and birds their nests, but He had nowhere to lay his head (Luke 9:58), that He and His followers needed to focus on God's assignment over all earthly possessions.
      3. Jesus revealed a sharp focus on God's assignment for Him over all other callings of men, Lk. 9:59-60:
        1. As He was traveling, Jesus called another man he had met to follow Him, Luke 9:59a.
        2. The man replied that he needed to bury his father before following Jesus, a reference to caring for his father who was near death as a priority to heeding the Lord's calling, Luke 9:59b; Ibid.
        3. Jesus replied that the unsaved ("the [spiritually] dead") should bury the (physically) dead, but that those of His disciples who followed Him like He followed the Father's will were to put the assignment of God ahead of all other earthly human callings, Luke 9:60; Ibid.
      4. Jesus revealed a sharp focus on God's assignment for Him over all earthly relationships, Luke 9:61-62:
        1. Another man offered to follow Jesus if he, as in Old Testament Elishah's case who was called to his ministry as he was plowing, could first bid farewell to his household, Luke 9:61; 1 Kings 19:19-21.
        2. Jesus picked up on the theme of a plowman implied in the man's reference to Elishah as a plowman, noting that a good plowman did not put his hand to the plow of God's ministry only to look back, making him unfit for the Kingdom of God, Luke 9:62!
        3. This statement reveals that following Jesus' call in relation to His Kingdom assignment takes a more immediate, fuller commitment than what even Old Testament Elishah was allowed when he was called to his Old Testament era prophetic ministry, Ibid., p. 232-233!
Lesson: Jesus is God's true Savior as He was sharply focused on heeding the Father's will of going to the cross above all other callings, possessions and relationships.

Application: (1) May we like Christ as His disciples put the Father's assignment for us above all other callings, possessions and relationships. (2) May we then be careful to commit ourselves to the truly Biblical assignment God has for us that we not vainly perform some human-authored idea of ministry!