On The Way With Jesus | Sunday, March 29, 2026

Now it came to pass when the time had come for him to be received up that he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers before his face, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for him. But they did not receive him, because his face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven to consume them, just as Elijah did?" But he turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." (Luke 9:51-56)

Jesus set his face like flint toward Jerusalem—and that determination still upends our expectations and calls us to whole-hearted following.

The Meaning of Palm Sunday

This is a big day in the Christian calendar. Maybe you received a little palm branch turned into a cross on your way in this morning, a reminder of what this day signifies. Palm Sunday is the remembrance and celebration of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the last week before the Passover, when he would be offered up as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.

At the beginning of Christ's ministry, when he was baptized by John, John proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." When Jesus came into Jerusalem and the people cried, "Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," they were effectively hailing him as king, recognizing who he actually was.

The Selection of the Lamb

This day is significant in the Hebrew calendar for another reason. Some 1,400 years before Christ, when Moses went to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let God's people go, it was through ten plagues that Pharaoh finally relented. The last plague was the destroying angel that took the lives of the firstborn sons of Egypt.

The children of Israel were told to select a lamb from their herds on the tenth day of the month of Nisan—this very day in Hebrew culture. The lamb would be inspected over a series of days and then sacrificed at sundown on the fourteenth day. So when Jesus came into Jerusalem, it was like the selecting of the Lamb. He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, coming to fulfill all that the prophets and the law had foreshadowed.

Where the Long March Begins

Today is Palm Sunday, but that's not where we are in our study of Luke. We're still in the ninth chapter—it feels like ten years, but it's only been five weeks. This section still plays into the story of Christ's triumphal entry, because the long march toward Jerusalem begins here in Luke 9, weeks or months before Palm Sunday.

The long path to the cross at Golgotha started on a mountaintop we considered a few weeks ago—likely Mount Hermon at the northern border of Israel. There Jesus took Peter, James, and John to pray, and while he prayed they slept, only to be awoken by the glorious appearing of Christ in the fullness of his glory. Standing with him were Moses, the representative of the law, and Elijah, the representative of the prophets.

It's fascinating that both Moses and Elijah had encountered God on another mountain far to the south—Sinai, also called Horeb. Moses received the law there; Elijah heard the still small voice there. Now they meet with Jesus, and Luke 9:31 tells us they spoke of his "decease," which he would accomplish at Jerusalem. The Greek word for decease is exodus. Moses had once brought Israel their exodus out of Egypt; now Moses and Elijah speak with Jesus about his exodus that he was about to accomplish.

What Happened Was Not an Accident

This is important for us when we remember the horror of Good Friday—a strange name given what took place. What happened on Calvary did not take Jesus by surprise. It's not as though he merely offended the wrong people or upset the wrong crowd, and that led to his death. No—he came to accomplish that task. That is what he is discussing with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the path to that fulfillment begins right there.

From Luke 9 to the crucifixion at the end of Luke 22 is a very long stretch, and at the speed we go, we will probably not get there by Easter. But this whole section is the journey to Jerusalem, and our passage today picks up at verse 51, where Jesus is on his way.

The Hour Has Come

The time had come, the text says, for Jesus to be received up. This is a key turning point in Luke's gospel. The whole point of moving slowly through this passage is that we might meet Jesus more fully and know who he is. He says to his disciples, in effect, "It's time for us to go to Jerusalem." He knew the hour.

"Received up" connects back to the word Moses and Elijah used—his exodus. That idea includes everything in this Passion Week: his triumphal entry, his inspection by the religious leaders, the Last Supper, his betrayal by Judas, the trial, the condemnation, the flogging, the crucifixion, the burial, the resurrection, and the ascension. The time had come for all of it to be accomplished.

The Redemption of Humanity

Why was this taking place? This is the work of the whole redemption of humanity. Every person in this world, whether they believe the Bible or not, recognizes in their soul that the world is not as it ought to be. There is a sense in each of us that things should not be the way they are when we see the brokenness, horror, and sinfulness around us.

When God created everything in Genesis 1, he declared it good—seven times in the opening chapter. But it did not remain that way. Because of the deception of the serpent and the rebellion of man in Genesis 3, sin entered the world, and death through sin spread to all humanity. Just as Israel was in bondage in Egypt, humanity is in bondage under sin and death. To grant us our exodus from that bondage, Christ had to come.

This work was God's plan from the beginning. Revelation 13:8 calls Jesus the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. The law and the prophets spoke of it—that's why Moses and Elijah appear in this passage, looking forward to Jesus.

Set Like Flint

At this point in the gospel, verse 51 tells us, "he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem." In Isaiah 50, written some 700 years before Jesus, the suffering servant is pictured as setting his face like flint toward his task—just before Isaiah 53 describes him being wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, by whose stripes we are healed.

To steadfastly set his face means nothing would deter him. He would not be distracted, discouraged, or dissuaded. Jesus was on a mission. But that steadfastness would provoke issues, as it does in any life. When a person determines to go in one direction and refuses to be turned, it means saying no to many other things—and people generally don't like being told no. We've hated that word since we were two years old.

This brings us to point one: Christ's determination upends the expectations of both sinners and saints. The longer you walk with Jesus, the more you'll see this. There have been more than a few times in my life when God's plan differed from mine. Can I get an amen?

The First Rejection

Because Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, he sent messengers ahead—just as a king or president sends an advance team to prepare the way. This is what John the Baptist did, fulfilling Isaiah 40, going ahead to make the way straight. Jesus sent not only the Twelve but others of his disciples, later identified as the seventy.

Starting in the north, Jesus would travel south through Galilee and into Samaria. His messengers entered a Samaritan village—likely Shechem—but the Samaritans did not receive him, "because his face was set for the journey to Jerusalem."

Many devout Jews avoided Samaria altogether, much as I avoid driving through L.A. The Jews and Samaritans had a bitter enmity going back centuries. The Jews viewed the Samaritans as half-breeds and theological rivals; the Samaritans viewed the Jews as hostile traditionalists. "Samaritan" was even used as a curse word—at one point they hurled it at Jesus.

The Samaritans arose in the eighth century B.C. when Assyria conquered the northern kingdom, whose capital was Samaria. The Assyrian relocation program scattered conquered peoples and brought in foreigners from Syria and Lebanon, intermarrying and diluting the culture. By Jesus' day, the Samaritans were somewhat Jewish—identifying with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Elijah—but they did things differently. The Jews worshiped in Jerusalem on Mount Zion; the Samaritans worshiped near Shechem on Mount Gerizim.

When Jesus Doesn't Meet Our Expectations

This is the region where Jesus earlier met the woman at the well, who asked him essentially, "You Jews worship in Jerusalem and we worship on Gerizim—who's right? If you're the Messiah, fix this." There the people of Shechem welcomed Jesus for a time. But now they refuse him, because he's on his way to Jerusalem rather than staying to vindicate them. His determination challenged their expectations. This marks the first rejection of Christ in the Gospels.

It challenges us too. If you follow Jesus, you will reach a point where he doesn't meet your expectations. John the Baptist experienced this in Luke 7. Like most faithful Jews, John expected a conquering king who would overthrow Rome and exalt Israel above all nations. Then he found himself in prison facing execution, sending word to Jesus: "Are you the Messiah, or should we look for someone else? This is not what I expected." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you if you're not offended with me."

I've had a few conversations with Jesus—we call these prayers—where I let him know, "This is not how you're supposed to do this." Has anyone else done that? Blessed is he who is not offended because of me.

The Sons of Thunder

Greater than the Samaritans' cold response is the fiery disposition of the disciples. James and John ask, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven to consume them, just as Elijah did?" No wonder they're called the sons of thunder.

Notice they assume Jesus will say yes—something in them expected him to say, "Go for it, boys." And notice the reference to Elijah. They had just seen Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. In 2 Kings, Elijah, hiding in Samaria, twice called down fire from heaven on detachments of soldiers sent to arrest him. No doubt James and John had been reminiscing about that story as they passed through Samaria—"Man, that sounds like fun"—and decided to bring the idea to Jesus.

We too will experience rejection walking with Christ. How do we respond? Our flesh inclines toward indignation; when treated poorly, we feel vindicated in our anger. Something in James and John made them think Jesus would validate that. But Christ upends our expectations. Point two: Christ's response to injustice always challenges my natural inclinations. His response to this world reveals who God is and how God acts.

You Do Not Know What Spirit You Are Of

Instead of rebuking the Samaritans or sending fire, Jesus rebuked James and John: "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."

What spirit were they of? Jesus had taught, "Blessed are the peacemakers"—not "blessed are the vindictive incinerators." He had taught, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you." John 3:16 tells us God so loved the world that he gave his only Son; verse 17 adds that God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

What does the Spirit of God look like? Galatians 5 says love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control. Do we see that in "Let's call down fire from heaven on them"? Honestly, that fruit is not naturally descriptive of me either—but I need to be that. By contrast, to murderous men who wanted to destroy him, Jesus said in John 8:44, "You are of your father the devil... he was a murderer from the beginning."

When the desire for vindictive retribution rises up in me—and it does—I have to be careful. There are carnal ways I can justify it as righteous anger at injustice. And you should be angry at injustice; God is angry with sin. But righteous anger is angry for the right reasons and responds in the right way. Calling down fire to destroy people is not the right way. Therefore point three: Christ rebukes the spirit that confuses vindictive zeal with righteousness, especially when he sees it in his followers. As James the Apostle said, the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

The Mission of Jesus

Not only does Jesus rebuke the sons of thunder; he reminds them of his mission: "The Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." Sometimes I need to be reminded of Christ's mission, because the church has a tendency over the centuries to drift from God's mission and do things in Jesus' name that are not his mission.

What is his clearly stated purpose? "I did not come to destroy men's lives. I came to save them." In Luke 19:10, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which is lost." In Mark 10:45, "The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life a ransom for many." In John 10, "The thief comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly."

After reminding them of his mission, they simply went on to another village. This is exactly what Jesus had told his disciples earlier in Luke 9: when you are not received, shake the dust off your feet and move on. You don't have to argue. You will share the gospel with family, coworkers, and neighbors, and some will shut you down. The temptation is to insist, "No, you have to listen to me now." But Jesus says, shake the dust off and move on to the next.

"Lord, I Will Follow You"

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to him, "Lord, I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Then he said to another, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." And Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." And another also said, "Lord, I will follow you, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:57-62)

The context matters. Just before this, in Luke 9:23, Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." He has set his face toward Jerusalem; he knows his exodus awaits.

In that context, someone says, "Lord, I will follow you wherever you go." This is the eager volunteer we're always looking for—the one who says, "Pick me!" We'd want to walk him through the four spiritual laws and lead him in a prayer. But instead of closing the deal, Jesus discourages him: "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Why? For the same reason he told his disciples to deny themselves and take up the cross. He's setting the bar and clarifying the cost. I love that Jesus is brutally honest. Have you ever sat through a timeshare vacation pitch? My wife and I are suckers for them—they spend three hours selling you the awesomeness and three minutes on the cost. Jesus does the opposite; he leads with the cost. It could cost you everything. Point four: Christ is clear and honest because he desires faithful, not fair-weather, followers. And when you are that honest, you will be rejected, or at least not well received.

"Lord, Me First"

To another Jesus said, "Follow me," and the man replied, "Let me first go and bury my father." That seems perfectly reasonable—what heartless person forbids a son's funeral? But read between the lines. In Jewish culture, then and now, burial happens the same day, which suggests this man's father is not yet dead. He's saying, "Let me follow you on my terms."

Zero in on three words: "Lord, me first." Those words don't go together. If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. The call to follow Christ is an all-or-nothing call.

Eleven years ago I had a business idea and pitched it to a venture capitalist. At the end he said, "Great idea—I'd be interested to invest." Then he asked the question I'll never forget: "Are you ready to quit your job and do this one hundred percent?" That challenge is the same thing happening here. Are you all in?

Following Christ does not necessarily mean every believer loses his life, but it does mean saying, "I will put you first." "Lord, me first" simply does not work. Christ is to be first and Lord of all, and when everything else falls beneath him in proper order, our affections are no longer disordered.

Jesus is not teaching that we should despise our families. He is teaching that no earthly relationship, duty, or attachment can be placed above him. This man wanted Christ, but on his own terms or later—he wanted the kingdom without the surrender. The real question is not whether family matters to Christ; it's whether anything in your life has quietly taken the place that belongs to Christ alone. When something takes that place, it is called an idol.

No Looking Back

The third would-be follower says, "Lord, I will follow you, but let me first go bid farewell to those at my house." Again—"Lord, me first." We see this not only twice in the passage but in ourselves all the time. Jesus responds, "No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of heaven."

When my dad taught me to mow the lawn, he wanted straight rows. If you look back at the row you've cut to keep it straight, it will never be straight. You have to fix on a target in the distance. What target did Jesus pick on Mount Hermon? Jerusalem—and nothing would deter him.

This saying reminds me of Lot's wife, who looked back longingly at Sodom as judgment fell and became a pillar of salt. It reminds me of Israel in the wilderness, longing for the leeks and onions of Egypt—"Yes, we were enslaved and our sons were being killed, but the spices were so good." Paul, in Philippians 3, exhorts us to forget what is behind and press on toward what is ahead, to lay hold of the prize for which we are saved.

Point five: Christ exemplifies and calls us to a determined resolution. He does not call us to anything he himself was not fully focused upon. He's not talking down from the grandeur of heaven; he's down in the muck and mire, his face set toward Jerusalem. He knew the rejection, the trial, the suffering, the death—and nothing discouraged him. He calls us along the way to join him.

God Works in You

There is no place in the call of Christ for half-hearted followers. And I'll be honest—I wrestle with that, because I know me. Sometimes in the quietness of my own heart I wonder, "Lord, am I fully given over to you, or am I a half-hearted follower?" I don't always fully know.

I was wrestling with that even this week while preparing this message, urging you to be fully committed while knowing my own heart can be divided. Then I was reminded of my favorite passage: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure." I want to do what God wants, but I fall short so frequently—and God says, "I'll work in you to will and to do my good pleasure."

So who's working, God or me? The answer is yes. "O Lord, work in me to will and to do your good pleasure"—that's my prayer, and I hope you'll make it yours. Jeremiah said the heart of man is desperately wicked; who can know it? I don't always know the brokenness of my own heart, but I can say, "God, would you work in me?" That is something God can work with.

Consider Peter, who said, "Though everyone deny you, I will die with you," and then denied Jesus three times before the sun came up and wept bitterly. After that, Jesus graciously restored him. And how did Peter ultimately die? Crucified upside down in Rome, saying he was not worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. How could he do that? God worked in him to will and to do his good pleasure.

The Lord will probably not call you to be crucified—thank you, Jesus. But he does say, "Consider the cost, take up your cross, and come follow me daily." Lord, help us.

Closing Prayer

God, thank you for this passage of Scripture. Help us not only to understand its details but to apply it in our lives. Work in us today and this week to will and to do your good pleasure. Show yourself mighty in our lives and on our behalf, and help us learn to trust in and rely upon you fully and completely. Jesus, thank you that you are so gracious and so good toward us. Would you help us to rely completely upon your grace? We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, amen.