Luke 9:49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them.56 And they went on to another village.
As Jesus led the way for His followers toward Jerusalem, they kept looking at things with what they considered to be a "spiritual eye." They saw others doing good as competition, and the nonreceptive as hopeless. Both they thought to be good only for elimination. We often do the same: we give up on people, write them off, and act as if it would be better off if they were dead. Those who are do good, but not in Jesus name have a point of contact we can use to engage them with the Gospel, and those Samaritans we consider enemies, may just be receptive the next time we come to meet them. Jesus' way was to press on, not give up, not lose hope, and do the hard thing: set His face to the glorious, though difficult, calling of serving His Father in heaven. May we have that same perspective. May we be found lovingly faithful.
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