20260315 Luke 9:51-10:24 The Mission of Jesus

 Luke 9:51 marks a shift in the narrative of Luke's Gospel with the phrase, “He set his face to go to Jerusalem.” In the three synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, a similar shift occurs. The Gospel writers begin by presenting the person and works of Jesus, but once Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus turns the attention to his death in Jerusalem.

After this shift, Luke's Gospel is different from Matthew and Mark. The transition from Galilee to Jerusalem takes one chapter in Mark and two chapters in Matthew, but 11 chapters in Luke. Luke 9:51-19:27 is called Luke’s Travel Narrative. It includes all the famous stories that do not occur in the other Gospels. They include the Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, Lazarus and the Rich Man, The Persistent Widow, and The Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the Temple. With this extra material, Luke turns Jesus' journey to Jerusalem into a discipleship manual. Luke's Travel Narrative teaches us about living as a follower of Jesus, the nature of the Kingdom of God, and Jesus’ ultimate mission of salvation.

This section begins with teachings on the Mission of Jesus in three accounts. In Luke 9:51-56, a Samaritan Village Rejects Jesus. In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus teaches on the cost of following him. In Luke 10:1-24, 72 of Jesus' followers are sent to be part of Jesus' mission. We will cover the content of these sections under three titles: The Resolve of the Mission, the Rejection of the Mission, and the Reward of the Mission.

Luke 9:51, 57-62, 10:1-12 Resolve of the Mission

Christians must be determined to participate in God's mission. We see this resolve in Luke 9:51, 57-62, 10:1-12.

Luke 9:51, 57-62, 10:1-12

First, we see Jesus’ resolve in Luke 9:51. In Luke 9:51, Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Earlier in the gospel, Jesus spoke of his death and Exodus that would take place in Jerusalem. He is now resolved to head to Jerusalem to accomplish his mission.

Second, Luke 9:57-62 is about the Disciple’s resolve for missions with The Cost of Following Jesus. In the same way Jesus is resolved, Christians must be resolved. Luke 9:57-62 teaches our priority must be to follow Jesus. Jesus teaches that his disciples do not have a place to lay their head, they do not attend their father’s burial nor do they say “farewell” to family. These illustrations all seem extreme. The point is clear. Jesus teaches we must be fully devoted to him.

Third, we learn of the revolve of Missions in Luke 10:1-12 as Jesus sends the 72 out. Jesus tells them to pray earnestly for more workers because the harvest is plentiful but workers are few (Luke 10:2). In Luke 10:4, Jesus stresses the urgency of the mission when instructs them to carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. The mission is so urgent that they should not be concerned with the normal affairs of life. Ministry is their priority.

In Luke 10:9, we learn about the urgent message of Christian missions which is “The Kingdom of God has come near.” This is the mission, declaring the good news of God's saving reign. With his Gospel, Luke gives us an example of declaring the arrival of the kingdom. Luke describes Christ's reign over nature by calming the storm, over demonic forces by casting out demons, over sickness by healing, and even over death showing that he has the authority to forgive sins. The goal of missions to point to show that God's kingdom has arrived by our words and our deeds, that people would repent from their sins, believe, and enjoy eternal life.

Jesus was resolved to head to Jerusalem, and his disciples must also be resolved on their urgent mission to announce the nearness of the Kingdom of God.

Application: This resolve for missions must continue today.

I want to suggest three applications from this first teaching – first All Christians are sent on a mission for God, second, The Church practices God’s mission, and third we must travel light to focus on our Mission.

First, All Christians are sent on a Mission for and with God.

Some of Jesus' language is intimidating. Most of us will have a place to lay our heads at night. We will attend our parents' funerals. We will bid our families, farewell. A danger is to dismiss hyperbolic language and ignore Jesus' point completely. Jesus is telling all of us we must follow him at all costs.

Our mission is the same as the disciples'. We want to show the nearness of the Kingdom of God. We demonstrate God's reign in our lives as we repent from our sins and invite others to do likewise. Missions is inviting people into the joy of having a relationship with God.

Some will go great distances while others will never leave the village, they grew up in. It will look different for everyone. We want to be intentional about the life we live in light of what Jesus has done and calls us to do.

In Brussels, there is a Bible Institute. It has a one-year curriculum that is often done by young adults between high school and university. Many do this before studying something else and working in another field. This program equips young men and women to be active members of their churches and teaches them to share the gospel well. This is one-way young people can respond to the urgency of missions. We all want to be a people intentional about living for Jesus in our families, schools, jobs, friendships…

The Church is on a Mission with God

Being a Christian means we belong to God's church. Nearly every aspect of the Christian life is communal. So, it is with missions. We do it together as a church. Churches are mission organizations. We are a people who declare and demonstrate Christ's saving reign. If no Christians were active in the church, it would harm missions. The goal of missions is that the worship of God would increase. When the church worships, we practice the goal of missions. Teaching is part of missions. We take we learn in church out in the world with us. It affect how we act and relate to others. Worship, discipleship, teaching, deep friendships in the church, and sending money to start new churches are all parts, indirectly and directly of missions. In being involved in the church, we all participate in missions as we long to see more people come to saving faith in Christ.

Hope has existed for 3 years. That’s around a 150 Sundays. If there are 3 visitors per Sunday that’s 450 in 3 years. If there are 6 that’s 900. If we include the 150 ish regulars, just being part of Hope, you have been part of a process that has allowed 1000 people to hear the gospel I wonder how many for the first time?

We travel light to focus on our mission with God

In John Mark Comer's book, "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry" he asks his reader to count the true costs of a new purchase. He gives the example of a motorcycle. Beyond the ticket price, there are monthly and maintenance costs. Beyond finances, there is a cost of time. A motorcycle can help us enjoy God and his world. It might also distract us from other things that really matter. We can say the same about many things - like having a social media account, having a subscription to sport channels, owning a pet or being involved in other activities. None of these things are bad, but the way they consume our time could be. We probably all have some distractions we need to get rid of. And we will probably have to revisit the practice of ridding ourselves of distractions every few months to travel more lightly. Again, none of the things I mentioned are bad. They can all be enjoyed by Christians, provided they do not distract us from Jesus, our priority. We must travel light to prioritize Jesus in our lives.

Luke 9:53-55; 10:10-16 Rejection of the Mission

Rejection is a theme closely tied to God's mission. There are three phases to Jesus' ministry in Luke’s Gospel:

the Galilean ministry, the journey to Jerusalem, and Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem. He will know rejection in all three. He is rejected in his hometown. He is rejected by the Samaritans. He will be rejected in Jerusalem. Jesus warns his disciples that they too will be rejected.

Luke 9:53-55; 10:10-16

Jesus is rejected in Luke 9:53-55 by the Samaritans

According to Luke 9:53, Samaritans rejected Jesus because his face was set toward Jerusalem. Luke 9:54-55 reports the disciples' reaction to their rejection. They want to see them judged right then and there, but Jesus rebuked them.

In Luke 10:10-16, Jesus teaches about responding to rejection.

In the instruction to the 72 on Missions, Jesus teaches his disciples to expect rejection, to move on from rejection, and of the great danger of rejecting missions.

In Luke 10:10-12, Jesus instructs his disciples to move on following rejection. He tells the disciples to leave that town and to wipe the dust of their feet. This act symbolically shows a town’s condemnation to the point that the disciples will have no part in it, including taking its dust with them.

Jesus confirms this condemnation in Luke 10:12, he says, “It will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.” In bringing up Sodom, Jesus warns of the judgment to come for those who reject him. Jesus came to save sinners from the judgment to come because of sins. Those who reject Jesus are liable to this judgment.

Luke 10:13-16 offers more judgment language with the warning of being brought down to Hades. Hades is the land of the dead. Those who reject God will be separate from God for eternity. Jesus teaches that Rejecting the message of those on Jesus’ mission is rejecting Jesus and rejecting the Father who sent him. This is the great danger of rejecting Christian missions, it is rejecting God.

Application

Be Prepared for Rejection

There is still rejection of the gospel today. There are wrong ways for Christians to respond to rejection and right ways to respond.

The wrong reactions to rejection

Members of a “Christian” Nationalist group wrote letters to professors at a university in Colorado, USA. The letters had the image of a skull and a crossbones and the following threat: “Every true Christian should be ready and willing to take up arms to kill the enemies of Christian society.” This is not how we treat people who reject Christ. The Samaritans rejected Jesus did not want to judge them immediately.

2 Pet 3:9 tells us that God is patient in bringing judgment so that more people can come to know him. Following his rejection by the Samaritans in Luke 9, in Acts 1:8, Jesus tells his disciples to be his witnesses in Samaria. We see that in Acts 8, people from Samaria respond positively to the message. We are in an amazing time in redemptive history where Jesus says, he came to save and not judge (John 3:17). We need to be patient with those who reject, like the Samaritans, they may respond later.

The right reactions to rejection

Jesus modeled how to respond to rejection. Instead of anger at rejection, Jesus wept over Jerusalem in Luke 19:41-44. We need to invite people to believe in Jesus and repent from their sins. It will be misunderstood as intolerant, or dogmatic, or controlling. The risk of being misunderstood does not remove our responsibility. We must declare in love that Jesus came to save sinners from judgment. This kind of teaching will lead to rejection. It may seem narrow but Jesus is a narrow door who opens up a vast field of blessings for those who find life in him through faith and repentance. Sharing this message remains the loving thing to do. We must accept rejections and continue to minister and offer our message of forgiveness.

Luke 10:17-24 Reward of Missions.

We could expect that focusing on results would be the reward of mission, but Jesus wants us to focus on him and knowing him alone, since the successful results of missions are already guaranteed.

Luke 10:17-24

First, Luke 10:17-20 stresses the reward of knowing Jesus.

In Luke 10:17, after returning from their mission, the disciples rejoice in their authority to overcome demons in the name of Jesus. Jesus reorients their joy. He tells them that the success of missions is guaranteed. In Luke 10:18, Jesus tells them that he saw Satan fall from heaven. Satan was the one who accused us in the heavenly throne room. His fall from heaven implies that people are being freed from Satan’s bondage so that they will respond to the gospel message. He tells them to rejoice that they are registered among the saved in the Book of Life. The book of Life refers to the great census of God where the blessed will be named. True and eternal life with the everlasting God is the essence of blessing. Eternal life is believe in Jesus.

Second, Luke 10:21-22 again stresses the importance of knowing Jesus.

In Luke 10:21-22, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, thanking the Father for allowing people to know the Father through the Son. Missions is for a people who know the Father through the Son. The goal of missions is that more people would know the Father through the Son. In John 17:3, Jesus calls this eternal life, knowing God and knowing Jesus. It is not an intellectual knowledge but a gracious experiential disruption that allows us to know God’s love so that we can love others. The reward in the Christian life is to know the God of grace, who forgives our sins and empowers us to share the hope of the gospel, repent from our sins, and forgive the sins of others. This is the experience of those on mission and the result of missions. Knowing Jesus is the result of missions.

Third, Luke 10:23-24 reveals the preciousness of knowing Jesus.

Jesus says those who are on mission with him are more privileged than prophets and kings. As privileged as they were in their day, prophets and kings longed to see Jesus and the coming of the kingdom. This has become a reality for Jesus’ disciples.

We all have a mission from God, but our great reward is that we know God and our names are written in the book of life.

Application: Being with God over Doing For God

In keeping with this text, we should not ever become impressed with the result of what we do, but rejoice in the true reward which is our relationship with God. What matters most is being in the right with God over what our ministry endeavors lead to.

Peter Scazzero in his book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, notes that a sign of Spiritual maturity is being with God over doing for God. If we are obsessed with results and are always on the go that we never stop to enjoy being with God, our priorities are wrong.

We must rejoice that our names are written in heaven. We rejoice that we know the Father through the Son and experience his love as expressed in the gospel. We who know Jesus are more privileged than prophets and kings. While they looked forward to Jesus, we look back. When we proclaim Christ to the world, we know exactly how God fulfilled all his promises in Christ.

Conclusion

The topic of missions offers both challenges and comforts. It challenges us to reorder our lives to follow Jesus and live for him. Being on mission will mean we will know rejection of some kind. But there is also a reward of much joy that is none other than enjoying a relationship with Jesus. It is not a reward in the sense that we get it if we are faithful, but Jesus tells his disciples they can rejoice because they already possess this reward!

We know Jesus so we want to live for him. We live for him so that more people will know and enjoy Jesus. The harvest is plentiful. The laborers are few. Let us pray that the Lord of the Harvest sends us out—resolute, humble, and rejoicing that our names are written in heaven.