St. Luke 9: 46 – 62

July 18, 2022

46 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.

47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,

48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.

50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.

53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.

62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

These statements Jesus makes are so simple. And yet – not. One can read the New Testament casually and understand what Jesus tells us but when we close the book and go on to something else, there’s a little bell ringing in our minds that there’s something more here.

Verse 48, “Whosoever shall receive this child in my name …” is a dual message; in Mark 10:15 and in Luke 18:17, Jesus says that to enter heaven we must have the faith of a child (which is unquestioning) but also means that lowly and humble, those who believe on Him will be great in heaven.

Verse 50, “Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.” But also, by doing those acts referred to, those strangers are proclaiming Jesus and His works and message.

48 and 50, as outlined above, are just an example; read the statements yourself and think past what immediately comes to mind and think what they mean when you use the heart and mind of Jesus that you carry in your heart.

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