When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, 52 and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, 53 but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” 55 Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56 and they journeyed to another village.
Luke marks a turning point: “When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem” (v. 51). “Being taken up” points to the whole saving work that awaits Jesus in Jerusalem—His suffering, death, resurrection, and exaltation. “Resolutely determined” means He set His face with firm purpose. From here on, He walks toward the Cross with steady steps.
He sends messengers ahead into a Samaritan village to prepare for His arrival (v. 52). Samaritans were a community related to Israel but separated from Jews by long religious conflict. They accepted the first five books of Moses and worshiped on Mount Gerizim, not in the Temple at Jerusalem. Because Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem, the village refuses to receive Him (v. 53). This is not a simple lack of hospitality. It is a deliberate refusal tied to rivalry over the right place to worship God.
James and John, the “Sons of Thunder,” respond with hot zeal: “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” (v. 54). They are thinking of Elijah, who once called down fire in judgment on hostile messengers (cf. 2 Kgs 1). Their reaction has a biblical precedent, but it misreads the moment. Elijah’s sign belonged to a different time and purpose. Jesus is now advancing the final stage of God’s mercy: in Jerusalem He will reconcile the human race to the Father through His Cross, tear down the barrier that kept sinners from God’s presence (cf. Lk 23:45), and open the “narrow door” that leads to life (cf. Lk 13:24). By His death and rising He makes peace and gives access to the Father, so that forgiveness and new life can be preached to all nations (cf. Lk 24:46-47; 2 Cor 5:18-19). It is not yet the day of judgment. It is the hour of patient love.
Jesus turns and rebukes them (v. 55). He corrects their zeal. The village’s refusal springs from religious ignorance and rivalry, not informed malice (cf. Acts 3:17). God’s work cannot be carried forward by retaliation. Then He “journeyed to another village” (v. 56). He answers ignorance with patient mercy—very different from the hardened opposition of some religious leaders who, with greater light, still resist Him (cf. Lk 11:53-54; 20:1-2).
This short scene gives the Church a lasting pattern. We keep the right worship of God and the truth of the Gospel. At the same time, when we meet resistance or insult, we answer with forgiveness and mercy. We do not call for fire; we keep walking in charity. The Lord’s way rejects both compromise and vengeance. He holds truth and mercy together. In Luke’s larger journey section, He will teach the same lesson again and again: follow Him with steady purpose, forgive enemies, serve quietly, and trust the Father’s timing.
Two clarifications help modern readers. First, “Samaritans” here does not name an ethnic slur. It marks a real first-century religious divide about where and how to worship the one God. Second, Jesus’ refusal to punish is not indifference to sin. It is the right order of salvation. Judgment belongs to God and to the final day. Before that day, the Lord extends time for repentance. As He says elsewhere in Luke, the “fire” He longs to cast on the earth is the Holy Spirit’s purifying love (cf. Lk 12:49), not the consuming fire of personal revenge.
Lord Jesus, You set Your face toward Jerusalem for our sake. Make my heart steady in truth and gentle in love. Correct my zeal where it is harsh. Give me patience when I am opposed, and the courage to keep going in charity. Send Your Holy Spirit to kindle holy fire in me—purity, compassion, and steadfast hope. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- The Navarre Bible: St Luke, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008), notes on Lk 9:51-56.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018), “Luke,” on 9:51-56.
- Brown, Raymond E., et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990), §43:68 on Lk 9:51-56.
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