INTRODUCTION:

1. In his exposition of our passage, W.H. Griffith Thomas divided his outline into three parts: pride, prejudice, and persecution.
2. Pride -- cf. 9:48.
3. Prejudice -- cf. 9:49, 50.
4. Persecution -- cf. 9:51-56.
5. This is a helpful way to understand this passage, but my outline will be a little different. I want to speak on how our Lord dealt with different types of people.

1. THE AMBITIOUS (9:46-48).
2. THE NARROW-MINDED (9:49, 50).
3. THE VENGEFUL (9:51-56).

6. We could continue on. In verses 57 and 58 we have the impulsive.
7. In verses 59 and 60 we see the procrastinating.
8. And in verses 61 and 62, the hesitating.
9. But perhaps it would be better to deal with the impulsive, the procrastinating, and the hesitating separately. We see people like them very often in our soulwinning ministry.

 

I. THE AMBITIOUS (9:46-48).

1. The apostles were arguing over who should be "greatest" (9:46). "Then there arose a reasoning (argument, dispute) among them..."
2. This was a big problem then, and it is still a big problem today (cf. Luke 22:24-27).
3. Third John 9 says, "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not."
4. Matthew 20:21 says the mother of Zebedee's children (the mother of James and John) came to Jesus with a request. She said to Him, "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom."
5. She was very ambitious for her two sons, James and John.
6. "But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask" (Matt. 20:23a).
7. Here in Luke 9:47, in response to the disciples' worldly ambitiousness, our Lord brought a little child and explained that anyone who received this child in His name received Him (9:48).
8. Charles R. Erdman said, "There is no place for pride among the followers of Christ. Our nearness to Him is not won by selfish effort or granted by arbitrary decree; it is conditioned upon the humble service we may render in his name. 'He took a little child, and set him by his side'; not because a child is a picture of humility — most children are self-conscious and absurdly proud — but because the care of a child is a symbol of humble service, and it was this spirit which Jesus praised. To care for a child, or for men and women who like children are in need of our help and sympathy and support, if done for the sake of Christ and in the name of Christ, is a service rendered to the Master himself and not only to him but also to his Father. The willingness to undertake such humble service is the measure of true greatness" (The Gospel of Luke).
9. An important Biblical principle: "For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great" (Luke 9:48b).
10. Advancement in the kingdom of God comes by humility. It comes by taking the lowest place.
11. Service, not lordship, constitutes greatness in God's kingdom.
12. John 13:4, 5 says our Lord "riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded."
13. Philippians 2:7 says our Lord "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men."

 

II. THE NARROW-MINDED (9:49, 50).

1. I have been a Baptist ever since I have been saved, and Lord willing I will remain a Baptist till the Lord calls me home. But some Baptists are like the apostle John, i.e., a bit narrow-minded (9:49, 50).
2. Our Lord corrected John, and we can see from reading the book of Acts, as well as his epistles that John did not remain narrow-minded or prejudiced for long.
3. This narrow-mindedness was nothing new (cf. Numbers 11:26-29).
4. Joshua and the others should have been glad to see Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp. Moses was (Num. 11:29).
5. And John and the other disciples should have been glad that devils were cast out in Jesus' name. But instead of being glad, they "forbad him" (Luke 9:49).
6. In addition to being narrow-minded, it is quite possible that John and the others were jealous. You will recall that after they came down from the mount of transfiguration, they were not able to cast the devil out of the demon-possessed young man (9:37-43).
7. Our Lord's words here in Luke 9:50 are similar to His words in Luke 11:23, "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth."
8. God has His people in various churches, and while we may not agree with them in every detail, if they are saved by the grace of God they are our brethren.
9. First John 3:14 says, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren."

 

III. THE VENGEFUL (9:51-56).

1. John 4:4 says, "And he must needs go through Samaria." Here in Luke 9:51, we read, "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," and this meant passing through Samaria (cf. 9:52).
2. Our Lord was not welcome in Samaria because he was a Jew on His way to Jerusalem. Samaritans hated Jews, and Jews hated Samaritans (9:51-53).
3. The woman at the well said to our Lord, "How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9).
4. Angered by the discourtesy of the Samaritans, James and John wanted to command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, the way Elijah did (9:54; cf. II Kings 1).
5. Back in Mark 3:17, we see that our Lord gave a nickname to James and John -- "sons of thunder." The nickname indicates their fiery and destructive zeal that could be likened to a thunder storm (cf. Luke 9:54).
6. It is interesting persecution can be traced back to pride (9:46) and prejudice (9:49, 53).
7. On the other hand, humility (9:48b) leads to tolerance (9:50) and understanding (9:55, 56).
8. The word "tolerance" has been misused and abused by the homosexuals and other lost sinners. For example, they want people to tolerate their sin, but they themselves have not shown toleration for those who oppose their sin (especially Christians).
9. Nevertheless, there is a proper Biblical toleration (9:50), and it leads to a proper understanding of people (9:55, 56).
10. We cannot win people to Christ if we do not understand them.
11. Interestingly, the same John who wanted to send fire down from heaven upon the Samaritans, later returned to Samaria to preach the Gospel to them. It is recorded in Acts 8 (cf. Luke 9:55, 56).

 

CONCLUSION:

The Lord Christ wanted a tongue one day
To speak a message of cheer
To a heart that was weary and worn and sad,
And weighted with many a fear.
He asked me for mine, but ‘twas busy quite
With my own affairs from morn till night.


The Lord Christ wanted a hand one day
To do a loving deed;
He wanted two feet, on an errand for him
To run with gladsome speed.
But I had need of my own that day;
To his gentle beseeching I answered, "Nay!"


So all that day I used my tongue,
My hands, and my feet as I chose;
I said some hasty, bitter words
That hurt one heart, God knows.
I busied my hands with worthless play,
And my wilful feet went a crooked way.

And the dear Lord Christ - was His work undone
For lack of a willing heart?
Only through men does He speak to men?
Dumb must He be apart?
I do not know, but I wish today
I had let the Lord Christ have His way.

        — (author unknown)