Seeking Judgment

 

“When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 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?” But he turned and rebuked them.”

(Luke 9:51-55 ESV)

 

Ministry, in our current day and age, is hard. As we seek to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation and to make disciples of all nations, we find that people are unwilling to listen to us. And we find that we are often rejected.

 

This can leave us frustrated. It can leave us upset. It can lead us to long for the end. It can lead us to long for the return of Christ. And it can lead us to desire the judgment of the wicked.

 

This is what was happening among Jesus’ disciples in the passage above. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, where he would ultimately be condemned and executed. However, he sought to minister to the people along the way.

 

For this reason, he sent messengers ahead of him. They entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him.

 

They did not receive him because of his destination. They didn’t receive him because he was headed to Jerusalem. The Samaritans, after all, not only had animosity toward the Jews. They also had a different place of worship, Mount Gerizim.

 

When James and John saw this rejection of Jesus, by the Samaritans, they asked him if he wanted them to call fire down from heaven to consume them. Some Biblical manuscripts refer back to Elijah, who called fire from heaven to consume the troops sent by King Ahaziah. What they wanted, then, was the judgment of these Samaritans.

 

Jesus responded to this question by rebuking James and John. He reprimanded them. He corrected this wrong attitude displayed by them.

 

Again, there is a difference in some of the Biblical manuscripts. Although we don’t find it in some translations (ESV, NIV, & CSB), we do in others (NASB & KJV). They record Jesus, adding: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man came not to destroy people’s lives but to save them.”

 

Jesus came into the world not to condemn, but to save. He says it this way, in John 3:17: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” This, then, was the attitude he expected from his followers. And it’s the attitude he expects from us.

 

Although it’s easy for us to become frustrated with the response of others to the gospel, we must never seek their judgment. We must never seek their condemnation. We must continue to desire and to seek their salvation. They, after all, are a people for whom Christ died.

Law & Gospel

 

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

(Acts 2:36 ESV)

 

As we reach out to the lost, we tend to make one of two mistakes. One mistake is that we preach only, or primarily, the law. We focus primarily on God’s commands. And the end result is that people are left believing that salvation is to be earned. The end result is that people are left in despair.

 

As the law is emphasized, people are left uncertain of their standing before God. They feel as though they must live up to his commands. And, because of their ongoing failures, they’re left unsure of whether they’ve done enough. In short, they have no assurance of their salvation.

 

The other mistake we make is to preach only gospel, which makes no sense apart from the law. We often do so, wanting to proclaim a positive message. We do so, wanting to encourage others.

 

However, unless we realize that we need to be saved, and from what we need to be saved, the gospel is meaningless. It ceases to be good news. People are left believing that their sin is acceptable to God. They are left believing that they are enough, and that they have done enough, to merit God’s blessing.

 

Both sides of this message are needed. Both law and gospel must be proclaimed. Then, and only then, will we be enabled to receive the grace of God and to possess the assurance of our salvation.

 

We see an example of this in the second chapter of Acts. As Peter was preaching to the crowds, he pulled no punches. He told them quite clearly that, although it was the desire and the intention of God, they had crucified the Christ. They had killed the very one attested to them by God.

 

We, then, see their response to this message. They were cut to the heart.  And they responded to him, asking what they should do.

 

At this point, Peter proclaimed to them the gospel. He told them to repent and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, assuring them that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Although they were guilty of murdering the Christ, forgiveness was offered to them. And so too was the blessing of God’s indwelling and power.

 

In the same way, we must proclaim both law and gospel. We must proclaim law to those who do not know their sin. We must preach law, by which our sin is made plain. We must proclaim law, by which we are enabled to see the punishment we deserve.

 

We must, then, proclaim gospel to the afflicted. We must proclaim gospel to those who see their sin and who are burdened by it. We must deliver them from their despair with the comforting balm of the gospel, that they might receive the forgiveness and the salvation of God, and that they might have the assurance of their salvation.