Thirteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
LUKE 9:51-62 (1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21; Ps. 16,1-2, 5, 7-8,9-10,11; Galatians 5:1,13-18)
"When the days for Jesus being taken up were fulfilled...." Thus Luke begins the longest section of his gospel, "the Journey to Jerusalem." For Luke, the journey is an integral part of the passion, death, and resurrection/ascension of Jesus. In Luke's version of the transfiguration, which he places shortly before the journey to Jerusalem begins, the glorified figures of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah speak of his "exodus (departure) which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem." Since Jesus was fully aware of what awaited him in Jerusalem, a natural reaction would have been to go in the opposite direction - like Jonah the prophet. God revealed his plan to Jonah to convert the Assyrians in the east. Jonah instead took a cruise westward toward Spain. Not so with Jesus. Therefore Luke adds, "He set his face to go to Jerusalem." Luke expresses Jesus' absolute determination to accomplish the mission for which his Father had sent him into the world. Jerusalem was the city of origin of Christianity. The destination was Rome. Thus Luke will begin his Acts of Apostles depicting the disciples in Jerusalem and ends the Acts with Paul in Rome.
Galilee was in northern Palestine. The usual route for Galilean pilgrims to journey south to Jerusalem - cross the Jordan or perhaps the Sea of Galilee from west to east. This route took them southward along the east bank of the Jordan River. When they reached an area across from Judea opposite Jericho, they would re-cross the Jordan from east to west. The route led up the eastern slope of the Mt. of Olives and down the western slope on to the Holy City. A more direct route was through Samaria. The province of Samaria was not Jew-friendly. Jews and Samaritans did not mix well. There were centuries-old antagonisms and bitter memories stronger even than geographical boundaries between Galilee and Samaria. The Samaritan woman in John 4:9 summarizes the situation well, "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."
And so it was in Jesus' day, as Luke writes, "Jesus sent messenger ahead of him, who went and entered a village of Samaritans to make ready for him." How well did the advance people fare? Luke writes, “but they would not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem." Jews worshipped, at least with sacrifices, only in Jerusalem. Samaritans were not welcome to worship in in Jerusalem. In the 2nd century B.C. the Samaritans had built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria. A Jewish high priest-king led an army to Samaria in 128 B.C. and razed this temple to the ground. Samaritans still worshipped where their temple had stood but without a temple. Thus when they hear of Jews going up to the temple in Jerusalem, bitter memories kick in and characteristic hospitality toward travelers was denied.
Reaction! James and John, teenage sons of Zebedee, were among the first disciples Jesus collected. They were happy to leave their father because their job was to mend the fishing nets of their father's fishing enterprise. It is also possible that they were related, cousins to Jesus. Mark 3:17 says they were called "sons of thunder." There may have been physical habits that attracted
this nickname, but it also expressed their stormy temperament which demanded divine retribution on these offensive Samaritans. The proposal: "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?" Their proposal echoes and is perhaps based on a story about the prophet Elijah in 2 Kings 1:9-16, one of the many biblical stories that should be rated "PG only." Jesus knows how to handle these young hotheads:"He turned to them and rebuked them." Luke adds, "But they went on to another village." The Christian way therefore is not retribution for insult, but "to him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also," Luke 6:29. That is very difficult. Even St. Paul did not always practice this, but he had never read Luke's Sermon on the Plain or Matthew's Sermon on the Mountain. Paul was dead before they were written.
Thus far are two parts of this Sunday's gospel. A third part could be called "a vocation thing." Luke reminds us that they were on the journey, "As they were going along the road...." Until Jesus and Co. arrive in Jericho, every event, every saying of Jesus, will be overshadowed by the journey to the cross theme. They encounter a volunteer. He says to Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus neither invites nor rejects him. He informs him that the journey (the life of a follower of Jesus), is not easy. "Foxes have dens, and birds...have nests, but the Son of Man [a favorite title attached to Jesus by the four gospels] has nowhere to lay his head." Not every saying of Jesus in the gospels is always in harmony with other sayings of the gospels, as careful readers know. Sometimes the gospels tell us that Jesus did have a home, meaning his headquarters and home away from home. This “home” was in Capernaum at the home of Simon and Andrew.
A second man enters the scene. This time Jesus invites him, "Follow me." He has an excuse, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Meaning: to care for his father until he dies, then perform the last sacred duty. A surprising response from Jesus, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but as for you, go, proclaim the kingdom of God." Luke is catechizing about responding to God's call. He has no need to tell us of the man's reaction to Jesus' harsh words. Another volunteer: "I'll follow you, Lord, but let me first say goodbye to those at home." Another unusual response, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Jesus said on another occasion on another subject, "Not all can accept this. Let those who can accept this, accept it," Matthew 19:11-12.
