Dealing with “Darts of Sadness”!

Ezra 4; Psalm 113; Psalm 127; Luke 9
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Scripture

Samaritan Opposition

Luke 9

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56 and they went to another village.

Observation

This passage reminds me of two or three other passages where Jesus mentioned the people of Samaria. Can you think of a couple too? How about the time when Jesus encountered the woman at the well in John 4 or the story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10 or the story found in Luke 17 about the ten men that Jesus cleansed of leprosy and only one of them came back to thank him and that man was a Samaritan.

This passage reveals the heart condition of not only the folks in the Samaritan village, but also the prejudiced hard hearts of his disciples. In this passage we see the heart of Jesus and how He deals with difficult people. On the one hand He has to deal with the rejection of the people living in the Samaritan village and in the same moment he is confronted with an attitude erupting out of his closest followers that reveals a complete misunderstanding of their Master’s heart.

In verse 55 the scripture says that Jesus “turned”, boy I can read a lot into that one word can’t you! Jesus turned, and when he turned, I believe that he probably looked deep into the eyes of James and John (which was probably rebuke enough) and then the scripture says that he rebuked them.

Application

I think it was a sad day for Jesus on the day that he was turned away from this Samaritan village. Sadness is the part of life that I don’t like. How about you? You can be having a great day and then you get blind-sided, a comment clobbers you or sometimes just one word from one person close to you and sadness pierces your heart like a dagger. I will think of this verse today as I try to get over my case of “sadness”. It is a verse that I memorized a long time ago and the Lord brings it to my remembrance a lot when the dart of “sadness” hits me. John 16:33 says,

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

So my application for myself today is to “take heart”. My Lord and Savior has overcome this world.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you know the condition of my heart this morning and you know that I am feeling the pain of “sadness”, maybe it is a feeling of being grieved in my spirit I don’t know. I think what I am feeling is maybe, just maybe what you felt during the moment you were rejected by the Samaritan village and misunderstood by your disciples and it happened all at the same time.

Lord, it is easier for me to deal with the ungodly that flat out reject me than to deal with the hurt that comes from people close to me. Lord, help me today meditate on your word. Refresh my spirit today. Give me strength to walk, as you would have me walk today. Help me be a person of integrity today. Use me to encourage those that come into my path…because you have overcome this world. Amen.



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