Jesus Set His Face Toward the Cross
Luke 9:51–62
My wife and I recently went on a few road trips. When you’re on a long drive back home from a place like Pittsburgh or Nashville, a trip like that has multiple phases. At the beginning of the trip, you might make a few leisurely stops to make sure you have enough gas and that you’re well caffeinated. If there’s a Buc-ee’s along the way, we’re going to stop, walk around, and eat a brisket sandwich. But eventually, the trip reaches a different stage. You might be 90 minutes out or two hours out, but for each of us who has ever been on a road trip, there comes a point where the van is all packed up, we’re exhausted from our travels, and we aren’t going to stop anymore. Nothing is going to pull us off on a detour, even if we’re hungry. We can fill the gas tank tomorrow, so as long as we’re not on empty and that warning light doesn’t come on, we’re making it home as soon as possible tonight. At that point, we’ve set our face toward home, and we aren’t looking anywhere except our final destination.
Luke 9:51 is the moment in Jesus’ ministry when he sets his face toward Jerusalem. Now, what has he set his face toward? Why is he going to Jerusalem? Is he expecting great fanfare or a vacation? No. He has set his face toward Jerusalem to die a gruesome death. “Going to Jerusalem” means “going to the cross.”
And so, the big idea of Luke 9:51–62 is this: Jesus set his face toward the cross. Jesus set his face toward the cross. From this point forward in the Gospel of Luke, there will be nothing that can pull him away from it.
And this passage answers the question: How do we live in light of this?
Know what time it is (vv. 51–56).
Follow Jesus and don’t look back (vv. 57–62).
Jesus set his face toward the cross. How do we live now, in light of this? First, know what time it is.
KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 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?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village.
The days drew near for Jesus to be taken up. Jesus is preparing to suffer. Not only that, Jerusalem is the place where redemption will be accomplished. Everything from the cross to the empty tomb lies ahead. God’s plan of redemption is accelerating and about to come to a head. Jesus knows what comes next in this story, but none of the other characters seem to understand it. Let’s look at them together.
The Samaritans definitely don’t know what time it is. In the first century, Samaritans were thought of by the Jews as “half-breeds” because they had some Jewish heritage but had intermarried with pagan nations. There was generational, centuries-old hostility between these two closely related people groups. This interaction is yet another example in Luke’s Gospel of Jesus reaching out to the unexpected, but in this case, no good fruit is borne.
The Samaritans don’t receive Jesus. In fact, they send him packing on his way to Jerusalem. There will come a time when people from every tribe, nation, and tongue worship together, but not all has been accomplished yet. Jesus will go on to be rejected in Jerusalem, but the rejection doesn’t stop there. Now let’s turn to James and John.
James and John also don’t quite understand what time it is. But before we zoom in on their mistake, let’s notice that, unlike the Samaritans in this case, there is actually something quite commendable about their response. Did you see what it is? They saw Jesus being rejected, and it stirred something up in them. They love Jesus, and they are jealous for his honor. They recognize that Jesus deserves to be received, and that’s something they are completely right about. He is worthy of honor and reception, and rejecting him—persisting as one of his enemies—is deserving of judgment.
In fact, their specific request for fire from heaven should remind us of an event that happened in the Old Testament. In 2 Kings 1, Elijah, one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, calls down fire from heaven on the enemies of God, and they perish in the flames. The disciples knew the historical precedent, and they knew that rejecting Jesus was a capital offense.
Not only that, there will be a day when those who reject Jesus receive the fiery punishment they deserve. There will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That’s a real day that is going to happen. But the disciples got the days mixed up. They didn’t know what time it was. There is going to be a time for judgment, but their time—and our time—is the age of mercy, the age of proclaiming the good news to people from every tribe, nation, and tongue, even the Samaritans.
Here’s the thing: if James and John had gotten their wish, do you know how many Samaritans would have been saved? Zero. They would have all perished, and none of them would have come to saving faith in Christ. Poof, just like that. Justly, to be sure, but still something to grieve.
But we have good reason to believe that, although it wasn’t obvious in Luke 9, there were some in this village who would repent of their sins, receive the forgiveness that Jesus was on the road to Jerusalem to purchase, and receive eternal life.
On a different day, in a slightly different time, after the resurrection of Jesus, his disciples return to Samaria. Let’s look at Acts 8:4–8:
4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.
Eventually, at the right time, rejection would turn to joy. But right now, Jesus’ face is turned toward the cross. The path to that joy runs straight through Jerusalem and the cross.
What about you? Do you know what time it is? If you’re struggling to know, here’s what time it is:
It’s not the time of judgment; it’s the time of salvation. Why did the Son of Man come? Why did Jesus come? Luke 19:10 tells us:
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
This means that the Lord is patiently restraining his just wrath until all of his elect from every tribe, nation, and tongue are gathered in—even from people as unlikely as the Samaritans. It’s God’s fire. The disciples may lift their voices, but it is the Lord who has determined the times and the seasons. And the season we’re in now is one of salvation, not judgment—at least not yet.
So how do we live in light of what time it is?
First, remember that this age is the age of making disciples of Jesus. The church age is the moment in history when the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is advancing to every nation. There will be a day when missions are no more, but today is the day of proclamation and evangelism.
Practically speaking, this means that today is also the day of mercy, even in the face of rejection. This text should show us that we shouldn’t write people off. On this day, the Samaritans gave no evidence whatsoever that some of them would turn from their sins and trust in Jesus. In fact, they gave a great deal of evidence to the contrary. Yet notice that Jesus doesn’t speak against the Samaritans; he simply moves on when they do not receive him.
Let’s plead with sinners to forsake their rejection of God, but when we are mistreated, remember that the Lord says that vengeance is his, not ours. Before I became a follower of Jesus, I mocked Christians in my heart. So who knows? The people who are the most hardened sinners today may have their hardened hearts cracked tomorrow.
Who are the people in your life whom the Lord may be leading you to evangelize and disciple? Who are you tempted to write off?
Jesus knew what time it was. Do you? If you know what time it is, you’ll begin to understand the second half of this text and why Jesus says such radical things.
Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem, so let’s follow Jesus and don’t look back.
FOLLOW JESUS AND DON’T LOOK BACK
Jesus set his face toward the cross, knowing all that it would cost him. How do we respond? Follow Jesus and don’t look back.
Since Jesus paid the ultimate price for us at great cost to himself, he is worthy of our wholehearted allegiance. That sounds great on paper, but in these three encounters, Jesus comes across three kinds of people who begin to follow him—or express a desire to follow him—but are in danger of turning away. The call to all three of them is the same: follow Jesus and don’t look back.
Let’s look at Luke 9 and examine each one in turn.
The one who gives up comfort
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Following Jesus requires sacrificing your comfort. It’s a life of lean living, not luxury.
This man approaching Jesus likely had good intentions and sincerely meant what he said. But as he often does, Jesus exhorts his followers to count the cost before making the commitment to follow him.
Now, what does it mean to count the cost? It means that being a disciple of Jesus is going to require you to make decisions that simply won’t make sense to those who aren’t following him.
Jesus is trying to prevent the kind of situation where someone begins the Christian walk with all kinds of zeal and excitement. At first, things seem to be going really well. But then suffering comes, or persecution comes, and suddenly life seems a lot harder than it was before they started following Jesus.
They begin to look back on those days before they made all of these commitments to generosity, service, obedience, and holiness. That season of life looks a lot happier than the present one. And instead of keeping their eyes forward like a horse with blinders on, straining toward the prize of eternal life in Christ, they look back at the old days when they experienced all kinds of worldly comforts. After a while, they begin to slow down in their walk with Christ and eventually turn back.
Have you ever noticed that pattern? First they look back, and then they turn back.
This experience—great zeal, great suffering, looking back, slowing down, and turning around—is one of the scariest things that can happen to a follower of Jesus.
This is a reminder that just as Jesus set his face toward the cross, each of us has our own cross to bear. We will face affliction, suffering, and many trials.
Here’s the good news: for those who truly follow Jesus, every ounce of strength we need will be provided for us. Truly, greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.
This week I finally finished reading Shadow of the Almighty, the story of Jim Elliot. That man is a wonderful example of not turning back. He set his face toward a specific group of people in Ecuador and didn’t turn back, even though it would cost him his life. He knew this world wasn’t his home, and that led him to pour out his life for the sake of others.
I think we could learn a little from his wholehearted commitment to follow the will of God. If you’re interested in reading the book, talk to me and I’ll give you a copy.
Would you follow Jesus if it meant that you would follow in his footsteps by not accumulating wealth for yourself on earth? Would you follow Jesus if it meant following him to the extent that you would, like the Son of Man, have nowhere to lay your head?
Would you choose not to date that person who is really going to drag you down spiritually? Would you turn down a steady job for the sake of going to the mission field? In your heart, can you really say, “I’d lay down any worldly pleasure for the sake of the surpassing worth of Christ”?
If you’re struggling with that, I want to help you think through it.
Our world basically tells us that you grow into commitments. Once you’re mature enough, ready enough, and have gathered enough information, then you can make the decision to follow Jesus.
I’d like to propose the opposite: commit to follow Jesus, and then grow into that commitment over time.
Today, settle the matter that you’re going to follow the will of God wherever it leads, and then trust that God is going to provide all the strength you’ll need to get there.
Now let’s look at the second person who seems to want to follow Jesus but puts something else first. What’s that “something else”? Let’s read verse 59.
The one who puts family first
59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Now, is Jesus saying that it’s always wrong to go to a funeral? Absolutely not.
But let’s look carefully at the problem. The man says, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” There can only be one thing in each of our lives that is truly first.
Either the things of this world are first in our hearts, or Jesus is first in our hearts.Either the things of this world are going to be first in our calendars, budgets, priorities, and headspace, or Jesus is.
Family and a social life are phenomenal gifts to enjoy in their proper place. But the person who puts them first in his heart and mind is simply unfit to follow the Lord Jesus. Following him means that, in our hearts, we are willing to give up all the things of this world if it means following the will of God.
Like Jim Elliot famously said, “Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” This means that we are to follow Jesus with complete commitment, holding nothing back—even the things in this world that we hold most dearly.
If we’re honest with ourselves, how often are we tempted to say, “Lord, I’ll follow you in relation to my money, my time, my relationships, and my work, but let me first…” ?
Following Jesus after taking care of all your other concerns simply isn’t following him at all. It doesn’t feel like an outright rejection of Jesus, but postponing obedience until everything else is sorted out is still disobedience. We’re putting ourselves first instead of the Lord’s will for our lives.
Let’s be the kind of people who immediately obey the Lord’s will without being consumed by concern for the things of this world, and let him sort it out.
Now let’s look at Jesus’ third encounter: the one who wants one last goodbye.
The one who wants one last look back
61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Again, a man has other business to take care of before following Jesus.
The illustration of the plow is helpful here. What happens if you’re trying to plow a field but you’re constantly looking over your shoulder, looking back at where you’ve been? You won’t be able to plow a straight line. You’re going to waste a lot of effort, and ultimately you’re going to be pulled off course.
This is the kind of person who has some desire to follow Jesus, but instead of confessing,
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
(Galatians 2:20)
they want to keep a door open to their old life.
After all, who doesn’t want to keep their options open?
But following Jesus means no turning back and no looking back. It means ruling out every other option for our lives right from the start.
And it doesn’t even have to be a big, obvious act of disobedience. Does this concept of turning back ring any Old Testament bells for you? Something about salt…
That’s right. Jesus’ command here reminds us of Lot’s wife.
In Genesis 19, God is about to righteously punish Sodom and Gomorrah, completely destroying them. Lot’s family is given the opportunity to escape, and the angel of the Lord essentially tells them, “Flee for your life. Run, and don’t look back.”
So you can imagine Lot grabbing his wife by the hand and running as fast as he can. But then there’s this very short verse—Genesis 19:26:
“But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
The Lord provided deliverance for her, and while it looked like she escaped the city, she failed to obtain that deliverance. Why? She looked back.
What a tragedy—to get so far and yet still look back.
When you’re tempted to drift from following Jesus, when you’re tempted to delay obedience to what you know to be the will of God, my encouragement to you is simply this:
Remember Lot’s wife.
Remember Lot’s wife.
Now let’s take a minute and make this personal.
What is your “but first”?
Jesus has encountered three different men in three different situations, but before we come down too hard on them for their hesitancy to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, let’s recognize that their words should sound familiar to us.
If you’re not following Jesus today but you want to, and it’s just that you want to do this other thing first, Jesus is calling you to cast aside everything else and follow him wholeheartedly today.
There is no more important decision you can make than to place your only hope in life and death in Christ. Give him your sin. Receive his forgiveness.
I want to help you follow Jesus. Talk to me, and we can discuss the basics of the Christian life.
If you’re already following Jesus, where are you tempted to turn back or say, “but first”?
After all, these men are not outright rejecting Jesus. They actually want him, and they want to follow him. They just want something else first.
And that’s the real danger that you and I, as “churched” people, face.
We’re probably not very likely to say, “Jesus, I don’t want you.”
We’re much more likely to say, “Jesus, I’ll follow you after I accomplish this goal,” or “Jesus, not yet.”
So now I’d like to take a moment and ask you: What is your “but first”?
Immediately, your spouse’s, child’s, or roommate’s “but first” may come to mind. But before you try to convict someone else, consider your own.
I want to remind you that whatever you place in that “but first” category, nothing else is going to satisfy you the way Christ will.
Everything else will ultimately fail to bring us hope and happiness, significance and security.
Whatever it is the Lord is calling you to lay down today, it pales in comparison to the surpassing worth of following Jesus, and you can stake your life on that. Here’s the good news: Jesus had no “but first.”
He surrendered the greatest comfort imaginable to take on the cross. He let absolutely nothing stop him as he walked a path of great suffering on our behalf.
Where we say, “Let me first,” before we obey, Jesus put the Father’s will first in his life.
Where we want to look back and keep our options open, Jesus set his face toward the cross, and there was no second-guessing.
He set his face toward the cross and, even knowing the depths of our faithlessness and sin, went to suffer for our sake. He had no divided allegiance. He knew what the will of God was, and he followed it all the way to the end.
From Luke 9 onward, we’re going to see that Jesus walked down the path of betrayal, suffering, death, and eventual resurrection for us. He went to the cross for people like us who are prone to say, “but first.”
Therefore, in response to all that Jesus our Savior has done for us, we must follow him with the same resolve that he showed on the path to Jerusalem.
We need his grace, his strength, and his Holy Spirit empowerment to do it, and everything we need will surely be provided for us.
Jesus set his face toward the cross, and he is worthy of your whole life with nothing left out.