Once I was taken my three-year-old granddaughter for a walk on the grounds of a neighboring college. Two young students walking toward us, looked down at my granddaughter and said “hi” to her. She looked at them and said, “I am not allowed to talk to strangers.”
From our earliest days we were taught by our mothers to beware of strangers, and this may continue to carry over to our adult years. And yet God told his people “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19). And Jesus told us that one of the criteria that we will be judged on is welcoming him— “When I was a stranger, you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). When Jesus comes to us in disguise, do we welcome him?
Today we read about a people who refused to welcome Jesus (Luke 9:51-56).
“When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.”
The Samaritans turned down the opportunity of a lifetime when they refused to welcome Jesus. Why did they refuse? “Because his destination was Jerusalem.” Those journeying to Jerusalem were the loyal Jews. They, in general, looked down onthe Samaritans. And, as a result, the Samaritans snubbed the Jews. Not being welcome in Jerusalem, they would have nothing to do with those who journeyed there, including Jesus.
Prejudice prevented the Samaritans from receiving the greatest possible blessing, a visit from God’s own Son. What an insult!
Realizing how Jesus had been insulted by this group, James and John wanted to stand up for Jesus.
“When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven and consume them?”
Those who reject Jesus are deserving of fire from heaven. James and John knew this, so they wanted to execute justice right then and there.
“Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.”
Jesus was not going to be sidetracked by dealing out punishment to the prejudiced village. That was not in his department, for his mission was one of mercy and forgiveness. James and John had not yet caught on to this. How God wanted to deal with a village that would not welcome his Son was none of their business.
We ask ourselves is we are like the Samaritans. Do our prejudices and fears keep us from welcoming Jesus when he comes to us? Does our prejudice against strangers keep us from letting Jesus come into our lives?
Jesus approaches us daily, sometimes in the form of a stranger, always under the appearances of bread and wine. Do we recognize him?
We pray that our hearts stay open to Jesus and that we open the doors of our hearts as soon as he knocks. There is no greater privilege, no more critical opportunity than a visit from Jesus Christ. In fact, our eternal destiny depends on our decision to accept him or reject him.
Today we pray that God will expose and remove all obstacles that keep us from accepting Jesus into our lives. We ask forgiveness for the times we turned away from him when he visited us as a stranger. And we ask the Holy Spirit to make us aware of the opportunities we have today to welcome Jesus into our lives.
