You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them

 

 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  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."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

 

- Luke 9:51–62 

 

On Saturday, we read that when Jesus, John, James, and Peter had come down from the mountain of the Transfiguration, a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.  And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side." 

 

  Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.   The language in this passage, in which the time had come for Him to be received up, is very similar to language used for kings and rulers of the time.  To send messengers before one's face is to make an announcement, a preparation, for the distinguished person, a person of power and authority.  The face of an emperor or king is his person, carrying the authority and power and even empire of the position and all that means.  Jesus' journey to Jerusalem is certainly one of the Messiah or Christ, the rightful Bridegroom, going to His city, His Bride.  And by the response of James and John to the Samaritans (who did not view Jerusalem as the holy city, nor the place where the temple should be), certainly is in keeping with such expectations.  So in this context Christ's rebuke of James and John (the "Sons of Thunder" - see Mark 3:17) is very important.  He does not argue with their expectations; those will be challenged soon enough by the events to come, and He has already given two warnings about betrayal and His Passion to come at Jerusalem.  Instead, He corrects their thinking regarding the mission of His Church, and what manner of spirit they are of.  The entire mission of the Son of Man is not to destroy men's lives but to save them.  And until we are given further notice, this remains the spiritual mission of the Church and its heart.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  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."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."   This journey on the road to Jerusalem seems to be recognized by many, and as we've just been told, is made by One who sends messengers before His face.  As such, someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."   Jesus reveals three aspects of the cost of discipleship, which my study bible names.  First, the disciple relinquishes personal or earthly security.  If the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, neither will the disciple.  Second, there is nothing, not even the honor which is due to parents, which can be an obstacle to serving the Lord.  Finally, a disciples cannot delay in accomplishing the good that is demanded by Christ.

This journey toward Jerusalem continues to reveal to the disciples (and, following them, the Church until today) the nature of Christ's ongoing mission, and of all those who would be disciples of their Lord, Jesus Christ.  First, there is what is possibly the closest thing we have to a mission statement of the Church:  "The Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."    This language is in keeping with Christ's portrayal of Himself as Physician, which we found directly referenced in Luke 5:31-32, in speaking of Himself as Physician who heals the sinful:  "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Moreover, the great signs Jesus has performed throughout His ministry have involved healing (and that would include exorcisms -- which teaches us that there clearly exist spirits who seek to destroy men's lives).  So salvation must be considered on all levels as that which permeates the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ and of His Church.  To be saved is to be delivered from what is evil, harmful, painful, onerous.  But it is also to be made whole, to be truly healed.  This saving mission is the purpose of Christ's ministry on earth, and it remains so as it addresses every single level of human life, and is also for the life of the world (John 6:33, 51).  For Jesus, to be healed is always linked to faith.  See, for example, the story of the woman who suffered for twelve years from hemorrhage, "who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any" (see this reading).   Jesus assures her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well."  Faith is connected with something beyond the physical world.  That is, not something separate, but something more.  It is aware of more dimensions to life than worldly material perception, and Jesus indicates this when He tells James and John (and by inference, all the rest of us) when He says, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of."  Our mission isn't merely to be in the world, but it is a spiritual mission in the world, which incorporates all aspects of saving, healing, wholeness of people's lives:  mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and the soul.  And through Christ's mission, He gives to us mission.  Today's reading also lays out the demands of discipleship:  our loyalty and mission in serving the Lord takes precedence over everything else.  When other aspects of our worldly lives stand in the way of where that mission may lead, we are to consider them secondary to the call of the Lord as true disciples.  Again, we are to understand this in the framework of salvation.  We make such choices not to destroy our lives but to save them.  Earlier in chapter 9, Jesus has taught, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" (see this reading).   Sometimes the saving cure we need is surgery, and there are things which are harmful to us that stand in the way of healing:  bad habits, false priorities, mistaken beliefs, even our own psychological shortcomings.  Even the sacrifices we're called upon to make must be seen as ultimately saving.  That may even include, at times, leaving others behind or letting go of relationships for what are more important priorities.  But love, prayer, forgiveness, and salvation still remain priorities for all life.   So let us consider salvation and discipleship, and what manner of spirit we are of.  Our discipleship is meant for healing, for salvation, and this includes the others around us -- that is, both those who reject our faith and those who do not.  There are times when the single weapon of mission is prayer, for no one comes to faith or love by being compelled.  There are times when we must let others go.  But at all times, the mission in which we are disciples to our Lord is one of salvation, and we -- like James and John and the other disciples -- must know what manner of spirit we are of at all times.  No matter where we are called, ultimately, the saving of lives is the mission.  Ultimately this happens through the love of God, and God's mercy and grace.  We are those called to serve Christ's mission, not to have all the answers ourselves.  Let us remember that none of us knows the future of any person, and that we are all on the journey toward Jerusalem with Christ.  Sometimes we may have to "let the dead bury their own dead," while we live the gospel of the kingdom of God.  But that gospel is to save lives, and it remains open for all.  The ancient Greek father of all physicians was Hippocrates, who lived from approximately 460-370 BC.  Modern medicine still pays homage to the Hippocratic Oath, a hallmark of which is the injunction, "Do no harm."  As the true Physician of all, we can understand Christ's teachings as similar, and emblematic of the true spirit His disciples are meant to bear into the world.   Our mission is to help to save lives, not to destroy.  Let us always remember this first above all.