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 it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain of the Transfiguration, that a great multitude met Jesus.  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 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.  St. Luke's Gospel tells us that the time had come for Him to be received up, and so He steadfastly set is face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  This is called the turning point in the Gospel, for it is the turning point of Christ's ministry.  He now sets forth on the journey toward Jerusalem.  St. Cyril of Alexandria comments that the reference to Christ's being received up is an indication of the time that will come after He endures His saving Passion for us, and will ascend to be with God the Father.  The fullness of suffering, death, Resurrection, and Ascension is the fullness of what is needed for salvation, redemption for all.  This, St. Cyril writes, gives the meaning to "set 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.  St. Cyril remarks that giving the disciples this experience of rejection was foreknown by Christ.  He writes that this rejection was permitted as a teaching for the disciples, a preparation both for what would happen to Christ and themselves with His rejection in Jerusalem, and also for their future apostolic missions.  Jesus Himself will experience violence and suffering, and His rebuke to their wrath is a teaching that they are to deal with adversity through forbearance, both in their response to Christ's suffering and the hatred they also will receive by those who reject their message.  He writes, "He did this so they might learn that as ministers of the divine tidings, they must rather be full of longsuffering and gentleness, not revengeful. They must not be given to wrath or savagely attack those who offend them.

 

  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."   The Orthodox Study Bible has a note regarding the claim by someone to Jesus, "I will follow You."  It tells us that there is a cost to discipleship.  Here Christ reveals three of them.  First, the disciple relinquishes personal or earthly security; if the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, neither will the disciple.  Moreover, there is nothing, including the honor due to parents, which can be an obstacle to serving the Lord.  Finally, a disciple cannot delay in accomplishing the good that Christ demands.  

 

 What is the cost of discipleship? In today's reading, the experience of the disciples is preparing them for something we might not normally anticipate as a kind of "cost."  That is, refraining from expressions of wrath or revenge.  It might seem odd to think of this as a kind of cost, but if we think about it a little bit, it makes perfect sense for discipleship.  After all, the root of disciple is linked to "discipline."  In fact, the word ascetic (used for monastic practices of self-discipline linked to deepening one's spiritual life) has the root meaning of "athlete," and comes from the Greek word for exercise.  Monks, or practicing ascetics, are often referred to as "spiritual athletes," and we need to learn from them.  This sort of discipline, like athletic training, means there are things we need to change about ourselves, disciplines to develop that are related to habits, appetites, and indulgences.  If we tend toward wrath, or if it is something in which we frequently indulge to make ourselves feel better or let off steam, then a spiritual discipline such as that which the disciples must learn in today's reading teaches us a better way, a way toward God.  It's in this light we can understand Jesus' words: "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."  Jesus is asserting the need for a spiritual discipline that creates a development in the disciples which comports with the proper spirit, one belonging to Christ, and developing an understanding of what that means, a perception of the energies of grace and how they work.  For the disciples will be sent out into the world not to conquer, but to save.  How does one do that in the presence of hostile people with simply a hostile response in return?  Hearts and minds do not work that way; the goal is for all who would hear and receive the gospel message to likewise do the same, to be on Christ's path or way.  In Psalm 2 we read the question, "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?" (Psalm 2:1).  This sets a tone for a distinguishing gentleness belonging to the Lord and the Lord's people.  It's quite possible that the suggestions of James and John Zebedee (whom Jesus called "Sons of Thunder") come from an understanding and desire for justice.  But our sense of justice itself must be shaped and formed in the crucible of the divine plan for salvation.  God's justice is not just merciful, but it also includes a perspective on time that we don't have, for it is eternal -- as well as endlessly complex.  Therefore, to learn righteousness is not an easy nor simple thing, and this learning, also, is a part of the price of discipleship.  We allow our understanding to be transfigured into one Christ would teach us over the long period of a lifetime's discipleship.  Given that St. John would go on to give us the Revelation (among other books of the New Testament), it would seem quite possible that a focus and consideration of justice -- and what that looks like in God's sight and the ultimate working of God's cosmic salvation -- would be something which God has set in particular for St. John's spiritual focus.  Let us also remind ourselves that his brother, St. James, would be the first disciple to die a martyr's death, for he would be put to death by the sword of Herod (Acts 12:1-3).   In the verses that follow, we read more directly and literally about the cost of discipleship in Christ's response to the people who come to Him desiring to become His disciples.  He sets down His own cost, teaching that "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Another wishes first to go home and bury his father, but Jesus tells him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  This expresses the very difficult transition to an understanding that not everyone we love will be a part of this journey of a life in Christ.  It sets a shift in priority -- even involving family ties -- as a difficult teaching.  Even going home to say good-bye first might be something which spiritual discipline asks us to forego:  "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."   As an athlete trains for a contest, so these various teachings in today's reading tell us about the development of what it is to be prepared for the spiritual struggle of a life of discipleship.  There may be things we need to forego, as well as discipline to follow, as well as new skills to develop and build.  All of this must be led by grace, with our cooperation, and offers a constant learning curve, with practice the key component of the journey.  Turning back to St. John (who also bears the exceptionally rare title of Theologian in the Orthodox Church), we consider that in Holy Tradition, the development of the spiritual life involves "the mind in the heart."  This means that it is not merely an intellectual acceptance or learning curve, but rather all about the transfiguration of one's entire person, the root of who we are, in faith; that is, in body, soul, and spirit.  It may seem a paradox that the disciple who would leave us a Gospel and Epistles that teach profoundly about love is also the one who gave us the Revelation of Divine Judgment.  But that simply underscores for us that grace is all in all, and that the resolution of such apparent paradox is precisely the place where we find Christ.  It leaves us to contemplate with awe the depth of spiritual growth in St. John's own life of discipleship and the radical humility it would take for him to do so. Let us undertake with Christ and the disciples the journey that begins at this turning point in St. Luke's Gospel.  For each must carry one's own cross, as He has taught.