Missionaries of Mercy; Luke 9:51-56

Delivered during the Sunday morning worship service, 04/16/2023. In our text for this message we reach a turning point in Luke's Gospel as Jesus "turns His face" towards Jerusalem and the Cross. But even though the focus changes, the lessons Jesus is teaching His disciples continue to cascade into one another. Jesus begins this journey in a Samaritan village where the residents refuse to receive Him and His followers. James and John, the fiery "sons of thunder", want to see harsh judgment passed on the citizens of the village in the form of fire from heaven. But Jesus rebukes them and instead simply goes to the next village. We will analyze this short scene both in its literal sense, and more figuratively as a "living parable" of the nature of the Kingdom of God and Christ's ministry. Is the message of the Gospel one of mercy, or of judgment, or both? Ultimately we will learn that mercy cannot be separated from the truth, and therefore the balance between mercy and judgment is a crucial understanding for the missionaries of mercy.