Jesus Sets His Face to Jerusalem

Rev. Jeff Hemmer, pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Fairview Heights, IL and assistant to the President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 9:51-62.

St. Luke reaches a key turning point in his Gospel account when Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem. The days of Jesus’ birth and ministry in Galilee have been leading to this moment, in which Jesus makes a determined turn to the place where He must suffer, die, and rise for the salvation of sinners. His rejection in a Samaritan village is a reminder of the rejection He has faced in Galilee and serves as precursor to the greater rejection He will receive in Jerusalem. Yet James and John misunderstand. Judgment from heaven is not the order of the day; Jesus has come to show mercy. As His journey continues, He teaches the difficulties that following Him will entail. Jesus will have no place to lay His head until He lays it down on the cross and in the grave. He has come to set sinners free from the kingdom of death and bring them into His kingdom of life; turning back to that kingdom of death has no place in the life of the disciple of Jesus. As His journey to Jerusalem continues, Jesus shows Himself as the One who accomplishes these tasks perfectly for the salvation of the world.

“The Beloved Physician’s Orderly Account” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the Gospel according to St. Luke. The Evangelist wrote his well-researched account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection so that Theophilus would have certainty concerning the things he had been taught. As we still read the Word of God recorded by St. Luke, our gracious Lord gives us that same certainty that Jesus is our Savior.