Jesus Sets His Face: Costly Call to Discipleship

Devotional

Day 1: Set Your Face Like Flint: Unwavering Resolve in Christ’s Mission

Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem wasn’t a reluctant shuffle but a deliberate march. When Scripture says He “set his face like flint,” it paints the image of a man locking eyes on a horizon only He could fully see. This wasn’t anger but holy determination—a refusal to be derailed by fear, comfort, or human opinions. His resolve wasn’t for personal glory but to fulfill the Father’s redemptive plan. Followers of Christ are called to this same kind of courage, fixing their gaze on obedience even when the road narrows. [15:37]

“I have set my face like a flint, and I know I shall not be put to shame.” (Isaiah 50:7, ESV)

Reflection: Where has God called you to steady your resolve this week? What distractions tempt you to look away from His purpose?

Day 2: When Rejection Becomes a Redirected Path

The Samaritan village’s refusal to welcome Jesus seemed like a setback, but Christ saw it as part of the journey. Rejection didn’t diminish His mission—it redirected it. His response wasn’t retaliation but grace, modeling how to leave closed doors behind without bitterness. Later, Samaria would become fertile ground for the gospel, proving God often uses “no” to lead us to greater “yes” moments. [31:34]

“For the Son of Man came not to destroy people’s lives but to save them.” (Luke 9:56, ESV)

Reflection: When have you experienced rejection that later revealed God’s redirection? How can you release resentment to embrace His next step?

Day 3: Mission Field or Battlefield? The Spirit We Carry

James and John wanted to call down fire on their enemies, mistaking vengeance for zeal. Jesus rebuked their harsh spirit, reminding them His kingdom advances through salvation, not destruction. His followers are sent not as warriors to conquer but as healers to serve. The world’s anger thrives on outrage, but disciples carry a different DNA—one that seeks to redeem, not retaliate. [37:16]

“But He turned and rebuked them, saying, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.’” (Luke 9:55, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you tempted to fight battles God hasn’t called you to wage? How can you shift from a mindset of winning arguments to winning hearts?

Day 4: No Place to Lay His Head: The Cost of True Discipleship

Jesus warned the eager follower that foxes have holes, but the Son of Man had no home. Discipleship isn’t a path to comfort but a call to surrender. He didn’t hide the cost: following Him means trading earthly security for eternal allegiance. The invitation isn’t to poverty but to freedom—releasing our grip on temporary treasures to hold tightly to the One who lasts. [48:30]

“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:58, ESV)

Reflection: What comforts or securities do you cling to that might hinder wholehearted obedience? How does Jesus’ example redefine your view of “enough”?

Day 5: Hand to the Plow: The Forward Call of Faith

A farmer who looks back while plowing creates crooked rows. Jesus’ final warning cuts deep: discipleship requires undivided focus. The past’s regrets or the future’s distractions can’t compete with the urgency of His call. To follow Christ is to live with hands gripping the present task, eyes fixed on the harvest ahead, and trust filling the gaps between what’s left behind and what’s gained. [54:54]

“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62, ESV)

Reflection: What “good things” from your past compete with your forward momentum in Christ? How can you cultivate daily habits that keep your eyes on His horizon?

Sermon Summary

The gospels give the good news of Jesus, but Luke’s own shape shows that the good news is not mainly a long biography of every year of Jesus’ life. The gospel writers spend huge space on the final months, the final weeks, and even the final twenty-four hours because Jesus’ death and resurrection are everything. Luke 9:51 becomes that great hinge, the place where the story turns and Jesus begins moving toward Jerusalem with the cross before him and the crown beyond it.

Jesus “steadfastly set his face” to go to Jerusalem, and Isaiah’s words come alive right there: “I have set my face like a flint.” The phrase does not mean anger. The phrase means purpose, resolve, a set jaw. Jesus knew the spotless Lamb would be sacrificed at Passover, and he knew he himself was that Lamb. The Son of Man did not cower, shrink, or waver when the time came for him to be lifted up.

Jesus sent messengers into a Samaritan village, and that move was bold. Jews did not want Samaritan dirt on their sandals, and Samaritans had no love for Jews either. The old hatred ran deep, with corrupt worship, rival temples, mixed religion, and years of bitterness sitting under the surface. The village rejected Jesus because his face was set toward Jerusalem, and that touched the nerve of the whole Jewish-Samaritan fight.

James and John saw the rejection and wanted to go all Elijah on them. Fire from heaven sounded fitting to two hot-headed brothers who still did not understand the spirit of Christ. Jesus rebuked them because the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. The mission field must not become the battlefield. The kingdom of God will never be advanced by force, outrage, or revenge.

Luke then sets three would-be disciples on the road. Jesus answers each one by cutting straight to the heart. The first man wants to follow, but Jesus says foxes have holes and birds have nests while the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. The second man wants to wait for inheritance and family duty, but Jesus says the spiritually alive must preach the kingdom. The third man wants to look back and get his house in order, but Jesus says no plowman can look backward and stay straight. Salvation is not merely deciding to like Jesus. Salvation is following Jesus, from now on, and keeping on following him.

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Key Takeaways

1. Jesus set his face like flint Jesus did not drift toward Jerusalem like a victim caught in circumstances. Jesus moved toward the cross with deliberate, unshakable resolve, knowing full well what waited there. The courage of Christ is not noise or bravado, but holy purpose under the full weight of suffering. [19:46]
2. The mission field is not battlefield The rejected village exposed how quickly zeal can turn into vengeance. James and John wanted fire, but Jesus came with salvation in view, even for people who wanted nothing to do with him. Believers lose the spirit of Christ when outrage trains the heart to see enemies where Christ sees sinners needing grace. [37:39]
3. Christ saves those others reject The Samaritans were despised by Jews and ready to despise Jews right back. Yet Jesus moved toward them on purpose, and later Samaria became fertile ground for the gospel. Christ’s grace often goes first to places religious people have already written off. [41:25]
4. Following Jesus is no sales pitch Jesus did not soften the cost for the man who sounded eager. The Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head, and that answer stripped away every prosperity dream dressed up as discipleship. Christ does not recruit fans of a better life, but followers who receive him as Lord even when comfort is not promised. [49:04]
5. A hand on the plow looks forward The plowman cannot keep a straight row while looking over his shoulder. The same truth holds spiritually, because divided attention bends the whole life crooked. Christ calls disciples to fix their eyes ahead, not because family, home, or comfort mean nothing, but because none of them can be allowed to rule the heart.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[07:16] - Prayer Requests And Opening Prayer
[10:29] - Still In Luke Nine
[10:56] - What Are The Gospels?
[14:54] - Jesus’ Death And Resurrection Are Everything
[15:59] - Luke 9:51 And A Face Set Toward Jerusalem
[18:31] - The Spotless Lamb Heads To Passover
[21:12] - Jesus Sends Messengers Into Samaria
[24:50] - Why Jews Despised Samaritans
[31:34] - Samaria Rejects The Journey To Jerusalem
[33:37] - James And John Want Fire
[37:16] - When The Mission Field Becomes Battlefield
[45:25] - Three Would-Be Disciples
[48:02] - Foxes, Birds, And No Place To Lay His Head
[54:15] - The Plowman Must Not Look Back

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 9:51-62
“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.'” [16:14]

Isaiah 50:7
“But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.” [15:48]

2 Kings 1:10-12
“But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, 'If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.' Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, 'O man of God, this is the king’s order, Come down quickly!' But Elijah answered them, 'If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.' Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.” [34:29]

Observation questions

In Luke 9:51-56, what reasons are given for why the Samaritan village did not receive Jesus?
What words and images in Luke 9:51 and Isaiah 50:7 show Jesus’ resolve to go to Jerusalem? [20:08]
In Luke 9:54, what did James and John want to do after the village rejected Jesus, and what Old Testament event were they echoing?
In Luke 9:57-62, what are the three different responses people give when the call to follow Jesus comes, and how does Jesus answer each one? [45:43]

Interpretation questions

Luke gives so much attention to Jesus moving toward Jerusalem. What does that suggest about the true center of the gospel story? [14:54]
Jesus rebuked James and John instead of praising their zeal. What does that reveal about the difference between fleshly zeal and the spirit of Christ? [36:46]
Jesus’ words to the three would-be disciples are very sharp. Why might hard words actually be merciful when someone is thinking lightly about following Him? [47:26]
Jesus says no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. What does that picture say about divided loyalties in the Christian life? [54:32]

Application questions

Jesus set His face like flint toward the cross. Where is there a need for that kind of settled obedience right now—something known to be right, but hard to walk in? [19:46]
The mission field must not become a battlefield. Where is anger, outrage, politics, or constant media consumption making it harder to see people as sinners needing grace? [38:09]
Jesus did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. Is there a person or group that has been treated more like an enemy to defeat than a soul to love? What would repentance look like there? [39:39]
“Foxes have holes… but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Has following Jesus ever been quietly tied to hopes of comfort, success, or an easier life? If so, how has that shown up? [49:49]
“Let me first” keeps showing up in these verses. What “let me first” has been competing with simple obedience to Christ lately—family expectations, money, image, habits, or something else?
A hand on the plow looks forward. What does “looking back” tend to be for this group—old sins, old identities, old relationships, old dreams, or just fear of what obedience will cost? [54:54]
Following Jesus is not just admiring Him or agreeing with Him. What would it look like this week to follow Him in one plain, concrete step instead of merely talking about spiritual intentions? [55:52]

Sermon Clips

45s

“``To be saved is to follow Jesus. It's a lifetime of following Jesus. It's not making a decision that you like him or making a decision that you think he's the son of you believe he's the son of God. Even the demons believe that. Salvation is following Jesus. The word follow is used three times in these six verses here. It's the it's the Greek word, and it and it's used in in here in the present imperative. Here again, I'm gonna try to impress you with my Greek knowledge. That means this is an ongoing command. It's something beyond the moment. It means follow me and keep on following me.”

56s

“The striking irony in all this is after the resurrection, the very first evangelist in Acts, where does he go? He went to Samaria. And after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples and commanded that the gospel be preached in Samaria. Peter and John ended up going there to pray for the Samaritan believers. The very people James and John once wanted to destroy became some of the first believers outside of Judea to receive the to receive the gospels. The very region that rejected him here in Luke nine became fertile ground for the gospel. Jesus knew that Samaritans were gonna reject him just like he knew the Jews were gonna reject him. And the disciples needed to learn that the answer to rejection is not destruction. It's Christ's grace.”

69s

“Am I making sense? You and I were never called to a battlefield. We're called to a mission field. There's so much hatred and so much violence in the news. Twenty four hours a day, it's it's it's on. And I and I like to tell people, just because the news is on twenty four hours a day does not mean you need to watch it for twenty four hours a day. And if twenty four hour news is not enough, it's all over social media. And it's just a slow, steady drumbeat of anger, hatred, outrage, revenge, and pretty soon before you know it, we're no different than James and John here.”

41s

“And we play right into the divisiveness of this country. When something happens like Charlie Kirk, you know, we're just we're just blind with with outrage, and we wanna find whoever did it and hang him from the rotunda in the white at the White House so that everybody can see it. We get saw we get so wrapped up in and when I say we get wrapped up in that stuff, I mean, we're constantly watching it. We're constantly reading about it. We're constantly consuming it. And if you're not real careful, you become just like these brothers. And pretty soon, what should be your mission field has now become your battlefield.”

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