The online KPPI (Praise and Divine Healing Service) was held again on Thursday, September 24, 2020 through the Live Streaming program on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

The Word of God was delivered by Rev. Jacob B. Sumbayak, taken from Luke 9:51-56 about a Samaritan village that rejects Jesus.

The Samaritans Reject Jesus

Luke 9:51-56 (NKJV) “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.”

At that time Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead of Him. They entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare all things for Him. But the Samaritans didn’t receive Jesus. Luke 9:54 states that James and John were so angry because the Samaritans in this village refused to let Jesus come to the village, because they knew Jesus was going to Jerusalem. The Jews and the Samaritans were enemies for hundreds of years. They both worshiped the God of Jacob, believed in Abraham and Moses, but they quareled over certain things.

This made James and John so angry that they felt that the Samaritans should be punished. They urged Jesus to let them call fire down from heaven to burn the Samaritans. They might remember that Elijah had called fire to come down from heaven and burn his offering, so they asked Jesus to be allowed to call fire to come down from heaven and burn the Samaritans.

Jesus was actually able to bring fire down from heaven, like Elijah did and maybe even His disciples were able to do it, because Jesus is the powerful Son of God. When there was a great storm on the lake, Jesus simply said, “Peace, be still!” then the wind died down and the lake was completely calmed. When Jesus was going to be arrested to be crucified, Jesus only said to them, “I am He,” and all the soldiers drew back and fell to the ground. That’s the powerful Jesus.

John and James, two brothers of Jesus’ disciples whom Jesus called sons of thunder (Mark 3:17), were hot-tempered, harsh and violent. They are not afraid of anything, are very brave, but also quick-tempered, so that Jesus called them as the sons of thunders because of their impulsive behavior. But what was Jesus’ response when these two disciples were angry and wanted to burn these Samaritans?

Jesus Didn’t Come to Destroy, but to Save

Luke 9: 55 says: “But He turned and rebuked them…” So, the two disciples’ suggestion to bring down the fire was not approved. In fact, they were rebuked by Jesus. Because they really did not know what kind of spirit they had over them that made them so angry. Jesus actually wanted to say, “I did not come to destroy men, to kill men, or to burn men, but I came to save them.”

This is the love of Jesus. In the end, these two hard and harsh disciples were completely changed by God to become so full of love. Why? Because God is love and Jesus showed that He is a loving God by showing love in His actions. As a matter of fact, James was the Jesus’ first disciple, among the eleven disciples, who died as the martyr for the love of Jesus. Whereas John was the disciple who wrote John’s letter. If we read his letters, they are about love. In fact, he confidently said that love for the brother and for others, was a sign of a new life.

Jesus, God of Love

Jesus is indeed the Son of God, who teaches love for God Himself is love, and Jesus came from heaven to teach about love. Jesus did not teach repaying evil for evil. Jesus does not teach repaying mockery for mockery. Instead Jesus teaches about love. Because God is love, Jesus teaches that God does not want to destroy humans, but wants to save humans. That’s what Jesus taught.

Matthew 5: 43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,” Jesus teaches to love others, not just love those whom we love. Jesus said in Matthew 5: 46-47, “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?”

Jesus also teaches us to love those who hate us. Jesus also showed this love by His actions. Even though He was rejected by the Samaritans, Jesus did not repay them. It is Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God who came down from heaven, who taught us to love.

Jesus came to redeem the sinners. Jesus came to forgive us. Jesus is real and if we believe in Him, then we will feel love, so that we can love ourselves, we won’t hate ourselves, and don’t want to kill ourselves, we can even love others.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” He came because He loves us. He came because He knew that no one can pay the debts of sin, and that all men have sinned, and lost the glory of God. He wanted to die for us on the cross. Jesus is the image of God’s love, and He showed His love by actions. When He was hung on the cross, to the people who crucified Him, did He pay back? Did He burn those crucified Him on the cross? No, He did not.

The Word of God Luke 23:34 tells of Jesus saying, “Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.” While those who crucified Him cast lots to determine who would get Jesus’ clothes, He prayed to the Father in heaven that they would be forgiven.

Our sins are too heavy to carry. Maybe there are some of us who want to end our life because you feel so heavy in life, and feel unfortunate to be born on this earth. But Jesus loves us. He came to forgive, save and give us eternal life, so that we can feel how fortunate to be born and loved by God. Will we trust Him? We are the people whom God has been awaited to believe in Him.

By Jesus’ stripes We Are Healed

Isaiah 53: 5 “But He was wounded or our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

Not only did Jesus take our sins and save us through His death on the cross, but also by His stripes we are healed. Jesus knows how much we suffer when we are sick, so this Word of God says that by His stripes we are healed, as long as we believe in Him. Put your trust in Jesus. Two thousand years ago Jesus healed the lepers, the mute, the blind, the lame, and even raised the dead. Jesus is also able to heal you. [YF/EM]