In Luke 9:49–56, Jesus teaches his disciples two important lessons about doing good and responding to rejection. When they try to stop someone outside their group from casting out demons in his name, Jesus tells them not to—reminding them that anyone doing good is on their side. And when a Samaritan village rejects him, James and John want to call down fire in anger, but Jesus rebukes them and simply moves on. Together, these stories show us that true discipleship means celebrating good wherever we see it and extending love even to those who reject us, because Jesus’ love is wide enough to embrace outsiders and enemies alike.

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Good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Monday as we begin a new week together. I hope you’re well. We’re in that time of year we like to call the “fall semester” at church. Yesterday morning was cool, and I told the church not to be fooled—this isn’t fall. Mississippi weather just likes to tease us with a little crispness before turning back to 1,000 degrees. So don’t get too comfortable yet!

Today we continue our journey in Luke, still in chapter 9. Luke’s chapters are long—longer than most of the other gospels—so we’ll take our time. Our reading is Luke 9:49–56, and I want to connect two stories that fit well together.

John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he does not follow us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way, they entered a Samaritan village to make ready for him, but they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

I like putting these two stories together because they show us something about how Jesus understood doing good.

First, James and John—nicknamed the “sons of thunder.” Preachers like to joke that would make a great WWE tag team name. And here, they live up to it. They’re angry because a Samaritan village rejects Jesus, and their solution is, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven and burn them up?” That’s quite a response! It’s almost as if Jesus says, “Guys, let’s turn the jets down a little bit. Maybe don’t go straight to consuming fire from heaven.”

The first story, though, is about outsiders doing good. The disciples see someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name, but he’s not one of them. So they want to shut him down. But Jesus says no: If he’s not against you, he’s for you.

This is a theme in Luke. Jesus is always widening the circle—going to the margins, welcoming the least, the last, and the lost. John wanted to say, “He’s not on our team, so stop him.” But Jesus says, “If he’s doing good, let him keep doing it. The world needs more good.”

That’s a word for us today. Good doesn’t only come from people who agree with us in every detail. It doesn’t only come from people who share our theology, our politics, or even our church. In fact, sometimes it’s not even just Christians who do good. And right now, our world needs all the good it can get.

Then comes the rejection by the Samaritans. They won’t receive Jesus because he’s headed to Jerusalem, and the old divisions between Jews and Samaritans are still alive. But notice this: in Luke 10, just one chapter later, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. Think about that. The very people who reject him here are the ones he holds up as the hero of love and compassion in the next chapter.

That’s the depth of Jesus’ love. He doesn’t just love those who welcome him. He loves those who reject him. He doesn’t just see enemies. He sees potential neighbors, even heroes. His love is wide enough to embrace those who say “no” to him.

So what lessons do we take away today? First, celebrate good wherever you see it. If someone is doing good in Jesus’ name—or even if they don’t share all your allegiances—rejoice that good is being done. We need more of it in this world.

Second, pray for the grace to see even those who reject you as people God can use for good. Jesus looked at the Samaritans who turned him away and, not long after, made a Samaritan the hero of one of his greatest parables. That’s the depth of his love.

So today, let’s do good wherever we can. Let’s celebrate the good we see in others. And let’s ask God to stretch our hearts, so we can love like Jesus loves—even those who reject us.

Thanks for being with me today. I look forward to walking with you through Luke this week. Have a wonderful Monday, and we’ll see you tomorrow.