Luke 9:53

And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(53) They did not receive him.—The reason thus given exactly agrees with what has been stated above. It will be remembered that when He had visited Samaria before, it was on His return, not directly from Jerusalem, but from some unknown region of Judæa where He had been baptising (John 3:22; John 4:3).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:51-56 The disciples did not consider that the conduct of the Samaritans was rather the effect of national prejudices and bigotry, than of enmity to the word and worship of God; and through they refused to receive Christ and his disciples, they did not ill use or injure them, so that the case was widely different from that of Ahaziah and Elijah. Nor were they aware that the gospel dispensation was to be marked by miracles of mercy. But above all, they were ignorant of the prevailing motives of their own hearts, which were pride and carnal ambition. Of this our Lord warned them. It is easy for us to say, Come, see our zeal for the Lord! and to think we are very faithful in his cause, when we are seeking our own objects, and even doing harm instead of good to others.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They did not receive him - Did not entertain him hospitably, or receive him with kindness.

Because his face was ... - Because they ascertained that he was going to Jerusalem. One of the subjects of dispute between the Jews and Samaritans pertained to the proper situation of the temple. The Jews contended that it should be at Jerusalem; the Samaritans, on Mount Gerizim, and accordingly they had built one there. They had probably heard of the miracles of Jesus, and that he claimed to be the Messiah. Perhaps they had hoped that he would decide that "they" were right in regard to the building of the temple. Had he decided the question in that way, they would have received him as the Messiah gladly; but when they saw that he was going among the Jews - that "by going" he would decide in their favor, they resolved to have nothing to do with him, and they rejected him. And from this we may learn:

1. That people wish all the teachers of religion to fall in with their own views.

2. That if a doctrine does not accord with their selfish desires, they are very apt to reject it.

3. That if a religious teacher or a doctrine favors a rival sect, it is commonly rejected without examination. And,

4. That people, from a regard to their own views and selfishness, often reject the true religion, as the Samaritans did the Son of God, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

53. did not receive him, because, &c.—The Galileans, in going to the festivals at Jerusalem, usually took the Samaritan route [Josephus, Antiquities, 20.6.1], and yet seem to have met with no such inhospitality. But if they were asked to prepare quarters for the Messiah, in the person of one whose "face was as though He would go to Jerusalem," their national prejudices would be raised at so marked a slight upon their claims. (See on [1615]Joh 4:20).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Luke 9:52"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And they did not receive him,.... The Ethiopic version reads "them", the messengers; but it should rather seem that they did receive the messengers, and promised them lodging and entertainment; being glad that so great a person would honour them with his presence, hoping that miracles would be done by him, among them; and that he would stay with them, and show some approbation of them, and their worship; but when Christ came in person, with his disciples and the multitude, they would not admit him; the reason follows,

because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem: by all circumstances, by his words and looks, and gestures; by all that they could see and hear, and learn from him, his determination was to make no stay with them, but proceed on to Jerusalem, after he had took a night's lodging with them, and had refreshed himself and company and therefore they would not receive him: it had been of a long time a controversy between the Jews and Samaritans, which was the right place of worship; whether at the temple at Jerusalem, or whether at their temple on Mount Gerizzim? Now if Christ would have interested himself in this contest, in favour of them, and would have staid with them, and worshipped where they did, they would have gladly received him; but they perceived he was going to Jerusalem, either to keep the feast of "tabernacles" there, or the feast of the dedication of the temple; and if the latter, it must be still more provoking to them, because it showed, that he preferred that temple to theirs: and however, it seems to be on this account that they would not admit him, because he favoured the temple worship at Jerusalem; otherwise his bare going thither, could not give the offence.

Geneva Study Bible

And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

53. they did not receive him] The aorist implies that they at once rejected Him. The Samaritans had shewn themselves heretofore not ill-disposed (John 4:39), and St Luke himself delights to record favourable notices of them (Luke 10:33, Luke 17:18). But (i) there was always a recrudescence of hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans at the recurrence of the annual feasts, (ii) Their national jealousy would not allow them to receive a Messiah whose goal was not Gerizim, but Jerusalem, (iii) They would not sanction the passage of a multitude of Jews through their territory, since the Jews frequently (though not always, Jos. Antt. xx. 6, § 1) chose the other route on the East of the Jordan.

as though he would go to Jerusalem] This national hatred between Jews and Samaritans (John 4:9) still continues, and at the present day it is mainly due to the fanaticism of the Jews. In our Lord’s day the Jews called the Samaritans ‘Cuthites’ (2 Kings 17:24), aliens (2 Kings 17:18), ‘that foolish people that dwell in Sichem’ (Sir 1:25-26), and other opprobrious names. They accused them of continuous idolatry (2 Kings 17), and charged them with false fire-signals, and with having polluted the Temple by scattering it with dead men’s bones (Jos. Antt. xx. 6, § I, Luke 18:2, § 2; B.J. 11. 12, § 3). No doubt originally their Monotheism was very hybrid, being mixed up with five heathen religions (2 Kings 17:33; 2Ki 17:37); but they had gradually laid aside idolatry, and it was as much a calumny of the ancient Jews to charge them with the worship of Rachel’s amulets (Genesis 35:4) as for modern Jews to call them ‘worshippers of the pigeon’ (Frankl. Jews in the East, 11. 334). But the deadly exacerbation between the two nations, which began after the Exile (Ezra 4:1-10; Nehemiah 4:1-16; Neh 4:6), had gone on increasing by perpetual collision since the building of the Temple on Gerizim by the renegade priest Manasseh and Sanballat (Nehemiah 13:28; Jos. Antt. xi. 7, xii. 5, § 5), which was destroyed by John Hyrcanus B.C. 129.

Bengel's Gnomen

Luke 9:53. Ὅτι, because) It was openly manifest that He was seeking to reach Jerusalem: this the Samaritans regarded with aversion [as being bitter enemies to Jewish ordinances of worship.—V. g.]—πρόσωπον, face) So the LXX. 2 Samuel 17:11, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου πορευόμενον ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. “Whithersoever the face is turned, thither is directed the ardour of mind which conquers every difficulty.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 53. - And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. Here the kindly overtures were rejected by the inhabitants of the Samaritan village in question. The reason alleged by them was that this Teacher, who wished to come among them, was on his way up to worship at the rival temple at Jerusalem. Luke 9:53