“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51-53 NIV)

Previously in this chapter, Jesus had fed the five thousand, been proclaimed the Messiah by Peter, been transfigured on the mountaintop and drove out a demon. He was gaining popularity by the day.  He was becoming successful according to most people's standards. Jesus could have easily taken some time to bask in His growing popularity and success.  For many of us, this is the pinnacle of our life's work, a place of popularity and success. For Jesus, it was not.  Being well-liked by the crowds was not His mission.  He didn't confuse short-term gains with the end-goal. So He resolutely set out for Jerusalem where He would fulfill His mission here in earth.  

Just because people want what you have doesn't make them your mission.  This is probably one of the hardest things to learn as a ministry in a city of great need.  The people in the Samaritan village certainly needed Jesus.  Everyone was waiting for Him to come into their village and town so that people could be healed. Jesus clearly stated what His mission was, "Go to Jerusalem so I can be betrayed by men and die. (Luke 9:44, Mark 9:31)  Because His ultimate mission was clear, and clearly not in Samaria, they rejected Him.  Rejection is a hard thing to handle.  You cannot possibly meet everyone's needs, but you can meet some people's needs well. When you clearly state your personal / organizational mandate from God, there will be many who reject you because they want something different from you.  Don't get sidetracked from your ultimate mission simply because of others.  The Samaritans wanted Jesus to stay and help them, not their "enemies."  The irony here is that Jesus couldn't save the Samaritans unless He went past them to Jerusalem.

So many of us are happy only when people like us and call us successful.  Something in our psyche needs to be loved and appreciated for what we've done.  It's the rare individual / organization that can bypass short-term gains for long-term missional success.  Jesus came to save humanity on the cross.  Once He set his face toward that goal, he didn't waver.  In fact, He never wavered.  May we be the same way, never wavering from our mandate to make disciples of all nations. (Matt 28:19-20)