For the Lord God will help Me, therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. Isaiah 50:7 "Set your face like flint is the figure of speech the prophet uses to describe the Messiah's unwavering determination to persevere in the excruciating task set before Him. Christ would endure humiliation on His journey to the cross to die for our sins. Nearly 800 years before it happened, Isaiah foretold the suffering of the Lord's Servant: He writes, "I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting" Isaiah 50:6;
In, Luke's Gospels, verse 9:51, tells us "And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem," This begins a major section of Luke's gospel. From here to chapter 19:27, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ's face was set toward Jerusalem and Luke's narrative is a travelogue of that long journey to the cross. This was a dramatic turning point in Christ's ministry. After this, Galilee was no longer His base of operation. Jesus was not trying to avoid Jerusalem or the cross. He had a job to do, and He was determined to do it, even knowing that it would cost, His life. The bible tells us in Luke 9:52 this, "And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him." Jesus was determine to die for man kind, to give his life for the world "Because his face was set to go to Jerusalem": Traveling to Jerusalem for worship implied rejection of the rituals on Mt. Gerizim and a contempt for Samaritan worship. This was a strong point of contention between Jews and Samaritans (John 4:20-22). Jesus is the Savior of the world, not the Destroyer. The scriptures tells us "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."John 10:10 Jesus healed and delivered, He did not destroy. Jesus had the spirit of love, not hate. Jesus never was pushy. When they refused Him in Samaria, He just went to a Hebrew village close by. This feud between the Samaritans and orthodox Jews continued and was heated on both sides. We see here, that these Samaritans turned Jesus down for coming to minister, because He was headed for the temple in Jerusalem where they had been forbidden to worship. Jesus, The Saviour of the world demonstrated His love for us, when He died on Calvary's cross.
