What does Luke 9:56 mean?

A Samaritan village refuses to show Jesus hospitality. In defense of Jesus' honor, James and John offer to call fire down from heaven to consume the people. Jesus rebukes them (Luke 9:50–55).

This is not the first time the disciples have watched Jesus respond to rejection by walking away. When He came to His hometown of Nazareth and read from Isaiah to show that He is the Jewish Messiah, the townspeople wanted to throw Him off a cliff for blasphemy. "But passing through their midst, he went away" (Luke 4:16–30).

On the other side of the Sea of Galilee, in Decapolis, Jesus healed a man of a legion of demons, which resulted in a herd of demonized pigs running down the hill into the sea. When the people realized what Jesus had done, they responded in fear and begged Him to go…so He went (Luke 8:26–39).

Jesus is not afraid to give people time to let His message permeate minds and hearts. We don't know how many in Nazareth eventually came to a saving faith, but we know Jesus' brothers did (Acts 1:14). When Jesus left Decapolis, the man He healed stayed behind to tell others what God had done. When Jesus returned to the area, He was met by a crowd of about four thousand men, plus women and children, who wanted to receive His healing and hear His teaching (Matthew 15:32–39; Mark 8:1–10).

As for these specific Samaritans, we don't know what happens to them. Jesus met a woman in Sychar at Jacob's well, a town in Samaria; based on her testimony and their own hearing of Jesus, many in her town believed (John 4:1–42). When Jesus heals ten blind men, the only one to turn around and thank Him is a Samaritan (Luke 17:16). And when John is building the church in Jerusalem, he will be called to Samaria to validate the conversion of a great many thanks to the work of Philip. John and Peter will lay their hands on the new believers and stand astonished when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. As they return to Jerusalem, they will preach the gospel in other Samarian towns (Acts 8:4–25).

In these last two stories of Luke 9, we discover that Jesus' ministry isn't stagnant. Movement fills the stories. Jesus is going toward Jerusalem; the messengers went to the town; then they went to another town; they were going along the road; a man offered to follow Jesus; two men wanted to go home first before going with Jesus. Jesus does not let rejection discourage Him. He will leave when He is rejected but stay and do good when people are receptive.

When we feel rejected, it's a good idea to talk it out and find out the reason. But after we do, we can feel free to continue on to the next thing God has planned for us.