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. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village.
–Luke 9:51-56 (TNIV)
Yesterday I preached a sermon on persevering in prayer. I asserted that how and what we think about God will determine whether we pray to God at all, let alone persevere in prayer. I then offered a litany of biblical characterizations of God, spanning from Genesis to Revelation, that paints a compelling picture of God and which should make most of us want to persist in our prayers to him, even when we do not fully understand his purposes for us.
In today’s passage, we see another example of one of God’s essential characteristics–mercy. The Jews and Samaritans of Jesus’ day were like oil and water. They just didn’t mix. In today’s story Luke tells us implicitly what James and John were nicknamed “the sons of thunder.” The Samaritans ticked them off and they wanted to return tit-for-tat. How much like the world’s values!
It is also fascinating to wonder how these two thought they had the power to destroy the village in the first place. Did they think they could do so because they followed Jesus? If so, they were badly mistaken. Judgment there will be, but the cross is the symbol of God’s judgment, not fire, for those who believe.
But Jesus would have none of James’ and John’s nonsense. He scolded them and told them to move on. Notice carefully that he refrained from condemning the Samaritan village. He simply moved on. He does likewise with us because he loves us and true love never imposes itself on anyone.
We therefore have a choice to make. Will we invite Jesus to stay with us for awhile or will we refuse him a place to stay, thus forcing him to move on?