Luke 9:51-62
Proper 8 / Year C
“Lord, do
you want us to call down fire from heaven?”
We
join Jesus as he begins his final journey to Jerusalem. Now, there are two main ways to walk from
Galilee to get there. The longer route
follows the Jordon River south to Jericho, then turns west and climbs upward to
the Holy City. The shorter option, which
most Jews avoid, loops south and west but requires a traveler to pass through
the region of Samaria.
The
divide between Jews and Samaritans is deep and long-standing. Although the history is complicated, at its
root lies the divinely chosen place to worship.
Jews hold Abraham offers his son to God on the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem. Samaritans believe it in
happens at Mt. Gerizim right in their own backyard. Think of this as being like the debate
between Virginia and New England about the first Thanksgiving, only on a
massive dose of steroids. There is a lot
of bad blood between these two peoples, and, over the ages, a lot of blood has
been spilled. Jesus opts for the more
direct route which leads to an inevitable clash of cultures.
It
is not at all unusual a Samaritan village refuses to welcome Jesus and his walking
companions as they pass through town. Still,
in Middle Eastern culture withholding hospitality is an insult and offense of
unimaginable proportions. Brothers James
and John – two hotheads given the nicknames “Sons of Thunder” – have the
strongest reaction. They want to call
down fire from heaven.
It
is unclear if they are drawing upon a popular expression in their day or think
of this as a literal possibility. But
this we know, their response is rooted in Scripture. Ahaziah, who ruled of the region of Samaria 900
years earlier, sends fifty of his guard to arrest Elijah. When they come for him, the prophet calls
down fire from heaven which consumes them.
This happens a second time. A
third platoon is spared only when their officer repents and begs Elijah for
mercy. It is not the first time the old
prophet calls on God to light up the skies in judgment. Do you remember how he once contested with
the prophets of Baal to see whose God could bring down fire to consume a
sacrificial offering. While the
followers of Baal come up empty, Elijah’s fire incinerates not only the
offering, but also the false prophets.
James
and John are so inflamed they want to call down the same heaven-born inferno on
the people who will not welcome them. Then, as now, anger coupled with religious fervor
and the strength to dominate your foe is a potent combination easily perverted
by our worst human instincts.
What
exactly is driving James and John? Here
are some possibilities they desire:
·
Retribution:
punishment for an offense suitable to the wrong done. Think the Last Judgment when God imposes what
a person deserves.
·
Reprisal: an act
of retaliation in response to a harm suffered.
Think one country responding in kind to a negative action of another,
say a tariff war.
·
Vindictiveness: the
desire to harm another for a harmful act you are not willing to forgive. Think of a politician in the minority party
who turns the tables when his party comes into power.
·
Spitefulness:
seeking to hurt someone who has hurt you by actions not at all related to the
offense. Think of a coworker constantly undermining
others because she was passed over for a promotion.
·
Vengeance: a
punishment inflicted for an injury or a wrong.
Think Clint Eastwood’s character in every western he ever filmed.
Of
this list I suppose vengeance is the most apt description for what James and
John seek. Still, what they seek violates
the ancient moral and legal principle of “lex talionis” – the idea justice demands
the severity of punishment to be directly proportional to the harm or offense committed.
The
text tells us Jesus rebukes the thunderous brothers. In fact, the whole of Jesus’ teachings and
his actions throughout the gospels calls on his followers to forgo retribution,
reprisal, vindictiveness, spite, and vengeance in all their forms and potential
applications. It is one of the most
difficult things he teaches and yet his words and witness have brough serenity
to countless millions who have heeded his counsel and concord to countless
situations where his ethic has been applied.
When you are motivated by malice mercy has its merits.
Well
before he sets his face toward Jerusalem, Jesus holds forth on a mountainside
over-looking the Sea of Galilee, preaching a sermon which addresses a wide variety
of subjects. Here is how The Message
Bible translates one:
“Don’t
pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of
course, you want the same treatment. Don’t
condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot
easier. Give away your life; you’ll find
life given back, but not merely given back – given back with bonus and
blessing. Giving, not getting, is the
way. Generosity begets generosity.” (Luke 6:8)
Many
bibles end this verse with the phrase, “the measure you give is the measure you
will get.” I counsel folk there are
times when, after suffering over and over and over at the hands of another, you
must stand up for yourself and draw a line, like when God gives the unrepentant
Pharoah the measure he deserves for his long-term enslavement and mistreatment
of the Hebrew people. But the episode here
with the Samaritan village is not like that.
As
you move forward, when facing a potentially volatile situation, how I hope you
will ponder how James and John reacted and how Jesus responded to them. And, as always, I hope you will pray seeking his
presence and power in your life in order to respond as a faithful disciple of
his word and a provocative witness of his wisdom.
Anger
coupled with religious fervor and the strength to dominate your foe is a potent
combination easily perverted by our worst human instincts. When you are motivated by malice remember mercy
has its merits.
