Fire from Heaven
Luke 9 records Jesus giving instructions and guidelines for what is expected of those who would follow him. Jesus’ words are important to consider. As we live life, what is more important than understanding how to be a follower, a disciple of Jesus? We have seen over the past few weeks that the start of Christian discipleship is learning to bend our will to God’s will. In other words, we must make Jesus our highest priority. When we place Jesus as #1 in our life, we will find a new identity. When God adopts us as his sons and daughters, we truly find life and meaning. After setting a new priority and finding a new identity, Jesus instructs us to live a new mindset of mercy. Consider this discussion between Jesus and his disciples in Luke 9:52-55: “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. (NIV)
Wow, how intolerant and judgmental were these followers of Jesus? Truth be told, we are often like these short-tempered men. How often do we want to blow someone up when he or she interrupts our day, our agenda, or what we had planned? When do we give someone the “glare of doom”? How many times do we read someone the riot act after they fail to live up to our expectations? These disciples who wanted to call fire down on those who disrespected Jesus had just seen one of their heroes, Elijah, the day before. Earlier in Luke 9, Jesus had been praying on a mountain top. After He prayed, his divine glory shone forth. The theological term for this is “The Transfiguration of Jesus.” Along with seeing Jesus’ divine glory shine forth, the disciples saw Elijah and Moses appear before Jesus. How amazing! These followers of Jesus were awestruck, and it was after this momentous event that Jesus’ disciples were offended with the rude villagers. Perhaps when Jesus was turned away at the Samaritan village, the disciples were remembering what Elijah did with fire in the Old Testament.
On two separate occasions, Elijah had fire rain down on those who disrespected God. Perhaps you might remember the Mt. Carmel showdown between Elijah and the false prophets of Baal (read 1 Kings 18 for this interesting story). The second time is a lesser-known event in 2 Kings 1 when the evil Israelite King Ahaziah is trying to kill Elijah. Ahaziah sends a group of soldiers to capture Elijah. As these men go out, they find Elijah on a hill. They call out, “Oh man of God, come down.” Elijah replies, “If I am a man of God, fire will come down and consume you,” and with that statement, fire falls and burns the 50 men to death. Upon hearing his first group failed, King Ahaziah sends a second group of soldiers. They too are burned to a crisp. Finally, a third attachment of soldiers is sent. When the commander of the third group finds Elijah, he falls to his knees and begs, “Will you please come see the king?”
This story of Elijah involving fire and judgment is the kind of power this world can relate to. We are drawn to displays of power like this, yet this is not the way that Jesus operated. Understand this, Jesus could have called fire down on that disrespectful Samaritan village. Jesus, the God-Man, had the power to heal as well as to destroy. As the Creator of the universe, Jesus had all power at His disposal. Yet He came to this world to redeem, save and show mercy. As followers of Jesus, we are called to do the same. Let’s admit that mercy and grace are not always the easiest attributes to show to a world that often hurts and offends us. However, this is a vital part of being a follower of Jesus. If we are to embrace Christian discipleship, we must carefully and intentionally obey His commands. We must make Jesus our highest priority. We must find our identity and meaning in Him. We must live a new mindset of mercy. We must love as He loved. Keep looking up!