Jump Start # 803

Luke 9:54 “When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them.”

The clock was ticking. Time was nearing for Jesus to head to Jerusalem. He had an appointment with the Cross. He knew that. This is why He came. Jesus sent a messenger on ahead to make arrangements in Samaria. The journey from Galilee to Judea would take them through Samaria. The people of Samaria didn’t think much of Jews, and the feelings were mutual, except for Jesus. When the Samaritans understood that these traveling Jews were headed toward Jerusalem, not away from there, no hospitality was extended. They would have to go elsewhere. The messengers reported back to Jesus that they were not welcome in that one Samaritan village.

When James and John  heard about the refusal of hospitality, they wanted permission to send fire from Heaven and burn up those people. It was a “we’ll show you” spirit. Jesus immediately shut that idea down. He told James and John that they did not know what spirit that they had and that Jesus came to save and not destroy.

Fire coming down from Heaven sounds like the destruction that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah, but that was a long, long time ago. James and John had never seen fire coming down from Heaven. They had never sent fire from Heaven before. They had never seen Jesus do this. Where this revengeful and hateful spirit came from is not known. This would not be the only rejection that Jesus would receive. Was Jesus to burn up everyone who disagreed or rejected Him?

What is most remarkable about James and John is that they were not new on the scene. They had been traveling with Jesus for three years. They had witnessed the Lord’s compassion. They saw Him casting demons out of children. They saw Him making the blind see. They saw Him defending God’s truth. They never saw Jesus cussing. They never saw Jesus losing His cool. They never saw Jesus sending fire. They never saw Jesus kill anyone.

It is amazing that those who were with Jesus didn’t catch His spirit. Not at first. Later they would. This then shouldn’t surprise us that the followers of Jesus today often have a different spirit than Jesus. Some can be very negative. Some can be very selfish. Some do not seem very spiritual. Some, like James and John, would rather burn someone up than save them. There can be a huge disconnect between the wonderful spirit of the Gospels and the attitude of followers.

We see the same things in families. Parents can be kind and sweet and the children grow to be real pills. They didn’t catch the spirit of the parents.

This brings us to take a serious look within ourselves. Sitting in a church building listening to lessons about Jesus, does it change me? Does it move me to be more like Him? Is anything happening on the inside? Faith in Christ changes a person. It’s more than a check list of things that are right. It is about values, ideals, principles, character and becoming.

A James and John in a church today, can run folks off. The firm hand, demanding tone, harsh and critical attitudes cripples a congregation. I have seen it before. I have experienced it before. Little compassion. No room for grace. No second chances. No love. Those that walk to that drumbeat do not get that from Jesus. He was not that way. They do not come to that conclusion after a thorough study of the Gospels. No. It’s a part of them that they never let go of. There is an aspect of their heart that never became converted. And as a result, they walk through life with a twisted image of the way God wants things. They always hold out the chance to bring down fire upon someone who doesn’t line up the way that they should.

The carnage is terrible. Ruined young preachers…families feeling condemned…people told that they were Hell bound…young people never trusted. Firm grip on the flock. Fear and guilt forcing obedience. The atmosphere is more like a prison than Christ. What is missing is the abundant life that Jesus offers. What is missing is joy and peace. What is missing is Christ.

James and John didn’t get it. Sometimes I don’t get it. We have to fight the need to bring down fire. We have to fight sitting in the Judgment Seat. Our role is to help. Our call is the Gospel. Our model is Jesus. All the good we believe in is lost when we carry the spirit of calling down fire.

James and John finally got it. John wrote more about love than any one else. Love each other he would say. If you don’t love, you don’t have God. The call for fire had changed. He was calling for love. He understood what Jesus was about. Saving, not destroying, is the message of the Gospel.

Instead of praying that God sends fire and burns up others, maybe I ought to pray that God helps me be more like Jesus. Maybe I ought to be thankful that God doesn’t send fire. He might send it upon me for thinking such terrible thoughts about others! We all have Samaritans in our lives. Those are the people who don’t want to help. They are interested in the opposite direction than what we are going. They oppose. They deny. They get in the way. They can be a real pain. Fire? No. Love, yes! You don’t show them Jesus by sending fire.

Have you noticed that when God won’t send fire down from Heaven, we manufacture our own version of fire. We ignore. We talk about them. We do little things that irritate. We push their buttons. We avoid. We shun. We do not invite. Our tone changes, our expression changes when they are around. We don’t like them and we let them know that. What is all of that stuff? It’s nothing more than our version of “fire from Heaven.” We’ll show them. We’ll put them in their place. We’ll keep them from having a good day. We can be pretty good at making fire.

Maybe more would take us seriously if we stopped the fire business and started acting like Jesus. He went to Samaria. He told the messengers to find another village that they could stay at. He came to save Samaritans as well as Jews.

Fire or love? Destroy or save? How are you treating those around you? Sometimes the people of Jesus do not act very much like Jesus. Maybe it’s time we started!

Roger