06/20/2024 – Knowing the Spirit of God
Luke 9 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[b]?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.
When the Samaritans rejected our Lord Jesus, James and John suggested that Jesus should enable them to command fire from heaven to burn the Samaritans. They based their request on the power God gave Elijah, who called on God to send fire from heaven to consume God’s enemies.
This idea in the minds of the sons of Zebedee came from a lifetime of discord. Over generations, a deep-rooted anger grew between Jews and Samaritans. They both said and did things to reinforce a cycle of mistrust. A wall was built between them. We all have Samaritans in our lives. These are people in our own family, our own country with whom we do not agree. They have done things to offend us that naturally make us desire their harm. But this resentment will only lead to harm for us and the kingdom of God. The love of God is powerful to overcome this barrier! Our Lord made a point of emphasizing the need to break down these barriers that keep brother fighting against brother. You must take the initiative! Do you know what Spirit you belong to?
Power resides in the spirit. We must always be guided by the Spirit, but especially in our participation in God’s power. Our instincts drive us to destruction. Our first response when we face disappointment is anger against those we consider responsible for our frustrations. Left to ourselves, we would destroy all the good that God has created. What is required for salvation is not the destruction of our enemies, but the empowerment of our love!