Luke 9:51-56 — Sons of Thunder

READ THIS: Luke 9:51-56

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 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?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

Verse 51 shows us a really cool thing about Jesus: He knew what He was getting Himself into! The verse says that as the days came closer to Christ being betrayed, tortured, mocked, and killed, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Doing something resolutely, according to google, means doing something “purposeful, determined, and unwavering manner.” Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him, but He chose to trust in God’s plan rather than waver in fear… what an important reminder for us!

These next verses show us a kind of funny story about the disciples with another important lesson for us. Despite sending people ahead of Him to a Samaritan village, the people there did not welcome Jesus into their town. A lot of this was likely because of the prejudice and hate often thrown out between the Israelite and Samaritan people. The Samaritans knew Jesus was just passing through and that His real destination was Jerusalem, so they were probably a little salty about that.

But get this… When James and John, two brothers who were also some of Jesus’s disciples, heard about this news, they asked Jesus if it would be alright by Him to send down fire from heaven to obliterate them! They were insulted and angry that someone would treat Jesus rudely, but Jesus calls them out for thinking of such a rash and angry decision to the problem.

The lesson we can learn here actually ties in from what we learned in verse 51: Jesus knew what He was signing up for when He went to the cross, and He also had the power to stop it! I mean, Jesus literally could have made fire fall down on the people trying to kill Him, right? But He didn’t. He loved His enemies the way He loved His friends… till the very end! And He calls us to love people the same way.

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Can you think of a time in your life when you felt your faith waver or shake? What helps you keep your faith in God steady?

2. Who is someone in your life that can be hard to love (maybe don’t name them here… just think about them)? How can you love that person the way you love the closest people in your life?

TRY THIS:

James and John, the two disciples mentioned in this story, were also called the “Sons of Thunder.” Check out this story (and their nickname) being shown in a creative way in this clip of The Chosen!

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