We're not the people of revenge....
Luke 9 1When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3He told them: "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. 4Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." 6So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
Luke 9 51As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56and they went to another village.
A few things going on here. We have the disciples being instructed on how they are to act when people openly reject the Gospel. Don’t seek vindication, shake the dust off your feet and move on.
How quickly people, even those closest to Christ, forget because later we see (in the same chapter no less) that James and John ask Jesus for permission to call down fire from heaven when they are rejected by a town.
It’s interesting to see that the disciples are a lot like us. They forgot Christ’s instruction, they were offended by the rejection of their faith, and they wanted revenge. Now, Christians don’t always want revenge when it comes to outright rejection of the Gospel, but sometimes Christians have been known to make statements to the effect.
Think of how many times you’ve heard “if only San Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake; that would show the gays!” “If only an earthquake destroyed Hollywood. That would teach ‘em”
There are also times when we (especially conservative American Christians) have succumbed to the temptation of desiring the ungodly (targets include: democrats, the Clintons, abortionists, skeptics, & celebrities) to be destroyed in the here and now.
We, like the disciples, need the rebuke of Jesus to remind us to shake the dust off our feet, and let God be God in those situations. Vindication, or the desire thereof, is not our responsibility. We know from the Psalms that God will judge the ungodly, and there is a sense where we will long for it, but we should never crave it or find a sense of satisfaction in the empty plight of those who reject the Gospel.
Luke 9 51As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56and they went to another village.
A few things going on here. We have the disciples being instructed on how they are to act when people openly reject the Gospel. Don’t seek vindication, shake the dust off your feet and move on.
How quickly people, even those closest to Christ, forget because later we see (in the same chapter no less) that James and John ask Jesus for permission to call down fire from heaven when they are rejected by a town.
It’s interesting to see that the disciples are a lot like us. They forgot Christ’s instruction, they were offended by the rejection of their faith, and they wanted revenge. Now, Christians don’t always want revenge when it comes to outright rejection of the Gospel, but sometimes Christians have been known to make statements to the effect.
Think of how many times you’ve heard “if only San Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake; that would show the gays!” “If only an earthquake destroyed Hollywood. That would teach ‘em”
There are also times when we (especially conservative American Christians) have succumbed to the temptation of desiring the ungodly (targets include: democrats, the Clintons, abortionists, skeptics, & celebrities) to be destroyed in the here and now.
We, like the disciples, need the rebuke of Jesus to remind us to shake the dust off our feet, and let God be God in those situations. Vindication, or the desire thereof, is not our responsibility. We know from the Psalms that God will judge the ungodly, and there is a sense where we will long for it, but we should never crave it or find a sense of satisfaction in the empty plight of those who reject the Gospel.
posted by Bobby's blog at 11:41 AM
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