Today happens to be another one of my favorite Bible readings, in particular, one line.
Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?
Jesus said No, do not do it.
It was Jesus’ time to go to Jerusalem, and his expected path would take him through a Samaritan village (remember that Jews and Samaritans did NOT get along). James and John were filled with the Holy Spirit and wanted to send down the fire from Heaven to destroy this particular village. I cannot say that I blame them for the wish to use their new powers in a stunning way.
Empowered to Do Something Powerful, But The Wrong Intent This Time.
Jesus redirected his group via a separate set of paths, and nobody got hurt. This was a much better move for Jesus’ Group. The Jewish populace would have liked some doom and gloom on the Samaritans. But, this was not going to happen on Jesus’ watch.
This sort of lines up with today’s often used analogy “Be careful what you wish (pray) for.” Often times, it turns out just like you hoped. And, you get to see the ill effects without fire falling from the Heavens.
