Unvarnished Jesus: A Lenten JourneyEjemplo

Monday, March 18

Luke 9:51–56

Jesus Is Rejected by a Samaritan village

Jesus and His disciples had been refused hospitality in a Samaritan village, and James and John had a “biblical” idea of how to respond to the insult. The disciples asked if they could call down fire from heaven and burn up the Samaritans just as Elijah had called down fire from heaven and burned up a hundred soldiers sent to arrest him. James and John — whom Jesus called the “Sons of Thunder” — asked the Prince of Peace to launch a drone strike. But Jesus was unimpressed and rebuked His disciples for an idea that, though “biblical,” was completely contrary to the spirit of Jesus. Just because it’s in the Bible doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a Jesus idea. Sometimes the Bible is like a Rorschach test, telling us more about ourselves than about God. Try to think about that today.