12 Ordinary Men, Week 8
Notes
Transcript
Fire from Heaven
Fire from Heaven
Jesus is preparing to pass through Samaria. He was heading to Jerusalem for the final Passover, which He knew would culminate in His death, burial, and resurrection. If we ever wonder why James and John were called the Sons of Thunder, let’s look at Luke 9:51-56 for the response they give when the Samaritans rejected Jesus:
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.
53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
55 But he turned and rebuked them.
56 And they went on to another village.
Why did Jesus go through Samaria, knowing rejection would come? Remember back to who the Samaritans were, they were a people of mixed Jewish and Gentile ancestry who claimed descent from Jacob and worshiped the God of Israel, but felt that Mount Gerizim rather than Jerusalem was the holy site for worship. They engaged the Jews in bitter rivalry, often leading to political hostilities in Jesus’ day, sometimes requiring Roman intervention. Plainly put, the Jews didn’t want anything to do with the Samaritans because of their impurity, and the Samaritans didn’t want anything to do with the Jews because of their piety. It was significant that Jesus chose to travel through Samaria. Even though the shortest route from Galilee to Jerusalem went right through Samaria, most Jews traveling between those two places deliberately took a route that required them to travel many miles out of the way through the barren desert of Perea—requiring them to cross the Jordan twice—just so that they could avoid Samaria.
Now, it wasn’t just because of intermarriage, the intermarriage led to paganism and the paganism led to a blended type worship where they were creating their own priesthood, built their own temple, and devised a sacrificial system on their own. Plainly put, they perverted worship and created their own human traditions. This shows what happens when we throw aside the authority of Scripture and do what WE think should be done instead.
2 Kings 17:33 (ESV)
33 So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
The original site of the Samaritans’ temple was on Mount Gerizim, in Samaria. That temple was built during the time of Alexander the Great, but it had been destroyed about one hundred twenty-five years before the birth of Christ. Gerizim was still deemed holy by the Samaritans, however, and they were convinced the mountain was the only place where God could properly be worshiped. That is why the Samaritan woman in John 4:20 said to Jesus,
20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
Obviously, this was one of the chief points under dispute between the Jews and the Samaritans. (To this day a small group of the Samaritans’ descendants still worship on Mount Gerizim.)
Many of the original Israelites’ descendants who later returned to Samaria from captivity were also the product of intermarriage with pagans, so the culture of Samaria suited them perfectly. Of course, the Jews regarded the Samaritans as a mongrel race and their religion as a mongrel religion. That is why, during the time of Christ, such pains were taken to avoid all travel through Samaria. The entire region was deemed unclean.
But in this instance, Jesus’ face was set for Jerusalem, and as He had done before (John 4:4), He chose the more direct route through Samaria. Along the way, He and His followers would need places to eat and spend the night. Since the party traveling with Jesus was fairly large, He sent messengers ahead to arrange accommodations.
Because it was obvious that Jesus was headed for Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and the Samaritans were of the opinion that all such feasts and ceremonies ought to be observed on Mount Gerizim, Jesus’ messengers were refused all accommodations. The Samaritans not only hated the Jews, but they also hated the worship that took place in Jerusalem. They therefore had no interest in Christ’s agenda at all. He represented everything Jewish that they despised. So they summarily rejected the request. The problem was not that there was no room for them in the inn; the problem was that the Samaritans were being deliberately inhospitable. If Jesus intended to pass through their city on His way to Jerusalem to worship, they were going to make it as hard as possible for Him. They hated the Jews and their worship as much as the Jews hated them and their worship. As far as the Samaritans were concerned, turnabout was fair play.
James and John, the Sons of Thunder, were instantly filled with passionate outrage. They already had in mind a remedy for this situation.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
The reference to Elijah was full of significance. The incident to which James and John were referring had taken place in this very region. They were familiar with the Old Testament account, and they knew its historical relevance to Samaria. We see here how deeply the Jews felt their resentment toward Samaria.
So when James and John suggested fire from heaven as a fitting response to the Samaritans’ inhospitality, they probably thought they were standing on solid precedent. After all, Elijah was not condemned for his actions. On the contrary, at that time and under those circumstances, it was the appropriate response from Elijah.
But it was not a proper response for James and John. In the first place, their motives were wrong. A tone of arrogance is evident in the way they asked the question: “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” Of course, they did not have the power to call down fire from heaven. Christ was the only one in their company who had such power. If that were an appropriate response, He could well have done it Himself. James and John were brazenly suggesting that He should give them power to call down fire. Christ Himself had been challenged many times by His adversaries to produce such cosmic miracles, and He had always declined.
39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
James and John were in effect asking Jesus to enable them to do what they knew He would not do.
Furthermore, Jesus’ mission was very different from Elijah’s. Christ had come to save, not to destroy. Therefore He responded to the Boanerges Brothers with a firm reproof:.
55 But he turned and rebuked them.
56 And they went on to another village.
After all this time with Jesus, how could they have missed the spirit of so much He had taught?
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
He was on a mission of rescue, not judgment. Although He had every right to demand absolute worship,
28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jesus Himself had said,
John 12:46–4
46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.
47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
Of course, a time is coming when Christ will judge the world. Scripture says
7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
But this was not the time or the place for that.
Note also that Jesus was not by any means condemning what Elijah had done in his day. Nor was our Lord advocating a purely pacifist approach to every conflict. What Elijah did he did for the sake of God’s glory and with God’s express approval. That fire from heaven was a public display of God’s wrath (not Elijah’s), and it was a deservedly severe judgment against an unthinkably evil regime that had sat on Israel’s throne for generations. Such extreme wickedness called for extreme measures of judgment.
We find later on in Scripture that God had a plan for Samaria:
5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.
What happened was truly of God:
6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
8 So there was much joy in that city.
Again, we do not know what God’s divine plan is…therefore we must concede to His knowledge over our own desires. Undoubtedly, many who were saved under Philip’s preaching were some of the same people whom Jesus spared when James had wanted to incinerate them. And we can be certain that even James himself rejoiced greatly in the salvation of so many who once had dishonored Christ so flagrantly.
So, moral of the story… We never know who God will work through, how He will work through them, or when He will work in them…so let Him do His job…and we need to keep our personal thoughts and opinions to ourselves.
Thrones In Heaven
Thrones In Heaven
Here we discover that James was not only fervent, passionate, zealous, and insensitive; he was also ambitious and overconfident. And in this case, he and his brother John engaged in a furtive attempt to gain status over the other apostles.
Matthew 20:20–24 (ESV)
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.
21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”
22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”
23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.
Notice it seems James and John put their mother up to asking if they could be seated with Jesus in Heaven. This request was not taken well by the others.
In Matthew, we find James and John’s mother was with others following Jesus.
55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him,
This undoubtedly mean they made financial support for the disciples and Jesus.
Luke 8:1–3 (ESV)
1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,
2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
Did Salome think her contributions made her sons more worthy of their position in heaven??? That is the opinion I draw from this conversation.
Do we see this attitude among church members today? Whether it is those who have been in the church the longest, whose family is most long-attending, maybe there were financial contributions early in the church history, maybe they’re the significant tithers in the congregation today. Should this type attitude and arrogance be allowed to continue? Look at Jesus’ response to James, John, and their mother Salome.
Jesus’ reply subtly reminded them that suffering is the prelude to glory. So, of course, in their foolish, ambitious self-confidence, they assured Him, “We are able.” They were clamoring for honor and position, so they were still eager to hear Him promise them those highest thrones.
Now, are we willing to accept the suffering that comes along with service? I mean, many of our congregants can’t even make it out of bed and to church on time… so how many of them are willing and able to suffer for what small earthly gain there might be to act like a total jerk? It does nothing but cause tension.
Their ambition ultimately created conflicts among the apostles, because the other ten heard about it and were displeased. The question of who deserved the most prominent thrones became the big debate among them, and they carried it right to the table at the Last Supper.
24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.
James wanted a crown of glory; Jesus gave him a cup of suffering. He wanted power; Jesus gave him servanthood. He wanted a place of prominence; Jesus gave him a martyr’s grave. He wanted to rule; Jesus gave him a sword—not to wield, but to be the instrument of his own execution. Fourteen years after this, James would become the first of the Twelve to be killed for his faith.
A Cup of Suffering
A Cup of Suffering
James story ends as recorded in Acts 12:1-3
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
Remember, this is the one place in Scripture where James appears alone, apart from even his brother. Few details of James’s martyrdom are given. Scripture records that Herod was the one who had him killed and that the instrument of execution was a sword (meaning, of course, that he was beheaded). We don’t know why this Herod would be so hostile to the church, it is clear that Herod wanted to use the tensions between the church and the Jewish religious leaders to his political advantage. He began with a campaign of harassment against Christians and soon moved to murder. When he saw how this pleased the Jewish leaders, he decided to target Peter as well. We know Peter escaped, and Herod died shortly after as a part of God’s judgment. So, we see the immediate threat by Herod against the church ended. Period.
We must be EXTREMELY careful upon which hills we are willing to climb and die. God might just see it as an arrogant way of disobeying Him, and could very well remove us for disobedience.
But it is significant that James was the first of the apostles to be killed. (James is the only apostle whose death is actually recorded in Scripture.) Clearly, James was still a man of passion. His passion, now under the Holy Spirit’s control, had been so instrumental in the spread of the truth that it had aroused the wrath of Herod. Obviously, James was right where he had always hoped to be and where Christ had trained him to be—on the front line as the gospel advanced and the church grew. History records that James’s testimony bore fruit right up until the moment of his execution. In the end, James had learned to be more like Andrew, bringing people to Christ instead of itching to execute judgment. Such lessons are sometimes hard for a man of James’s passions to learn. But if I have to choose between a man of burning, flaming, passionate, enthusiasm with a potential for failure on the one hand, and a cold compromiser on the other hand, I’ll take the man with passion every time.