James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were among the first and the closest of Jesus’ followers. They were present at a number of special moments in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had reason to give them the nickname, “Sons of Thunder.” John, in zealous protection of the authentic “Jesus brand,” is ready to put out of business a person who was casting out demons and relieving people of suffering by using Jesus’ name (Luke 9:49-50). Jesus, with broader vision and deeper wisdom, points out that anyone who is not actively against is for you. Think about that.
Just a few verses later (Luke 9:51-56) we have this incident. When Jesus, reading the signs of the times, recognizes that this is the moment to bring his person and message to the seat of power, he “sets his face” toward Jerusalem. Now the quickest route between Galilee and the capital was through the territory of Samaria. Israelites and Samaritans, as a rule, tended to hate one another. (Jesus was an exception.)
Jesus sent out an advance party ahead of himself to prepare for his passing through. One Samaritan town, mirroring the mutual animosity between the two peoples, refused to welcome Jesus and his entourage. James and John, filled with righteous fervor and indignation, approach Jesus with what they have decided is the only appropriate response to the unthinkable insult of a whole town refusing to offer the sacred obligation of hospitality. “Let us call down fire from heaven on them!”
How saturated our mentality is with the clear, simple and direct solution of whatever we feel is a problem! Kill! Destroy! Wipe it/them out! Look at how popular culture is permeated with the concept that the only effective way to deal with evil – or what we see as evil – is to eliminate it through some manifestation of violence (books, movies, video games, music…). The hero (or superhero) is the one who survives by taking the lives of all the “bad guys “and ingeniously finding ways to destroy all their weaponry (unless a sequel with even greater violence and destruction is planned, of course). We feel good that there is such a clean, straightforward method for overcoming evil.
And Jesus’ response to James and John? He scolds them in no uncertain terms and heads on to another village. Jesus knows that destruction and killing is never a solution.