The question is almost never Are the disciples right about this? It is almost always Why don’t they listen to Jesus?
For Sunday
Third Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 8C
Collect
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Reading
From Luke 9:51-62
“When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?””
Reflection
This is the literal turning point in Luke’s narrative. Jesus has turned his face toward Jerusalem. It is time to head to the crucifixion; the crucible of the story.
And what has preceded this was Jesus sending his closest followers out into the world with his power to heal and proclaim the good news to all they meet. And among that group that went and did and came back having done incredible things are James and John.
It is remarkable that their response to a little adversity in this moment is to rain down the fires of heaven upon their perceived adversary.
It is remarkable, not because it isn’t what we might do. Because it is quite like something many among us would do. No, it is remarkable that they have done incredible acts of healing and their gut response is to kill. They have preserved life and now they are eager to take it.
In our day, we often call this “playing God.” We see it among the healing professions, especially among specialty surgeons whose daily actions are life and death. And we see it among our soldiers who literally choose who lives and dies in a moment.
It is easy for most of us to condemn James and John for this bout of hubris.
It is an obviously extraordinary over-reaction to a moment. And most of us will naturally see the hypocrisy of it.
But many of us engage in this very torment and challenge on a regular basis. Not so literally, of course. But also something more than figuratively.
The condemnation of people for their sexuality is an obvious example. But also the condemning of the poor or the mentally ill to the streets. The simple fact that there are more vacant houses in the United States than homeless population reveals the cruel detachment we have to the ordering of our world.
It isn’t just James and John, of course. Each of the people who speak up demonstrate a kind of missing-the-point that is endemic to Jesus-following. That there is so much that we take for granted as rational. Let me take care of one last thing seems like a fair request. And it is fair. In the Kingdom of the World. But in the Kin-dom of God, it means something different.
Perhaps we don’t yet know what the point is. Just that killing people and not taking Jesus seriously are examples of not getting the point.
Problem in the Text
This week’s video deals with the disciples and their, let’s call it, misunderstanding of what Jesus actually wants.