Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?

1 OCTOBER (Lk 9,51-56)

James and John ask Jesus to attest to his truth on the model of the prophet Elijah. Elijah incinerated the envoys of the king, and Jesus must also incinerate his enemies.

After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel. Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his roof terrace at Samaria and had been injured. So he sent out messengers with the instructions: “Go and inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.” Meanwhile, the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite: “Go, intercept the messengers of Samaria’s king, and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?’ For this, the Lord says: ‘You shall not leave the bed upon which you lie; instead, you shall die.'” And with that, Elijah departed. The messengers then returned to Ahaziah, who asked them. “Why have you returned?” “A man came up to us,” they answered, “who said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him: The Lord says, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? For this you shall not leave the bed upon which you lie; instead, you shall die.'” The king asked them, “What was the man like who came up to you and said these things to you?” “Wearing a hairy garment,” they replied, “with a leather girdle about his loins.” “It is Elijah the Tishbite!” he exclaimed.

Then the king sent a captain with his company of fifty men after Elijah. The prophet was seated on a hilltop when he found him. “Man of God,” he ordered, “the king commands you to come down.” “If I am a man of God,” Elijah answered the captain, “may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men. Ahaziah sent another captain with his company of fifty men after Elijah. “Man of God,” he called out to Elijah, “the king commands you to come down immediately.” “If I am a man of God,” Elijah answered him, “may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And divine fire came down from heaven, consuming him and his fifty men. Again, for the third time, Ahaziah sent a captain with his company of fifty men. When the third captain arrived, he fell to his knees before Elijah, pleading with him. “Man of God,” he implored him, “let my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants, count for something in your sight! Already fire has come down from heaven, consuming two captains with their companies of fifty men. But now, let my life mean something to you!” Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; you need not be afraid of him.” So Elijah left and went down with him and stated to the king: “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, you shall not leave the bed upon which you lie; instead you shall die.'” Ahaziah died in fulfillment of the prophecy of the Lord spoken by Elijah. Since he had no son, his brother Joram succeeded him as king, in the second year of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah (2Kings 1,1-17).

James and John are still very far from the mystery of Jesus, who not only is a true prophet, he is also the Messiah, the One that must not destroy man, but vivify him. He must not destroy, but rebuild him; not kill, but raise him.

When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

Jesus did not come to make fire rain down from heaven for the physical destruction of man. He came for another fire. He must make the fire of the Holy Spirit come down. But first he must die on the cross, because it is from his pierced body that the fire of the Spirit, in the form of water, will pour forth and flood the world.

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim (At 2,1-4).

The Apostles always tempt Jesus. They suggest him solutions not in accordance with God.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints insert us in the mystery of Jesus.