Was it hyperbole (were the boys just talking a big talk?) or were the Sons of Thunder prepared to invoke God-level destruction? (See Luke 9:54).
I found myself wondering about why the term ‘hellfire’
seemed to resonate in my knowledge-base while ‘heaven fire’ seems excessive and
contradictive. It is not to do with the
infamous ‘Hellfire’ club of the X-men comics (and also, apparently, of British
and Irish origins). No, in my knowledge base, the Hellfire
missile is a mainstay of US military forces (making appearances in
military-based video games as well).
Hellfire carries a 'Sodom and Gomorrah' connection too, the bringing
of fire and brimstone (but a mixed connection, fires of hell sent from heaven...that is another post...).
Fire from heaven as a thing occurs as well (but it’s ‘branding’
is not as pervasive as ‘hellfire’). Maybe
the best known example is the fire of heaven descending to consume the
sacrifice of Elijah when he was engaged in worship battles with the 400 priests
of Baal.
Its not always a good thing.
In Leviticus 10, the two eldest sons of Aaron, newly minted high priest,
are consumed by heavenly fire when they offered something translated as “unholy
fire” before the Lord.
Heaven fire was certainly on the mind of John. This Son of Thunder we believe wrote significant
portions of the New Testament, the gospel, the three letters, and the book of
Revelation. In a couple of places in
Revelation, specifically 13:13 and 20:9, he talks about the fires of heaven
coming down to consume the evil.
If there is any consistency in these expressions of heaven
fire, it seems to be in how it purifies.
It burns away the evil to leave what is good. Directly, as in the deaths of Nadab and Abihu,
the sons of Aaron, or indirectly, as in the slaughter of the priests of Baal
that follow the fire coming down to show God’s acceptance of Elijah’s
sacrifice. But it is violent, elemental,
and consuming.
Given their Biblical understanding (their bible being our
Old Testament), given John’s return to this theme in the Book of the Apocalypse
of John (another name for Revelation), I do not think the Sons of Thunder were just
talking in exaggeration. Especially in
light of Jesus claiming that anything asked for in faith would be granted to
the disciples.
And Jesus rebuked them. That’s an interesting word choice. Did a quick concordance check of the word rebuke. When Jesus uses it elsewhere, it is almost
exclusively when he rebukes evil spirits-demons-before casting them out.
Sidebar-when it came to Legion in last week’s Scripture, ‘rebuke’
is not recorded.
For Jesus to rebuke is for Jesus to invoke God-level
interjection to say, in less polite terms, “Shut up and knock it off!”
I believe Jesus did it because what the Sons of Thunder were
offering to do was exactly what Jesus had come to put an end to. Jesus came to put an end to heavenly
punishment for our sins. Jesus came to
take the punishment for sins upon himself.
Heaven fire would NOT fall upon Jesus because heaven fire is purifying,
and Jesus is the Pure, Perfect one to be sacrificed on our behalf. In other words, no need for fire.
He is without sin, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. In fact, in our passage, Jesus is beginning His journey to Jerusalem, to do exactly that, to take on our punishment that would relegate the fires of heaven to punish and purify to the divine dustbin of history of how God works to bring us to obedience of God's will.
Peace,
pastor pete
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