Some Say Elijah
In the book of Luke, 9th chapter, a fascinating account is dropped in the middle of the author's narrative of Jesus' life, journey, and teachings. The story goes like this:
"When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 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?" But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village." (verses 51-55)
Let me clarify why I say this account is dropped into the book here. The account occurs in the same chapter that includes Jesus sending out the twelve disciples, Jesus feeding the 5000 with just a few fish and loaves of bread, Peter confessing Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus foretelling His own death - twice. The same chapter also includes the transfiguration of Jesus in God's full glory before Peter, James, and John. If Jesus were to have a heavenly trophy case, several items from this chapter would be displayed today.
But right in the middle of these outstanding references to Jesus' divinity is a paragraph that simply does not seem to fit. Why does the book of Luke include this passage here or anywhere? Let's look a little deeper at the passage.
Points to notice:
Jesus is resolutely on his way to Jerusalem. It is interesting that in the account, the author refers to the days as being "near for him to be taken up." In other words, it was almost time for Jesus to return to heaven. Another potential reference for this time might have been when Jesus was to go to the cross and die, separated from His Father in heaven, to save humanity from their sins. I think that may have been a better description.
Jesus was pretty famous by this time, so he needed an advance team. A team was sent ahead of them on this particular day. There is no indication whether the group received instructions to go to a Samaritan village to seek lodging and food, but that is where they ended up. It was probably along the way and just the right distance for that leg of the journey.
The Samaritans said there's no way Jesus is coming up in our village. They refused the Messiah because "his face was set toward Jerusalem." They said no because of where he was going! What is up with that?
James and John overreact when they "saw it." Interestingly, James and John experienced this rejection. Not sure if the advanced party gave them the heads up but according to the scripture, these two disciples got a front row on this one.
There were a lot of things James and John could have suggested in response to the Samaritan "insult." They selected the fire from heaven routine in honor of Elijah, who killed 100 Samaritan soldiers in this same manner in a similar location (2 Kings 1). Apparently, James and John were looking to do a remix.
Jesus "turned" and rebuked James and John. These two brothers got Jesus' attention. Albeit unwanted attention at the time.
Ok. So there has to be a reason why God chose to put this account in His written Word. There must be something here. First of all what about this "face setting" that Jesus was doing? Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. He had to get there to complete His task. His time was short, and the task would be grueling. Jesus was likely not too concerned about the beating and the cross. He was clear about what had to happen there. But what may not have been as clear was the separation from Father God in heaven due to the sin He would bare for mankind's salvation. That was new territory, and Jesus was not looking forward to it. So Jesus put some resoluteness in His steps. I would venture to say that if ever there was a person in the zone, it was Jesus during this time. Jesus would not falter, and He would not fail.
Why were the Samaritans so down on Jesus? They likely did not have anything against Jesus other than the same problem they had with every Jew. A Jew was a Jew, and Jesus was a Jew. That was all they needed. The feeling was not one way either. The Jews were not too excited about the Samaritans. The feelings of hatred dated back a long way to before the captivity of the northern kingdom, Israel. I won't get into much history here for time's sake but suffice to say that the Samaritan area was once the land of Israel, and Jews inhabited it. They were taken captive and never returned to the territory, while the southern kingdom of Judah returned after their captivity. The differences between the Samaritan and Jewish cultures at that time put a thorn of bitterness between the peoples. The obvious question is why the advance party would choose this Samaritan village for lodging. In Jesus' resolute return to Jerusalem, it appears they decided to go through Samaritan territory rather than around it. It was in essence a shortcut to Jerusalem. They would not make it through the area in a single day, so they had to choose a town for their stay. They did the best they could. The one they chose, however, happened to be more of the private property persuasion.
Now, before we start pointing fingers at Jesus' advance team, let's remember that they were able to leave the "Not in our village" village and go to "another village" for lodging and food. It seems not everyone in Samaria was unreasonable and mean. Unless, of course, that other village was outside of Samaria. There is no indication.
And then there is James and John. These two brothers are pretty prominent in this chapter of the Bible. First, they are sent out with the other 12 disciples and given "power and authority over all demons and to cure disease." (vs 1) They were empowered by Jesus to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal. So you have that. These two were also with Jesus during His transfiguring, or as the Bible says, "the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white." (vs 29) They saw Jesus, the Divine Jesus. Finally, John gives witness in verse 49 that he tried stopping someone who "does not follow with us" from casting out demons. Jesus didn't appear too pleased with that action. Basically, he told John not to get in the way when someone is doing good work.
So now we can see that James and John were coming off some pretty heady stuff. I mean power, healing, transfiguring, miracles - I must admit that under the same circumstances I might have jumped to the fire from heaven thing too. But their response does seem a little over the top. Can you imagine two grown men asking Jesus in the middle of this dispute, "want us to call down fire on them, Lord?" Come On! I can understand why Jesus turned to look at them. He must have been like - what is wrong with you?!
Let's stop here because this is a pivotal point in the scripture, and I think it is why this story is in the book. If you read the complete chapter, you see more than just James and John referenced multiple times. One name appears more than all others, except Jesus, in this chapter. That name is Elijah. The name Elijah appears in verses 8, 19, 30, and 33. During the account of the transfiguration, Elijah appears himself along with Moses. At this point, Peter put his foot in his mouth and offered to build a temple for Elijah and Moses as well as for Jesus. God the Father interrupted this thinking with a simple but powerful statement. He said, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!" (that would be an exclamation used by Almighty God). Then Moses and Elijah were gone, and only Jesus remained. God was making a point, the same point made in our strange Samaritan Village story.
In verse 8, the author talks about Herod, the Roman tetrarch over the region. Herod was the ruler and the same guy that put John the Baptist to death by beheading (another story for another time). Word got back to Herod about Jesus, and some claimed that John the Baptist was back from the dead. Others were claiming that Elijah had appeared again. Jesus did such amazing things that people had to make up something to explain it. In verses 18 and 19, we have the account of Jesus asking the disciples who people said He was. They answered, "John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah." Peter got it right by confessing Jesus as "The Christ of God."
So we have three accounts in this single passage of scripture where Jesus is either mistaken for or compared to Elijah. Make no mistake. There is a reason for this. Then we get down to the Samaritan Village. Here we have the intersecting of a great prophet and the Son of God. The Father had already made Himself clear on His "Chosen One." But it was time to put to rest any thoughts that Elijah had returned. You see, it was not what Jesus did that separated Him from Elijah. It was what He did not do that made the distinction. If you look at 2 Kings 1, you see the account of Elijah calling down fire on the Samaritans. You will find that this was because of disrespect for God. In fact, the only reason why Elijah was even with the Samaritans was that they had called on other gods and not the true God. The Samaritans had forsaken the truth and gone to idol worship of useless gods. God sent Elijah to make them aware, and by them, I mean the king of Israel, the northern kingdom, that their actions had consequences. So he delivered his message, and the king wanted to talk with him further. The king sent out his soldiers one time - they got burned up by fire from heaven, and another time - they got burned up by fire from heaven. Elijah wasn't playing around, and neither was God. But the third time, the captain of the guards came on bended knee and pleaded for his life, and the lives of his men, and God had mercy. Elijah delivered his message again, and the king died.
Fast forward a few hundred years, and here is Jesus before the Samaritans. They have an opportunity to welcome the Messiah of God, a Jew by birth but the Savior of the world by calling. They refused Him. Now is the perfect time for some fire from heaven - at least from James and John's perspective. I mean, all this Elijah talk. Why not show them how it's done around here? But Jesus separates Himself from Elijah. You see, Elijah was a man of God, a prophet called to the people of God to bring a message. Elijah was a man of God, a voice that proclaimed judgment for sin. It was nothing for Elijah to call down fire from heaven. But could he stay the fire from heaven? Could he hold back the wrath of God?
Today we understand that Jesus was different from Elijah. He was more powerful. We know that. His disciples may have had some confusion on this matter but they were pretty clear that Jesus was powerful, at least more than a prophet. Most people throughout the country in Jesus' time probably did not have a clue. They may not have cared much either as long as this guy was going to deliver "we are good with him."
But Jesus was more than Elijah not simply because of His power. He was more than Elijah because of His calling. Elijah was not God's "Chosen One," and he could not stop the fire from heaven. He could not prevent the wrath of God from being unleashed on sinful man. Elijah could not reveal the grace of God. But Jesus could. Do you know that scripture about love? You have faith, hope, and love, but the greatest is love. Elijah was not the love of God. But Jesus was.
"No James and John, there is no need to call down fire from heaven. I have come to save humankind, not destroy them." That day the disciples saw the difference in Jesus. They saw the Love of God displayed in place of wrath. They would see the same displayed again on the cross.