26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

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

There’s no way around it—rejection hurts! Whether being denied a job or a date, most of us can recall the pain of being turned down or cast aside. It’s easy to take these experiences personally and to give in to the temptation to respond in anger. So we can understand James and John’s harsh reaction to the Samaritans who refused to welcome Jesus in today’s Gospel (Luke 9:53-54).

By contrast, Jesus didn’t respond in wrath. Instead, he rebuked James and John and moved on to another village. In fact, every time Jesus faced rejection or hostility, he chose patience, mercy, and forgiveness.

How unlike Jesus we are! Some of the deepest wounds we carry come from times of rejection, when someone chose not to love us. Because of these encounters, we may feel justified in responding like James and John. While it’s understandable that we might feel pain in these moments—and even afterward—by God’s grace, we don’t have to call down “fire from heaven” (Luke 9:54). Instead of lashing out, we can look to Jesus, who blesses those who curse him.

This event in Samaria foreshadows Jesus’ passion and death. There, we see humanity’s rejection of God as well as God’s willingness to endure even death for the sake of his people. We witness Jesus’ steadfast mercy most vividly at Calvary. The onlookers told Jesus to come down from the cross and retaliate if he was truly the Messiah. Even the soldiers jeered, “Save yourself!” But he didn’t. Instead, he prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34, 37). Jesus always extends mercy. No matter how many times we trip and fall, he invites us to begin again, to return to him and receive that mercy.

Like James and John, we struggle to understand a God who allows us—or anyone else—to reject him. We can’t fully grasp God’s enduring love. It’s a love that tenaciously seeks us out and then humbly and tenderly waits for us to respond. Today, let’s thank Jesus for enduring so much in order to save us. Let’s praise him for his mercy. And let’s show that mercy to the people around us.

“Lord, thank you for loving me so patiently!”

Zechariah 8:20-23
Psalm 87:1-7
Luke 9:51-56