“Sons of Thunder” or the Prince of Peace?

Lectionary reflections for Pentecost 4 (C)

By Jim Lewis

Readings for Pentecost 4, Year C, June 27, 2004

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 or 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21

Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 or 16

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Luke 9:51-62

Here in the mountains of West Virginia, people rely on early warning signals. Paying attention to forbidding clouds, thunder and lightning could well mark the difference between life and death. Living in vulnerable areas – up hollows and at the base of mountains – people must be aware of the danger lurking behind an overcast sky so that unexpected flood waters don't wash them away.

In Luke's gospel, Jesus spots early warning signs from his disciples as they travel toward Jerusalem. These early warning signs indicate that violence is on the way unless someone puts a stop to it.

James and John show us why they were nicknamed “Sons of Thunder.” Their outburst, upon entering a Samaritan village, was a thunderous early warning signal to Jesus – one he countered so that people would not be swept away by violence.

We know little about why Samaritans hated Jesus and his followers. Like all hatred on the part of one group of people toward another, it is difficult to discover where it all started. Perhaps there were tribal, cultural and ethnic differences that had created enmity between Samaritans and Jesus' followers. This animosity becomes visible in today's story when the Samaritans refuse to offer hospitality to Jesus and the disciples as they travel the hot, dusty and dangerous road to Jerusalem.

James and John, hungry, tired and expecting Middle Eastern hospitality – washed feet, good food, and a place to sleep – are outraged that it is denied them. And so their thundering voices are raised toward Jesus: “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

In today's idiom that translates: “Do you want us to call in heavy artillery and military air strikes to blow them away?”

These firebrands – James and John – give Jesus an early warning signal that the disciples still have not understood the nonviolent message Jesus has been trying to teach them. They still don't understand that military might and violent warfare will not save them, or the world in which they live.

Later (Luke 22:47-51), as Roman troops come to arrest Jesus, his followers try to defend him by crying out, “Lord, shall we draw our sword?” Before Jesus has a chance to respond, one of them slices off the ear of a man charged to arrest him. When Jesus sees this, he cries out: “Enough!”

Jesus has not spent his time on the road to Jerusalem building a militia to overthrow the Roman Empire. His message has been a message of nonviolent love, and by his acquiescence to death on a cross he allowed imperial power the freedom to choose life, or to destroy itself by its greedy desire to occupy countries and dominate people by means of military might.

It will take a nonviolent response on the part of Jesus to all that the Roman Empire can throw at him on Golgotha to finally get the message over to the disciples, and to us, that redemption does not come from the barrel of a gun or a mighty army. Jesus has not spent his time on the road to Jerusalem building a militia to overthrow the Roman Empire. His message has been a message of nonviolent love, and by his acquiescence to death on a cross he allowed imperial power the freedom to choose life, or to destroy itself by its greedy desire to occupy countries and dominate people by means of military might.

The United States has an imperial-size military budget of over $500 billion. One look at our armed society at home, and the number of military troops deployed around the world, tells us, if we have eyes to see, that we have become a military police state. Military recruiters are in our high schools and universities, while courses in nonviolent training, mediation skills and alternatives to military service are shunned. Studying war is in vogue. Studying peace is out of style.

But let's be clear. The task of providing such training belongs to congregations even more so than to our schools. Local churches are called to embody the nonviolent message of Jesus by participating in congregational peace education, anti-war work, and courses that offer our children mediation skills and nonviolent options to war.

Perhaps the place to begin is at Sunday worship where we can embody the nonviolent message of Jesus by simply praying for those designated as our enemies – al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, those who would do us harm here and abroad, and ourselves, who often prefer the title “Sons of Thunder” rather than the “Prince of Peace.”

The Rev. Jim Lewis is an Episcopal priest living in Charleston, West Virginia. He writes a regular column on faith and current issues, Notes From Under the Fig Tree , and may be reached by email at ejlchas@aol.com .