Jesus, Warrior King Subtitled: or Jesus is not a pacifist
Jesus, Warrior King Subtitled: or Jesus is not a pacifist
Jesus, Warrior King Subtitled: or Jesus is not a pacifist
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Past<strong>or</strong> Williams quotes Luke 9:54-56:<br />
54 And when H<strong>is</strong> d<strong>is</strong>ciples James and John saw th<strong>is</strong>, they said, L<strong>or</strong>d, wilt thou that we<br />
command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?<br />
55 But He turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know <strong>not</strong> what manner of spirit ye<br />
are of.<br />
56 F<strong>or</strong> the Son of man <strong>is</strong> <strong>not</strong> come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they<br />
went to a<strong>not</strong>her village.<br />
"When examining Luke 9:54-56, we observe <strong>Jesus</strong> rebuking James and John as <strong>not</strong><br />
knowing "what manner of spirit ye are of" as they asked <strong>Jesus</strong> if He wanted them to call<br />
down fire from heaven upon evil men. Past<strong>or</strong> Williams concludes, "You have a bad spirit<br />
if you want to pun<strong>is</strong>h the w<strong>or</strong>ker of iniquity because <strong>Jesus</strong> did <strong>not</strong> come to pun<strong>is</strong>h but to<br />
save."<br />
The context in which the passage <strong>is</strong> to be interpreted <strong>is</strong> contained in the previous verses,<br />
found in Luke 9:51-53:<br />
51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He<br />
steadfastly set H<strong>is</strong> face to go to Jerusalem.<br />
52 And sent messengers bef<strong>or</strong>e H<strong>is</strong> face: and they went, and entered into a village<br />
of the Samaritans, to make ready f<strong>or</strong> Him.<br />
53 And they did <strong>not</strong> receive Him, because H<strong>is</strong> face was as though He would go to<br />
Jerusalem.<br />
To summarize, these three verses show that James and John wanted to burn crowds of<br />
Samaritans like toast, as they recalled what Elijah had done, f<strong>or</strong> <strong>not</strong>hing m<strong>or</strong>e than<br />
socially rejecting <strong>Jesus</strong>: th<strong>is</strong> was hardly a Capital Crime.<br />
Again, <strong>Jesus</strong>' d<strong>is</strong>ciples James and John were rebuked f<strong>or</strong> wanting to kill men in a most<br />
cruel fashion, contrary to the law. In other w<strong>or</strong>ds, the civil penalty they wanted to<br />
admin<strong>is</strong>ter did <strong>not</strong> match up with the supposed crime. <strong>Jesus</strong> was rebuking James and<br />
John f<strong>or</strong> a wrong spirit and unrighteous judgment. Pra<strong>is</strong>e <strong>is</strong> never appropriate f<strong>or</strong><br />
unrighteous judgment but the sternest condemnation and rebuke. Elijah, however, was<br />
apparently justified when he called down fire upon the soldiers of the idol-w<strong>or</strong>shiping<br />
Ahaziah. God the righteous did send consuming flame from heaven upon them. In the
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