When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”
Parallel translations
- WEB When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky, and destroy them, just as Elijah did?”
- KJV And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
- NKJV And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
- NASB When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
- NLT When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
James and John want to call down fire from heaven to destroy the village. Their zeal is real but misguided and vengeful.
Overview
The brothers appeal to Elijah's calling fire on his enemies, wanting to punish the inhospitable Samaritans. Their reaction reveals a spirit of vengeance at odds with Jesus' mission. It shows how easily even sincere followers can confuse personal anger with godly zeal.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 2 Kgs 1:10–14Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men.
- Jas 3:14–18But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.
- Jas 1:19–20My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
- Acts 4:29–30And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness,
- 2 Sam 21:2At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)
- 2 Kgs 10:31Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.
- 2 Kgs 10:16saying, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD!” So he had him ride in his chariot.
- Rev 13:3One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 9:54 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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