Sons of Thunder
In Luke Chapter 9 tells us that Jesus was headed toward Jerusalem, where he didn’t take the most direct route, but instead went through Samaria. He sent several friends ahead to arrange for overnight accommodations, but the people who lived there refused to welcome Jesus. James and John were infuriated when they heard the news and bellowed, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and destroy them [even as Elijah did]?" (Luke 9:54) I believe that verbal explosion is what earned James and John the nickname ‘Sons of thunder’. These guys essentially asked permission to nuke that little Samaritan village! As we read on Jesus gently rebukes them, explaining that His mission is to heal and transform rather than to assault
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He is exactly who He always was, a just, fair and merciful God and Father to His beloved. His patience and tender mercies are evident throughout the Old Testament, just as His love and judgment are also apparent in the New.
The people of Israel were oftentimes wayward, regularly wandering off track and missing the mark by a country mile. In fact, the first time Moses came down from the mountain the people were worshiping a golden calf while the Lord stood by, a deserted lover. And while He could’ve reacted in fury and destroyed them all with a word, that didn’t happen. Rather, He once again met Moses on the mountain in order to restore the covenant with those He loved. The sheer fact that Exodus 34 was written is evidence that He is a God of mercy and grace rather than a God who rushes to judgment.
The first covenant God made on the mountain went like this: "If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex. 19:5-6). What an incredible promise! But instead of remaining loyal and worshiping the one true God, they abandoned a relationship with Him to worship a golden cow made with their own wayward hands. They had deserted the God of all